1983's Superman 3 is the third Superman film to star Christopher Reeve as the titular character. The first two films were loved by critics and fans, but sadly, the third film didn't receive the same kind of love. Although some people like the film, Superman 3 has garnered a lot of hate. It is often considered to be a bad, campy film that hurt the franchise. Do I agree? No.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a bad Christopher Reeve Superman film. Any film where he plays the man of steel is a treat to watch. In our current times, superhero films tend to get into very dark places and/or confusing, complicated multiverses that are hard to keep track of. In hindsight, a film that is as pleasant, easygoing and simple as Superman 3 is a delight. It's a film that is able to keep up the lighthearted nature of the Superman film franchise.
Superman 3 gives Christopher Reeve a chance to play a different kind of Superman. In the film, Superman gets exposed to a different kind of Kryptonite. Instead of making him weaker, it makes him act more like a bad guy. This leads to a great action scene where the good side and bad side of Superman split into two and have a thrilling fight. Seeing Superman fight off the Kryptonite's bad inflictions and go back to being the symbol of hope is very powerful and satisfying.
Something that I find to be very interesting is that the "bad" Superman in this film is still less problematic than the "heroic" Superman from the films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. In Man of Steel, Superman's carelessness during his fight with General Zod caused several innocent people to get hurt and lose their lives. In Superman 3, when Superman is acting bad, he harms objects rather than people. He does things like blow out an Olympic torch and stop the Leaning Tower of Pisa from leaning. The Christopher Reeve version of Superman is so lovable than even when he's hypnotized into being bad, he still causes less damage than the Superman from the more modern films. It's also worth noting that after Superman is back to normal, he fixes the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unlike the more modern version of Superman, he's able to repair the damage he caused.
The film's version of Lana Lang is very likable. Annette O'Toole does a very good job at playing her. She and Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent are sweet together. They have such good chemistry that I wish that Lana could have stuck around and become Clark's girlfriend in the fourth film.
The film has received a lot of hate for the wacky comedy involving Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman. Superman 3 certainly takes the franchise in a more comedic direction than the previous two films, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Gus Gorman is a very entertaining character that is able to cause conflicts without becoming unlikable. He has several amusing scenes with Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster. Ross Webster is a fun villain that has one of my favorite villain quotes from the franchise: "I asked you to kill Superman, and you couldn't do that one simple thing." What makes this quote so funny is that Superman is one of the most invincible heroes of all time, yet Ross Webster acts like killing Superman should be a simple feat for the cowardly Gus Gorman.
Superman 3 might be a bit silly, but if anything, the silliness is part of what makes it so charming. Fans of Christopher Reeve and Superman should certainly give this film a watch.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a bad Christopher Reeve Superman film. Any film where he plays the man of steel is a treat to watch. In our current times, superhero films tend to get into very dark places and/or confusing, complicated multiverses that are hard to keep track of. In hindsight, a film that is as pleasant, easygoing and simple as Superman 3 is a delight. It's a film that is able to keep up the lighthearted nature of the Superman film franchise.
Superman 3 gives Christopher Reeve a chance to play a different kind of Superman. In the film, Superman gets exposed to a different kind of Kryptonite. Instead of making him weaker, it makes him act more like a bad guy. This leads to a great action scene where the good side and bad side of Superman split into two and have a thrilling fight. Seeing Superman fight off the Kryptonite's bad inflictions and go back to being the symbol of hope is very powerful and satisfying.
Something that I find to be very interesting is that the "bad" Superman in this film is still less problematic than the "heroic" Superman from the films Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. In Man of Steel, Superman's carelessness during his fight with General Zod caused several innocent people to get hurt and lose their lives. In Superman 3, when Superman is acting bad, he harms objects rather than people. He does things like blow out an Olympic torch and stop the Leaning Tower of Pisa from leaning. The Christopher Reeve version of Superman is so lovable than even when he's hypnotized into being bad, he still causes less damage than the Superman from the more modern films. It's also worth noting that after Superman is back to normal, he fixes the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Unlike the more modern version of Superman, he's able to repair the damage he caused.
The film's version of Lana Lang is very likable. Annette O'Toole does a very good job at playing her. She and Christopher Reeve's Clark Kent are sweet together. They have such good chemistry that I wish that Lana could have stuck around and become Clark's girlfriend in the fourth film.
The film has received a lot of hate for the wacky comedy involving Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman. Superman 3 certainly takes the franchise in a more comedic direction than the previous two films, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Gus Gorman is a very entertaining character that is able to cause conflicts without becoming unlikable. He has several amusing scenes with Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster. Ross Webster is a fun villain that has one of my favorite villain quotes from the franchise: "I asked you to kill Superman, and you couldn't do that one simple thing." What makes this quote so funny is that Superman is one of the most invincible heroes of all time, yet Ross Webster acts like killing Superman should be a simple feat for the cowardly Gus Gorman.
Superman 3 might be a bit silly, but if anything, the silliness is part of what makes it so charming. Fans of Christopher Reeve and Superman should certainly give this film a watch.
