Superman III Details

Director Richard Lester injected a much needed irreverence into Superman II, but he lost his way badly with this third instalment of “the man from Krypton” saga. There are a few neat touches, such as when Christopher Reeve turns nasty, but this proved to be the beginning of the end for the series. The attempt to up the laughter quotient by introducing Richard Pryor doesn't work, and neither he nor Robert Vaughn prove to be an adequate replacement for Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor. Margot Kidder wanted little to do with this sequel and must have been thankful only to get a look-in as Lois Lane, and Pamela Stephenson would probably rather forget her role as Vaughn's dumb girlfriend. Still, for die-hard fans of the superhero, this is adequate entertainment.

Sometimes humorous but overwritten and overacted variation on a tired theme. The special effects are the thing, but there's too much padding in between.