Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.
Superman III is a muddled entry in the franchise that leans too heavily into Richard Pryor's comedic antics at the expense of coherent storytelling. The synthetic kryptonite subplot and Superman's psychological split are interesting ideas squandered by tonal inconsistency. Pryor is naturally charismatic but miscast in a superhero context, and Robert Vaughn's villain lacks menace. Cinematography is competent for the era but unremarkable. The film adds little new to the Superman mythos and retreads familiar ground with less polish than its predecessors. The supercomputer finale feels rushed and the resolution is unsatisfying. A disappointing step down from Superman II on nearly every metric.