Superman III (1983)

The common criticism leveled against Superman III is that it “disrespects the legend!” This phrase has popped up on countless websites (and in Wizard magazine’s tribute to Superman).  This criticism basically ignores a good twenty plus years of Superman’s history (1940s to the late 1960s) in which the comic books were fairly ridiculous.  It also ignores the many issues of the Superman spin-off, Lois Lane, in which the title character constantly tries to manipulate Superman into marrying her. This very notion that Superman III disrespects the legend is a bit hyperbolic.  This is not say that Superman III is a good movie, but it’s hardly the abomination that so many fans make it out to be.  It’s certainly no more “disrespectful” to the legend than Man of Steel (the scene where Clark Kent stands by and watches his dad get killed by a tornado was the moment I realized that this was a Superman I didn’t want to watch). Superman III is a truly unique super hero movie – again, this doesn’t necessarily make it good, but it does make for an interesting movie - it’s the only super hero movie to feature an every man character (Gus Gorman) in a prominent role. 

Gus Gorman is an interesting idea that is heavily flawed in its execution; the most obvious being that the character is played by Richard Pryor, a well known comedian. The character should be unassuming and a bit naïve, but Pryor’s persona completely overwhelms the proceedings. The first scene of the movie has Gorman being denied his unemployment check and, through sheer happenstance, decides to take up a career in computer programming. Gorman proves to be a natural at computer programming and uses his skills to embezzle money from his employer, Webscoe, which brings him to the attention of the CEO, Ross Webster. Rather than filing charges, Webster decides that Gorman is a means to an end (Webster wants to corner the coffee/oil market). Gorman goes along with Webster's plans not because is a malicious person, but rather, at least to him, it's just another day at the office. 

 Superman III is not on par with the previous movies, but it is an interesting movie in its own right and it has its share of genuinely good moments: 

1.       Annette O’ Toole as Lana Lang. 

 

The brightest spot of Superman III is Annette O’ Toole as Lana Lang. She has an appealing screen presence and gives a sincere performance as Clark’s high school crush. This is also a nice callback to the first Superman; there is a brief moment in that movie where the implication is that Clark and Lana could have been a couple had either of them acted on their feelings, unfortunately, they allowed for their social statuses to get in the way (Clark was the equipment manager of the football team, Lana was the head cheerleader).  In Superman III, Lana acknowledges that Clark was “the one that got away.”  

 
There are many fans that complain about Lois Lane being relegated to a cameo, but, I personally think it makes sense – Superman II took the character to her most logical conclusion. It’s not surprising that the filmmakers went in another direction; hence, Lana Lang was the most obvious choice. Lana is a stark contrast to Lois Lane – Lois is a successful news reporter, while Lana is a single mom with a son, Ricky, who is just trying to get by (while resisting the advances of the obnoxious Brad – former high school hero).  Lois treats Clark with completely indifference, but it is absolutely smitten with Superman, while Lana prefers Clark by a wide margin. There’s actually a sweet moment when Lana asks Clark if he can persuade Superman to appear at Ricky’s birthday. When Clark tells her it should be no problem, she responds, “You tell Superman we think he’s wonderful! But Clark…you’re the best!”  Clark is taken aback by this – after years of listening to Lois pine over Superman, it must be a shock that anyone would prefer him to Superman. 

 
It’s also refreshing that avoids the cliché of making Lana a damsel in distress figure. At no point does Webster shout, “We’ll attack Superman where it hurts most! GET THAT LANA GIRL!” The scenes with Lana don’t really have a narrative function, rather serve a thematic purpose. It is the Clark Kent persona that keeps Superman in check and prevents him from turning into a full fledged tyrant.  It is his growing up in Smallville that has shaped his values and that is what the Lana, the all American girl next door, represents. 

2.       Ross Webster. 

Wait! How could I possibly like Ross Webster? He is, arguably, the most boring villain in the history of Super Hero movies. Well, I don’t so much like the character, as I like the idea of the character. The criticism has always been that Webster is a second rate Lex Luthor, and I absolutely agree. However, I also believe that was Richard Lester’s point– Webster is a wannabe super villain who has the resources to takeover the world, but lacks the brain power to do so.  Lex Luthor was a super genius who (inexplicably) surrounded himself with morons (Otis, Miss Tessmacher), while Ross Webster is a dim businessman who surrounds himself with far more intelligent people (even his ditzy blonde girl, Lorelei, is a lot smarter than she leads on).
 That is why Gus Gorman is so pivotal to his plans.  It’s ironic that it is the much put down Gus who gives Webster unlimited power. It’s a power that Webster doesn’t understand (nor did he rightfully learn) that it’s not surprising he is at a complete loss when the super computer turns against him.

3.       The Evil Superman.

After Superman (unwittingly) thwarts his plans at cornering the coffee market (Webster has Gorman hack into a weather satellite, which unleashes a monsoon on Columbia, Superman puts a stop to all of this), Webster has Gus manufacture a synthetic brand of Kryptonite – there’s one component that the computer can’t identify, so Gus uses tar. The synthetic Kryptonite doesn’t kill Superman, but it does radically change his personality – it turns him into a bad guy. The most interesting thing about “Evil Superman” is that he isn’t so much evil as he is an asshole.  This is not a Superman interested in world domination, he is a complete jerk (he straightens the Leaning Tower of Piza, he smashes beer bottles in bar by flicking peanuts at them, and blows out the Olympic Torch). While Superman is symbolic of mankind at his best, Evil Superman indulges in all our worldly vices (alcohol and sex, etc.). It’s a far more interesting idea than turning Superman into a world dictator, mainly because world conquest would be boring to Superman.  Plus, if the filmmakers turn Superman into a complete monster, they run the risk of making him completely irredeemable – it is a wise move on Lester’s part that no one gets hurt during Evil Superman’s bender.  This leads to one of the more memorable moments in the entire Superman series – Clark Kent vs. Evil Superman. The Evil Superman, no matter how many drinks downs, can’t fully silence his inner Clark Kent, hence it is only inevitable that two personalities duke out. Here, we are given a literal representation of this inner battle - Evil Superman crashes into a junkyard, and the two personalities (Clark and Evil Supes) split apart and then duke it out. The Clark half proves to be stronger and Superman is restored to his normal self. The moment when Clark opens his shirt to reveal the “S” logo is genuinely great moment in the series.  

4.       Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve is the BEST Superman ever (no offense to you Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Dean, and Henry Cavill fans).  In Superman III, Reeve gives three distinct performances – Clark Kent, Superman, and Evil Superman. It’s a tribute to Reeve that his Clark Kent and Superman behave in a different manner. His Clark Kent is timid and absolutely clumsy (a walking disaster at times).  He stammers a lot and has terrible posture (he slouches). Superman is the exact opposite – brave, confident, and absolutely charming.  There’s a lot of subtlety to Reeve’s performance – notice how Clark Kent is less of a bumbler when is he around Lana. He wisely injects Superman with a knowing sense of humor (take note, Henry Cavill), and is genuinely creepy as Evil Superman. 

The problem with Superman III (other than Pryor’s nonstop mugging) is that, while it is a two hour movie, there is only thirty minutes of actual plot – midway through the movie, Gus, shows Webster his plans for a supercomputer. Webster indulges Gus’ whim and this leads to the movie’s climax – the supercomputer becomes sentient and Superman must destroy it.  However, this story line comes completely out of left field – how did Gus dream up this idea? Why did he dream it up? The Evil Superman story line takes up about twenty minutes of actual screen time, and the majority of Lana’s scenes are confined to the first half. It’s interesting to see a Super Hero that doesn’t end with a city getting leveled (which is the tendency is most of the movies now a days), but the final confrontation between Superman and Ross Webster is bewildering (the supercomputer pulls in Webster’s sister and turns her into a robot that shoots lasers). Richard  Lester is a skilled director and has made some great movies, but his direction is ill-conceived at times - like opening the movie with a comedy ballet. The opening is funny, but it doesn't belong in this movie.  While Superman III is an absolute mess,  it does serve as a nice showcase for Christopher Reeve’s acting abilities.  His warmth and sincerity shines through, even in a disaster  like this. 

Credits
Cast:  Christopher Reeve (Superman/Clark Kent), Richard Pryor (Gus Gorman), Annette O’ Toole (Lana Lang), Robert Vaughn (Ross Webster), Pamela Stephenson (Lorelei), Annie Ross (Vera), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Gavan O’ Herlihy (Brad), Paul Kaethler (Ricky), Nancy Roberts (Unemployment Clerk), Graham Stark (Blind Man), Justin Case (Mime).

Director: Richard Lester
Screenplay: David Newman, Leslie Newman.
Running Time: 125 min.