
Superman III
1983, Adventure/Action, 2h 5m
53 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
When not overusing sight gags, slapstick, and Richard Pryor, Superman III resorts to plot points rehashed from the previous Superman flicks. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Clark Kent, Superman
Gus Gorman
Ross Webster
Perry White
Lois Lane
Lana Lang
News & Interviews for Superman III
Critic Reviews for Superman III
All Critics (53) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (37)
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The action is good but this doesn't move the audience in the same way as the first two.
August 13, 2020 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Superman III may be the saddest dissappointment of the summer movie season.
March 4, 2019 | Full Review… -
Reeve, the ongoing justification for the series, is no longer contractually obligated after this episode, and his liberation comes not an installment too soon.
April 23, 2018 | Full Review… -
Putting its emphasis on broad comedy at the expense of ingenious plotting and technical wizardry, it has virtually none of the mythic or cosmic sensibility that marked its predecessors.
March 26, 2009 | Full Review… -
Enjoyable, nevertheless.
June 24, 2006 | Full Review… -
It's a cinematic comic book, shallow, silly, filled with stunts and action, without much human interest.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Superman III
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Jan 16, 2019Although the cast is certainly game the entire effort comes off like a corny comic book parody (and not in a good way!) of a Superman story and is a total waste in the final analysis and best forgotten.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Sep 25, 2017Awful movie from start to finish full of terrible gags, Poor acting and dialogue, The plot was so bad, When you cast Richard Prior to play one of the bad guys you know it's going to be so uneven and it was, Poor effects and there was little action, I did like it when Superman turned evil but that got ruined by some stupid and confusing scenes, So many plot holes I gave up caring what was going to happen next, The ending was one of the worst I've seen, Avoid if possible.Jamie C Super Reviewer
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Jun 21, 2016Richard Lester continued his quest to drag this franchise into the ground. From the changes he made to the ultimately theatrical release of Superman II and this film, it's pretty sad. This film shows a synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar, splitting Superman in two: a good Clark Kent and a bad Superman. This leads to a showdown between the two in a junk yard. This "split personality" story was really lost on me. It was interesting to see what an "evil Superman" might do, but I still didn't like it. The opening sequence was also laughable, but in a very bad way. Pryor served up some comic relief as a computer programmer that gets in with the wrong crowd but doesn't save this film. When Joel Schumacher got the Batman franchise gig, I'm pretty sure he called Richard Lester for some tips.Patrick W Super Reviewer
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Apr 07, 2016Giving moviegoers the bird more than the plane, Superman III never really takes flight and ultimately proves as uninspired and disengaging as Superman and its first sequel prove compelling and vital. Aside from falling victim to a monstrous villain aptly named Doomsday in the pages of his own comic book, The Man of Steel also gets 86-ed in the second sequel to 1978's Superman. It's poor writing, poorer ideas, and a man who once famously lit himself on fire with a crack pipe that do him in. For reasons even Jor-El cannot explain, Superman III sees a filmic winning streak dovetail into dumbfounded shenanigans in one fell swoop. In this PG-rated poor excuse of a sequel, synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar splits Superman (Reeve) in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel. Man from U.N.C.L.E. star Robert Vaughn suffered a lot of indignities in the '80s, one being shoe-horned into the final season of The A-Team as a second-string quarterback to George Peppard. In Superman III, however, he plays a villainous millionaire bent on taking over the world's - wait for it - coffee supply in Superman III. The fact that Richard Pryor gives a turn as a genius who builds a super-computer to kill Superman and skis off of a skyscraper roof (not in that order) pretty much tells you all you need to know about this unfortunate doppelganger tale. Bottom line: Pryor WarningJeff B Super Reviewer
Superman III Quotes
Clark Kent/Superman: | I don't know you lady! |
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