Superman 3 Movie Review

The Superman series started going seriously awry with this second sequel. Villainous businessman Robert Vaughn tries to conquer Superman via the expertise of a bumbling computer expert (Richard Pryor) and the judicious use of artificial Kryptonite. The Man in the Cape explores his darker side after undergoing transformation into sleaze-ball. Director Richard Lester tried to take this one in a different direction, utilizing satire and direct, physical comedy in place of the previous films’ gentler humor. Unfortunately, that's not really what the Superman myth is about, and although Pryor does his best, 3 just doesn't measure up. The downplaying of the Superman/Lois Lane romance didn't help, either.

1983 (PG) 123m/C Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Annette O'Toole, Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, Annie Ross, Robert Vaughn, Pamela Stephen-son; D: Richard Lester; W: Leslie Newman, David Newman; C: Bob Paynter; M: John Williams. VHS, Beta, LV WAR