Superman

→ in
Tools    





I know, I saw your response in another post



Well, this is a step up from Sucker: The Vampire. Which isn't saying much, but still...



I expected this movie to be annoying as sh*t. After what I heard about the introduction to this film, I imagined it being something like Popeye with Robin Williams. Except with Superman. During the opening to this movie where Richard Pryor was looking for a job opportunity, I thought to myself, "Well, this isn't so bad." But then the main titles happened, and I was reminded of Popeye with Robin Williams. And no, that's not a compliment.
Fortunately, the intro was the only part where the film had that amount of slapstick bs. But this makes me wonder, if the entire movie wasn't going to be like that, why set it up like that in the first place? Also, it wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be; the man bumping into the pole made me laugh.
The villains of Superman 3 are some of the dumbest rogues I've ever seen on film. I can't remember the name of the leader, so I'm just going to refer to him as the flea market Lex Luthor if I speak of him again in this review. Because that is what he is - they copied and pasted Lex Luthor's character traits to this guy, but they took away all of his charm. He has a sister who was basically the Non of the group, and a blonde assistant who pretends to be less intelligent than she really is for some reason.
Richard Pryor gives an entertaining performance, but his character is just as dumb as the bad guys he's working with. He's a good man who's good with computers, but he has zero common sense. He uses his computer knowledge to help the bad guys attempt to kill Superman with little to no question. Because herp derp.
To try to stop the man of steel, Pryor concocts a homemade chunk of kryptonite using known materials that make up the substance. And when he goes to hand this kryptonite-looking stuff to Superman in the most suspicious manner possible, the Supe just takes it. Because, you know...herp derp.
But there's an ingredient missing from the man-made kryptonite, so instead of killing Superman it changes his personality. He becomes evil, and precedes to straighten the leaning tower of Pisa. That monster?
In talking about this movie, a lot of people have said that the fight scene between Clark Kent and evil Superman is the best part in the entire movie. It was my second favorite part, and I'll get to my first favorite after I give my score, because it'll involve some spoilers. But yes, the fight scene in the junk yard was really cool and it had some suspenseful moments. And yes, the rest of the movie should have been more like this.
In the end, I didn't hate Superman III as much as I thought I would, but I don't plan on re-watching it anytime soon. It's entertaining in a way where it would be a better time if I was high.
6/10

Spoiler Talk
My favorite part of this movie was the final act, despite it having some laughably stupid moments. If you're wondering what was stupid about it, tell me why Superman could breathe fine in outer space but was in danger when trapped inside of a bubble.
Anyway, I liked the fact that they sort of introduced Braniac towards the end, as this supercomputer built by the flea market Lex Luthor which takes on a mind of its own. This was the only part of the movie where I felt like there was genuine peril, and I thought it looked pretty cool when the flea market Lex Luthor's sister was converted into some kind of cyborg. During this final battle, even Richard Pryor's character almost managed to redeem himself.
In a spoiler discussion on Man of Steel, the movie reviewer Jeremy Jahns said that it would be really cool if in the sequel the government paid Lexcorp to build a machine that could destroy Superman, because they don't fully trust the man of steel. However, the machine eventually develops a mind of its own and starts to disobey its creators, becoming Braniac. That's not to say that Zack Snyder is actually going to go in that direction, and it isn't even a rumor as of yet - it's just one common man's idea. But if that was the plot of the sequel, what would you think? I believe it could turn out awesome if they did that.



I'm done with this franchise.



I pretty much agree with Rodent that Batman and Robin was a tad better than this. The thing about that movie is that it's intentionally silly, and it's the type of dogsh*t that you can roast the hell out of with a group of friends on a drunken Saturday night. Besides the idiotic new powers that Superman has as well as the craptacular visual effects and the massive plot holes, the main weakness that destroyed this movie for me is that it tries too hard to be serious. I was hoping for a passable guilty pleasure, but I didn't find it here. At least Superman 3 was funny, although most of the parts that made me laugh were only funny on accident.
I can't even give an in depth review for Superman 4, because I didn't finish watching it. I made it all the way up to the part where Supe erased Lois Lane's memory with a kiss, and I decided to call it a day. I know I said that I'd watch all of these, but I'm not masochistic enough to sit through this. Plus, I've got too many movies I haven't even watched yet. I'm not even going to bother with Superman Returns. I will, however, stick to my guns for the Blind Horror Reviews thread. You all know how passionate I am about that genre.



Review #26 on page 3 of my reviews thread... I reviewed the whole lot in one go...

Superman Returns is better than Supe IV... but still not a tad on Supe III...



1978's SUPERMAN pretty much ushered in a new cinematic genre...the comic book movie and did it in a stylish and entertaining fashion. Director Richard Donner mounted a delicious comic book fantasy that even though it teeters on the edge at times, never really reaches that "Oh come on!" point that most movies like this (except when Superman turns back time in order to save Lois Lane's life).

The opening scenes on Krypton are a bore, despite Marlon Brando's presence, but once the story moves to Metropolis, the movie crackles along and keeps the viewer completely engrossed until closing credits.

Just about every working actor in Hollywood was approached for the title role, but Donner struck gold when he cast the late Christopher Reeve, a virtual unknown at the time, as Clark Kent/Superman. Reeve completely commands the screen in this role and the surprise is that he is at his most charming when he is playing Clark Kent. Reeve infuses a goofy, irresistible charm to the character of Clark that makes him one of cinema's most likable characters. Your heart just melts when he asks Perry White to send half his paycheck to his mother.

Margot Kidder reignited her career with her feisty Lois Lane and Gene Hackman is nothing short of brilliant as Lex Luthor. Kudos as well to Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty as Lex's partners-in crime.

State of the art special effects (for 1978) were icing on the cake and I remember literally screaming while watching the closing credits when the last words that appeared on the screen were "Coming soon...Superman II", a film that actually turned out to surpass this one.



When is the new edition of Superman is Coming. any news with this? not talking about Superman Vs Batman.



This thread is more for the Christopher Reeve version on Superman.


But the next Superman movie with Cavill, after BvS, will probably be in 2016 or 2017.



AAhh, long time to wait



Hearing Marlon Brando s voice when he first says: "my son", in the 1978 movie, is a classic movie moment because no one could have taken the role as marlon brando did, amazing stuff



I grew up with Donner's Superman and revisited it a couple years ago. Great, great movie (as long as you realize the earth reversal wasn't literally what happened and was just a cheesy 70's way of Superman going back in time). Donner knows how to start a great franchise with a good story and real pizazz, and Superman is only one of his addicting movies.



Yeah, I also grew up watching those first two films every week or so, but I hadn't seen the first one in a long time. I revisited last year and was surprised by how well it held up. The first half is incredible, right until the time when Clark leaves the farm. The second half puts it down a notch for me, but it's still pretty good.
__________________
Check out my podcast: The Movie Loot!



Welcome to the human race...
Hell yeah, old thread got bumped.

The first two were childhood favourites that I let slide very easily once I got more into Watching Films and watching 3 and 4 in recent years did not do them any favours. I opted to revisit all four in a row during quarantine last year and I'm sad to say that even the original tops out at a
for me - can't argue with the casting choices, of course, but I just found myself bored with it for long stretches. The same goes for the sequels where having some good casting for villains (Terence Stamp as Zod is masterful of course) is let down by what's in the films, to say nothing of the sheer goofiness in 3 and 4. Still, at least I rewatched them, which I can't imagine doing for Superman Returns.
__________________
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



I grew up with Donner's Superman and revisited it a couple years ago. Great, great movie (as long as you realize the earth reversal wasn't literally what happened and was just a cheesy 70's way of Superman going back in time). Donner knows how to start a great franchise with a good story and real pizazz, and Superman is only one of his addicting movies.
Right. Turning the Earth backwards was a visual metaphor - just like when movies show pages flying off a calendar or clock hands moving forward - these things aren't supposed to be really happening, they just represent the passage of time.



Right. Turning the Earth backwards was a visual metaphor - just like when movies show pages flying off a calendar or clock hands moving forward - these things aren't supposed to be really happening, they just represent the passage of time.
Captain steel, how much do u like the original 1978 film?



Wow how rude....no answer after 1 hr......



Wow how rude....no answer after 1 hr......
An hour may have passed for you, but I was turning the Earth backwards!

I like the original film a lot - I still think it's very well done, especially the pastoral scenes of the middle act.

Over time I've developed some issues with the plot - particularly the time travel... all Superman had to do was go back a couple more hours (what for him might have been a couple more seconds flying faster than the speed of light) and he could have prevented all the damage he had to correct. He could have gone back just far enough to stop Luther from launching the bombs, but he only went back far enough to save Lois.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
An hour may have passed for you, but I was turning the Earth backwards!

I like the original film a lot - I still think it's very well done, especially the pastoral scenes of the middle act.

Over time I've developed some issues with the plot - particularly the time travel... all Superman had to do was go back a couple more hours (what for him might have been a couple more seconds flying faster than the speed of light) and he could have prevented all the damage he had to correct. He could have gone back just far enough to stop Luther from launching the bombs, but he only went back far enough to save Lois.



the really trippy thing is that now, since Supes spun the earth back, earth is now one hour out of sync with the rest of the universe. so like if an alien decided to invade the planet, it would technically be what, like an hour into our future? eh, now that I've typed this I can't really figure out where to go with it....



nevermind.
__________________
"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear



Ghouls, vampires, werewolves... let's party.
the really trippy thing is that now, since Supes spun the earth back, earth is now one hour out of sync with the rest of the universe.
It was always my understanding that it wasn't the Earth that went back in time but rather just Superman himself.