Superman III (1983)

Synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

David Newman (screenplay), Leslie Newman (screenplay),

Stars:

Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Reeve	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Richard Pryor	...	Gus Gorman
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Annette O'Toole	...	Lana Lang
Annie Ross	...	Vera
Pamela Stephenson	...	Lorelei
Robert Vaughn	...	Ross Webster
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Gavan O'Herlihy	...	Brad
Nancy Roberts	...	Unemployment Clerk
Graham Stark	...	Blind Man
Henry Woolf	...	Penguin Man
Gordon Rollings	...	Man In Cap
Peter Wear	...	Bank Robber

Storyline

Wealthy businessman Ross Webster discovers the hidden talents of Gus Gorman, a mischievous computer genius. Ross decides to abuse his talents, in a way to help Webster with his plans for economic control. When the man of steel interferes, something must be done about Supes. When Gus' synthetic Kryptonite fails to kill Superman, it turns him in an evil incarnation of his former self. The tar-laced Kryptonite pits man against himself, setting up the Clark vs. Superman battle.

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Plot Keywords:

computer | kryptonite | high school reunion | villain | smallville | 

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Taglines:

Alexander Salkind Presents Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor as you never seen them before. With more action, more twists, and more fun than Superman has ever had before!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

WB Home Entertainment - DVD site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Italian Spanish

Release Date:

17 June 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Superman 3

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$60,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dovemead Films, Cantharus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When it was first revealed to producers that Lana Lang would be a single mother, a comic book was quickly written explaining how Lana came to be in that situation.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the film when Superman is in the cave, he is encapsulated in an "invisible shield" bubble. The wires holding the bubble off of the ground are clearly visible in numerous shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Unemployment Clerk: Next. Name?
Gus Gorman: Gus Gorman.

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Connections

Referenced in Memories of Videodisc (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Love Theme"
Written by Giorgio Moroder and Ken Thorne
Performed by Helen St. John
Produced by Giorgio Moroder

User Reviews

A lot less humor needed

If you're a fan of Superman you'll find plenty to enjoy in this third installment in the series. I do, but it must be admitted that this film is much inferior to the first two.

This has Richard Lester written all over it. Superman II was Richard Donner's creation and Lester simply took over and wisely kept the tone of the film but with some added humor. This time around the humor steers the film as it's mostly a Richard Pryor vehicle. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that the film fares best when focusing on the Man of Steel, whether he's romancing an old flame in Smallville or in high flying action.

This is also the film where Superman goes bad and fights his alter ego to the death. Those scenes are the best in the film. Some set pieces are pretty good and special effects are decent. However, the finale has to be deemed utterly ridiculous when Superman battles a "sophisticated" computer!

Reeve is amazing as Superman/Clark Kent. Effortlessly switching to playing a meaner version of himself, he's simply perfect. Richard Pryor is always the same, so if you're a fan of his work you'll love him here. Everyone else is decent except those three villains; they're a little too much, especially Vaughn.

A lot less humor and more seriousness would have made the film very good.