Superman III (1983)

Directed by: Richard Lester | 125 minutes | action, comedy, adventure, fantasy | Actors: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jacky Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette OToole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaugh, Margot Kidder, Gavan OHelihy, Nancy Roberts, Grahan Stark, Henry Woolf, Gordon Rollings, Peter Wear

‘Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman!’ Superman has been a phenomenon since the 1930s. The man of steel has been saving the earth from various disasters for many years. Whether it is an attack by terrorists with bad intentions or a natural disaster. As a comic book hero, he performed his spectacular deeds with a natural impetus. Stopping a rocket, rescuing people from an exploding chemical plant, and preventing a meteorite from crushing the Earth, it’s never too much for Superman.

As a character, Superman proves versatile enough to stand the test of time. Because people are still queuing up for Superman. Most recently for the young, athletic Brandon Routh as the man of steel. But also in television series ‘Smallville’ with Tom Welling and ‘Lois and Clark, The New Adventures Of Superman’ with Dean Cain. It is mainly his double life that makes Superman a hero of today. His alter-ego Clark Kent is a serious reporter who is afraid to express his love for colleague Lois Lane. As tough and confident as he is once in his tight Superman suit, he is as insecure and sensitive as Clark. One minute the man in the cape is saving the city of Metropolis from destruction, the next minute he’s the timid, humble reporter again. And therein lie the major differences in the various film adaptations of this hero.

In ‘Superman III’ Christopher Reeve – in 1983 at least – has the body befitting the role of an athletic hero. He is broad, tough and manly. His Superman is in stark contrast to his Clark Kent portrayal. Puts Reeve on glasses and a jacket on him, but it doesn’t make him believable as Clark Kent. He looks more like a shot putter who has dressed up nicely for the occasion. And it continues to laugh, howl, roar at the excuses he makes up to get out of the way to transform into Superman. Even funnier is the fact that no one sees the similarities between the two men. Reeve does not convince in this either. However, opinions about Reeve vary. But that’s the same discussion as who is the best James Bond.

What ‘Superman III’ also does not have is the quality of the stunts. Superman flies to the right, Superman flies to the left, Superman flies up. Fortunately, it’s not that simple, but compared to the bombastic scenes that surround today’s Superman hero, this film adaptation seems more like a comedy than one that focuses on the fortunes of the great hero. Unfortunately, the expectations of a real Superman film adaptation have not been fulfilled.