Superman 3 focuses on a new villain, Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn). On the outside he is a generous philanthropist, doling out heaping handfuls of money to whatever group he deems fit. He is a powerful man, born into wealth, and, secretly, looking to do anything in his power to get more. Even if that means going beyond the limits of the law. We are also introduced to Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor). He is a lazy man in denial and unable to hold down a job of any kind. After enrolling into a basic computer programming class, he finds he is a gifted genius computer whiz. Gus pulls a techno bank heist to satiate his greedy lusts. Rather quickly though, he is caught by his employer Webster. Rather then fire him and turn him into the police, he creates a new partnership with the tech whiz. What ensues is a new plot to defeat Superman and to get rich while they were doing it. SPOILER WARNING!
Likes - There is one thing about this film I really liked, Christopher Reeves performance as Superman. Particularly, I really enjoyed Reeves portrayal of a Superman under the influence of tainted Kryptonite. He did a particular amazing job of playing a real person. This is key because his portrayal of Clark as a bumbling nerd is all the more exemplified. It give Reeves' Kent so much more credibility.
Dislikes - Oh Superman, how you continue to show us how not to do things! Webster feels to me like a watered down Luthor. In Superman 1 and 2, Hackman's Luthor has one ultimate, unspoken motivation - to prove his mental superiority over humanity. Webster's motivation feels nothing more then making a quick buck. It doesn't make much sense why he is going out of his way to make more money when he already owns his own business, along with it's own high rise skyscraper in Metropolis. Gus Gorman is a bit more believable while also being much less likely. It is very hard to believe how someone can be such a moron with everything in life, but somehow have an innate understanding of the inner workings of computers. So much so, he is able to create a virus that infects an entire corporation. Also, Pryor seemed pushed into silly scenes, simply to give him a forum to display various impressions. It felt forced and out of place. In the end, I think Pryor was too big a name for this movie. They tried to make this movie to be something else, instead of a showcase of Superman and how he handles the various problems that his special powers can't make go away.
Another aspect of this film is the general attitude of technology. This is less a complaint and more an observation. I love technology. I have a degree in Computer Engineering because I love computers. Technology is the future, pure and simple. This film treats technology, computers in particular, as this strange magic, somehow able to do whatever you want it to do. The film makers didn't understand that even computers have their limits. They can't randomly shoot out lasers or suck in human flesh. I found this treatment of computers very amusing and I feel like this attitude still prevails amongst people today.
Overall - I don't recommend watching this film, at least not if you want to see Superman. I feel like Superman was included in this film almost as an afterthought or out of necessity. Out of the 3 films I've seen of Superman, this is the most inconsistent. Reeves delivers a great performance of Superman/Kent but it's not enough to justify watching this movie as a whole. 2 out of 5 stars.
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