Rest in peace, Christopher Reeve & Richard Pryor. Thank u for my childhood bc it was the battle between good & evil within yourself. Awesome movie, nuff said!
I always loved as a kid that #3 was clearly a different movie to #2, with its own uniqueness & quirkiness. Now as an adult I love all 4 movies and am delighted every few years to revisit Christopher Reeves in the iconic role he was born to play!
That's because 2 was mostly filmed by the late great richard donner and when he was firedlester reshot most of the scenes and included his stupid slapstick comedy garbage in it just to get directors credit.
I always loved this one. The villian wasnt great, but when the robot takes over the sister at the end was terrifying as a kid. I always loved the evil superman scenes too, leading to the awsome superman v clark fight in the junkyard.
Fun fact: I was a kid, visiting my aunt in Calgary, when Superman III was being filmed. I was walking downtown Calgary, and we came upon a crowd gathered around a skyscraper. Soon after, a stuntman, dressed as Richard Pryor's character with a pink cape and wearing skis, jumped off the top of the building, way way down, landing on a huge airbag. When the stuntman finally came down off the bag, i got him to sign a polaroid photo i took as he was in midair.
Saw it in theaters and I do recall the audience laughed when Robert Vaughn is trying to figure out who is stealing a fraction of a cent from every transaction in his company's data base and Richard Pryor rolls up in a Ferrari. Which the movie Office Space steals that plot point from.
1 thing you probably already knew - seeing the woman being forcibly assimilated by the supercomputer was absolute nightmare fuel to watch if you saw this as a young kid.
I agree....i remember watching this as a very young kid in the mid 80s. Freaked me out too. Still ended up being my favorite of the 4 films.....Tell me....did you think that all acids looked like campbells tomato soup and could eat through anything?
I love that Minty loves this movie. I have always loved it as well. I saw this movie a million times as a kid as well. The fight between the two Clark’s was/is great
This truly is a fantastic movie. It’s interesting to see Superman portrayed in a rough situation and to see what happens when the villains take advantage of that. They created some great suspense showing just what Evil Superman could get away with. I have rewatched this movie several times and I always enjoy it. I like Gus Gorman a lot too. I think Richard Pryor did an excellent job playing the character!
Absolutely my favorite Superman movie as a Kid growing up in the 80's and its been so long since I've seen it that I never connected the importance to characters like Lex Luthor going forward. You never cease to amaze me with your trivia knowledge Minty, Love your work mate!
I don't love Superman 3 but I can enjoy it for what it is. A solid B movie that pretty closely matched the tone of the comics of the late silver/early bronze age. I think after 1 and 2 everyone's expectations were pretty high and felt let down by a campier and more down to earth story. I wished they would have leaned into the Brainiac side of the story and had more Lana Lang. I fell in love with Annette O'Toole.❤️
You have good points but 3 is definitely not a B movie, it cost $35 million to make, the highest budgeted film of 1983 with Pryor getting $5 million and Reeve $3 million. It's an A film all around, B is in reference to a films budget, not the quality. Halloween is a B movie, although it's also a great film
I have fond memories of hiring this from my local video shop. The build up to the evil superman is great. It is more comedic but that’s not a bad thing when you’ve got Richard Pryor involved. Great to see Pamela Stephenson too. You get Robert Vaughan being ultra cool and an evil robot. What’s not to like ❤️
The bit about Lex Luthors business man background being influenced by SM3 is definitely one of the most interesting things I've ever heard. Thanks Minty I can't wait to point it out to my mates.
The car filling up with water scared me when I was a kid. Actually, several scenes were scary, in 3, now that I think of it. The woman robot, the crusher crushing Clark, the combine-harvesters blades, Supes getting smothered in wires. It's like a mild horror in some parts, especially to a kid.
The split between good and evil is probably the most talked about and Chris really nailed the rage filled Superman as much as he did the beloved good guy. It almost seems like when the split happened, their powers were split as well. 3 is flawed but I can appreciate when directors take chances like this. People want to see creative fight scenes and not just people punching each other through buildings. That’s boring.
Maybe from decades of movie watching but at this point in my life I find extended fight scenes and car chases to be really boring and that's when I go to the bathroom.
I remember reading the novelization in 5th grade. And certainly most of the deleted scenes of the movie were in the book. The scientist in the factory fire was described as a mad dr. And the underlying tone was that Superman actually was not very happy with the Clark Kent part of his disguise. And that he really had to hold back against the way Kent was treated by society. And there was a nice part written of how he learned a new prospective when he defeated his " evil" half. And how Jor El helped him. It was a cool book especially for an 11 yr old.
In 1983 I was 9 to 10 years old, and this movie was my very first superhero movie that I got to watch on an actual movie theatre, so I have a special place in my heart for it. I left the theatre jumping and playing superman, and I was really excited after watching it, so to me, if the movie was made for entertaining the kids and superman fans, the producers can say 'mission acomplished'! 🤙
*_I truly enjoyed Superman 3™ back then and still today. It's not Richard Pryor's fault that the film leaned so heavily into comedy. The makers did that because Richard Pryor was a hotshot comedian at the time who was going to co-star in the 3rd film and they felt it would be better to accentuate everything in a way to make Richard Pryor's comedic existence fit in. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 but at least they took a chance and tried something new & different. Unlike today's cinema landscape where studio executives care so much about profits that they demand all films to stay within familiar boundaries, thus, giving us the exact same $hit over & over again [I'm looking at YOU, Disney/Marvel/Star Wars]._* 🤨
Every script is "taking a chance"....that's a shit excuse and they cheapened a Superman movie by making it a Richard Pryor "comedy". (Even though is character sucked ass and is not funny in the least bit) Robert Vaughn was also a weak point. Annette O'Toole was great and even her douche boyfriend was more tolerable than Pryor.
@@justinamenta7241 i totally disagree! I thought it was great they steered away from the usual formula, also i love how everyone bags on Robert Vaughn as a second rate lex luthor yet a few years later and Michael Douglas wins an academy award for his portrayal of a sleazy business tycoon in Wall street!!! And yeah it has some stupid and corny scenes (No movie is perfect) but the positives far out way the negatives! Not to mention the fact that it took $30 million in home video rentals is pretty darn impressive!
@@justinamenta7241 Richard Pryor himself actually wanted to have a more serious role in the movie! Of course producers didn't feel the same way! Well at least Richard Pryor got lucky with Lois Lane Off-screen🎬during the filming LOL!🦸♂🦹🤗🤔
I would have liked Richard Pryor to play it more serious in this movie, a bit like how Robin Williams played some more serious non-comedic roles later in his career.
Actually bought a 4 movie Superman pack just to get part 3 which I can not find individually anymore. It is always a favorite to me. I won't call it a greatest movie of all time contender, but it entertains me and the Smallville scenes are my favorite.
I think your Moonraker comparison is spot on! 3 was both fun and WTF to watch, plus it had Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang! Seeing her again as Martha Kent in Smallville was great. You are correct about the competition that year as well. I remember standing with friends in a long as hell line to see Return of the Jedi. Back in the days when the only way to get a ticket was to go to the box office after it opened and hope your selected time wasn't sold out, then a second line to hopefully get good seats. Plus the two Bond movies...quite a year indeed. Thanks for another great video Minty!
I don’t give the competition argument any credibility for films back then. The reality is less films were being made then. Less films were being released then, an all films stayed in the theater much longer. If someone wanted to see any movie, they had ample opportunity to do so.
Gene Hackman refused to appear in "Superman III" because he refuses to work for the Salkinds again after they fired Richard Donner from "Superman II". Margot Kidder only appeared in one scene because she didn't want to work with the Salkinds again either over the Donner firing. Both Hackman and Kidder agreed to come back for "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" because the Salkinds weren't involved in it, but it was made by Cannon Films instead. The Salkinds still held onto the rights for "Superboy" and "Supergirl", making a "Superboy" TV series and the Helen Slater "Supergirl" film.
This kind of movie should not have been a superman movie in my opinion. There's no focus on a charismatic bad guy too camp. I don't understand what they were trying to do. Although, I'll give the movie this: that scene where Clark has to defeat Evil Superman in order to become Superman again is well worth watching this movie.
the part with the chick being turned into a cyborg monster... yeah that scared the heck outta me as a small kid. Nice trip down memory lane and good video
The battle scene Superman vs himself is a clear message of real life battle within us. It teaches us that we are to blame sometimes when we limited ourselves in life . I really enjoyed this movie
I love superman III because it's one of the earliest films I can remember really liking to watch as a child every time it was on tv on a Sunday on itv in the UK. Who doesn't like the Clark Kent vs superman fight? That's my fave bit.
This is my favorite Superman movie. The silly parts are lame but the story of a good man losing himself and having to fight his own darkness and eventually triumph is poetic and great.
I totally agree with you. I like S III a lot. I always considered that it has a more 'comics - like' approach and spirit than the grandiose look of the 1st and 2nd.
I have nothing against anyone who enjoys Superman III. People can like whatever they want. But I respectfully believe that Minty is mistaken when he implies that those of us who don’t like it are just jumping on the bashing bandwagon. I was nine and my Brother was ten when we saw this movie on the big screen in 1983. We were the perfect demographic for all the slapstick and buffoonery. And we both despise Superman III! The Fourth installment was awful as well. But, at the very least, I can laugh at the ridiculousness of it whereas III just left me and my Bro shaking our heads at its utter stupidity. Also that third act scared the shit out of us! 😅
While it's a guilty pleasure, Superman III isn't very good. Here's why: 1. It's not Superman's movie. It's Richard Pryor's. Gus is the true protagonist, not the titular character. 2. The over emphasized slapstick. It's on par with or probably worse than the action-comedies of the modern superhero genre. The opening scene served no purpose other than to show Superman do 1 heroic thing. The part where Gus accidentally causes the ATM to spill money, overcharge the husband & causes the crossing signals to fight each other added nothing but were there to make people chuckle. Time wasted. 3. No adherence to the comic books. While I'm glad Ilya Salkind's treatment in which Superman & Supergirl would be lovers was ditched, there was no reason to not use Brainiac as the main villain & instead of focusing on Ross Webster's Lex Luthor-like schemes, give the viewers a sci-fi action blast where Superman has to save Metropolis from being shrunk & captured by Brainiac. Or hell, have Evil Superman turn into Bizarro once he & Clark split. Have his condition deteriorate to the point that he resembles Bizarro. The comic "Superman '78" is what Superman III should have been. Tweak Salkind's treatment to have Supergirl be his cousin & not his love interest, have Brainiac be obsessed with her because of Argo City & then his discovery of another Kryptonian living on Earth & have some super powered brawls & Superman III could have been an undisputed classic.
@@Batman88878 i agree. And while i say i Hate it,, its mostly because how much they wasted the character. I still watch pieces of it😂 there are a few good moments but more bad than good ones
Yes! I've been waiting for this one for a long time! SuperMan IV is a must Also hopefully you'll do more comic book/superhero movies. Here's some suggestions: The Meteor Man (1993) Blankman (1994) The Shadow (1994) Barb Wire (1996) Steel (1997) Daredevil (2003) Catwoman (2004) Elektra (2005) Fantastic Four (2005) Man-Thing (2005) Sin City (2005) Sky High (2005)
After reading the comments I am convinced to watch again. I remember not liking the films very much but the enthusiasm displayed below is inspiring. I remember that by the time III came out that there was franchise fatigue. Thanks for another thought-provoking video about the greatest super-hero.
I grew up loving Reeve's Superman yet I had no clue that Reeves had alopecia. Too bad this was never mentioned because he could have been even more of a real life hero to so many(especially kids) with alopecia. But I understand him keeping it quiet.
Well he had alopecia areata during this film, not androgenic alopecia, so I guess they patched him up on a few bald spots, or maybe he shaved off his hair and wore a full blown tupé or something, not sure, but it wasn't real male pattern baldness in any case.
It's interesting, a couple of years ago I re-watched all of the Reeve Superman movies for the first time in ages; and I found that my impressions of them were largely different from what I remembered. My recollections of them was that Superman II was the best, that the original was slow and had bad effects. I can't even remember what I thought of the first one and never got through IV as a kid. So I was very surprised that I found the original motion picture to be the best; and despite being so long, it still holds up incredibly well. Meanwhile, Superman II is not all that great in my opinion. If it had been completed as the companion piece to the first one as it was intended, and not had all the behind the scenes crap, it could have been good, but even the effects I thought pale compared to the first one. I really don't mind Superman III and think it has a lot of potential. There are definitely parts that could have been better, but overall it's not that bad.
Totally agree with you about the first two movies. When I was a kid, I thought SII was the best Supernan movie ever. And the first one good, but with a slow pace. As I grew up, I learned to appreciate the first one more and admit it is a masterpiece of a movie. Now SII, from an adult point of view, has its moments, but the effects compared to the first one, are very dated. The corny jokes/situations are not that good. Overall, part II is not as good as I remember it as a child. It's obviously a stepped down in quality in comparison with the first one.
Actually, I felt the same too concerning Superman 1, I thought it lacked quality but watching it as an adult, Superman 1 is a very good movie and i can appreciate it more for the qualities I overlooked or ignored as a kid! Superman 2 is still my favourite from the Reeves series…to me the plot, the storyline and the acting especially from General Zod was class! Classic lines like “Superman…who is this, Superman?” and “Kneel before Zod!” to this day are classic to the Superman franchise.
@@tusmoovek4444 I would generally agree but as an adult I feel the villains just sucked in Superman, I know Gene Hackman is a A list actor but to me he didn't take the role seriously enough to be a good villain and Ned Betty was cringe in every scene. I still like the movie but think both the direction and the acting of the Hackman and Betty are not very good.
@@jackbits6397 I respect your opinions my friend. I hear what you are saying but I have to still disagree but maybe it’s the bias in me loving the movie since a kid lol. Next time I watch part II again I’ll keep your views in mind and I might see things from a different prospective!
Considering Superman was co-created by a Canadian and Metropolis is partially based on Toronto, it actually makes sense that Superman would fight for those Canadian Eh's!
This is the 1st movie I watched on HBO when my family got cable tv for the first time in 1984. It will always have a special nostalgic place in my heart.
I've never thought about it but I wish I had a memory of what we first watched (also got cable in 84). Eh it was probably Eddie and the Cruisers, that was always on.
@@D-Fens_1632 I watched Superman III over and over because they played it so much but I never got tired of it. HBO had an exciting intro where the logo exploded from space and ascended down to a close up on screen. This got me pumped for any movie I was about to see. I also saw lots of dirty Rated R movies I wan't supposed to see like Porky's, Fast times at Ridgemont high and Eddie Murphy Delerious. I was 13 years old. LOL!
I have the same experience with the television version of Halloween 2. I got so used to watching the tv version, the theatrical version seems weird to me now
The '80s had so many great movies and this is one of my faves. Who didn't enjoyed Clark vs Supes fighting? It was the first and only Superman movie I know of that he had sex, the HS Reunion showed us a glimpse of Clark's past, Lois finally felt jealous of Lana who started to work in the Daily Planet, first to show climate change, so many catastrophes and accidents for Supes to handle, and Supes made a diamond from a coal (if he can do that then he should have been rich!)
Cartoon Network randomly aired all these movies a week or so ago. I stand firm that this movie does not deserve the hate it still gets. People act like the first two weren't silly, too. Maybe not Batman 66 silly, but they had their moments. Plus, this is the one that really traumatized a lot of kids with the robot woman and drunk Superman. It's actually my favorite of all of them.
I love this film! It is fun and exciting with the character development of Superman versus Evil Superman. That battle between the two is easily one of the greatest scenes in any of the Superman movies!
I honestly really liked Superman III. It's not perfect like the original and Superman II but I honestly really enjoyed it. Especially better than that dumpster fire and that was Superman IV The Quest for Peace. That scene where that woman turned into a robot used to scare me a lot when I was younger.
Absolutely agree with you Minty. I watched the tv version on vhs over and over again and I can never get used to the cut version. It is still my favourite of the superman movies but I would love to watch it as I remember it.
Minty I think youre the coolest I love alll ur videos. But i know ive seen this ep once before. Any way you can do an epiisode about the Cheech n Chong movies. Or how bout the Friday movie with Ice Cube?? Would be awesome!! Cheers from TJ Bajacalifornia!!
As a side note, I find it incredibly refreshing that someone else appreciated Frank Langella's Skeletor. Yes, a departure from the original high pitched voice, cranky Saturday morning villain to something more along the line of a Shakespearian antagonist. I memorized the role from early elementary school age, I came to realize later that this style was very much in alignment with classical theater. Both version of the character have their place but I favored the movie.
Me and some friends were "lucky" enough to see a screening of Superman III at Warner Burbank Studios in late April/early May '83. It was a work in progress and many of the FX hadn't been done yet which made some scenes really fun to watch. Even then I thought the Pryor character pulled the movie down and it could have been much better without him.
This video came out at just the right time. I was in my local Goodwill thrift store, and came across a record. It was the soundtrack for Superman III. They use the comedic cover for the album art.
I still have the novelization of Superman III. Haven't read it in many years, but I might have to check it out again. I still have fondness for this movie as well. Nice video, Minty!
I _LOVED_ everything about this movie, where it came out around the time I received my first home computer as a Christmas present, the Commodore Vic-20 (it had a _staggering_ 3.5K of available RAM, but despite this, it still had an _awesome_ Pac-Man clone called Snakman!), where the whole cast was _perfect_, with great turns from Richard Pryor, and Robert Vaughn, with Christopher Reeve being on TOP form 👍.
I used to have a large fridge sized old computer, the kind that had a huge lead weight on the bottom. I knew those evil computer wires that got Superman were coming for me next. I’m so old I had that computer, and programmed a tic tac toe game.
Both Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder are said to have been angry with the way the Salkinds treated Superman director Richard Donner, with Hackman retaliating by refusing to reprise the role of Lex Luthor. After Margot publicly criticized the Salkinds for their treatment of Donner, the producers reportedly "punished" the actress by reducing her role in Superman III to a brief appearance.
The Brainiac, Bizarro, and Lex influences on the comics is crazy! You’ve opened my eyes. I’ve only seen 3 once or twice since I was a kid and this is making me interested in giving it another shot.
As a kid this was my favorite Superman movie and sparked a love of the character still to this day. Suck it marvel. I loved the bowling scene, freezing the lake, and the scrapyard scrap. The part where he stands up after defeating his evil self is pure gold. The way the theme song started and then he opens his shirt to reveal the bright colors gave me chills. This film was a great follow up to the more serious Superman 2. I liked that they Lana was the main girl rather than Lois. And Richard Pryor was the comic relief that it needed. I still quote from this movie. “There’s vodka in it now”.
I like the subplot that Lorelei (Webster's girlfriend) plays the bimbo but is secretly intelligent. Plus, Webster assuming the computer thief is long gone unless he's a moron, only to see Gus roll up to the office in a Ferrari will always be funny.
I love Superman 1 and 2, but I love Superman 3 too. Superman 3 might not have had the glitz and glamour of 1 and 2 but it was still very entertaining and a fun movie to watch. Funny too how Superman was battling AI in the early 80s. And he made it HIS BITCH! SUPERMAN! FUCK YEAH!
I loved this film as a kid. My grandparents had this on VHS in the mid 80s and it was one of my favorite movies. And until this day, it's still my favorite Reeves Superman film with Superman 2 being a close second
You are spot on minty. It has its hits and misses in the movie. I’ve loved this movie coz of my childhood and it was the first superman movie I watched. I thank my Nan and aunt R.I.P for introducing this film everytime I used to stay over.
Hey Minty- you know you’re right I think Superman III is a really good film. It has more valleys than peaks when it comes to action compared to the other previous two but it’s still a good fun movie to watch and get lost in.
After watching Superman 3 in the theater as a kid, I thought that it was really different from Superman 2, it didn't live up to my expectations, but I still enjoyed. Evil Superman vs Clark Kent is still an Iconic scene to this day.
I remember seeing it with my Dad and loving it, but when we got out of the theater, he said it was really bad. I didn't agree, but he was my dad so I didn't argue. It's definitely a thousand times better than 4, which was unwatchable.
Thank you Minty for this. In 1983 my dad took me to the theaters to see Superman 3 he loved Richard Pryor. I wanted to be a computer programmer like him. I live in Silicon Valley now, I never got my Ferrari nor do I work for a super villain. Wait maybe I do… I love this movie and this video ThanX again minty.
I’m skeptical regarding the story about Tony Danza potentially playing Superman in this film. Reeve may have had genuine reservations about the script, but based upon other documentation, he signed a new contract back in 1979 that included additional pay for finishing Superman II and $1 million for completing Superman III at a later date.
I saw this at the theater and loved it. I was eight. All these years later, I still like the movie, but nothing like the first two. Another cool video. Thanks, mate.
This one is actually my favorite of the Reeves entries. It's such a product of the time that it always takes me back to my childhood every time I watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed Richard Pryor's performance.
When Superman fights himself it's one of the best scenes in the whole franchise
The bizzaro superman getting drunk was epic lol
Agree, I'm definitely a Richard Donner fan of the superman 2 cut. Great scene in 3 though 👍🏻
Yes I loved that as kid
Chris Reeve looks SO good as Bizarro Superman
That fight makes the rest of the cheesy stuff worth it. Did not say the cheese was bad. It's good cheese.
Rest in peace, Christopher Reeve & Richard Pryor. Thank u for my childhood bc it was the battle between good & evil within yourself. Awesome movie, nuff said!
Victims of the Superman curse. Almost everyone involved in these movies has died!
RIP Christopher, Richard, Margot and Robert 🙏🙏🙏🙏
@@chrisprescott2273 It's the second name. Did you not see it? 😅🤔
@@blackamerican40 ooops
I always loved as a kid that #3 was clearly a different movie to #2, with its own uniqueness & quirkiness. Now as an adult I love all 4 movies and am delighted every few years to revisit Christopher Reeves in the iconic role he was born to play!
That's because 2 was mostly filmed by the late great richard donner and when he was firedlester reshot most of the scenes and included his stupid slapstick comedy garbage in it just to get directors credit.
I like this one. I've always liked the thought of Superman beating himself up and eventually killing himself, well his evil self.
and Richard Pryor
I’m sorry but I HATE Superman 4. Like I HATE it so much,
So I am curious, what do you like about it.
*Reeve.
I always loved this one. The villian wasnt great, but when the robot takes over the sister at the end was terrifying as a kid. I always loved the evil superman scenes too, leading to the awsome superman v clark fight in the junkyard.
Clark " I can give, as good as I get." Evil super man "Oh ya?? " Come on coward" also; "Youve been getting on my nerves for a really long time!"
It was CLOSE to making Metallo a real character... at the time.
I remember that part scared the crap out of me but I couldn't stop watching.
Fun fact: I was a kid, visiting my aunt in Calgary, when Superman III was being filmed. I was walking downtown Calgary, and we came upon a crowd gathered around a skyscraper. Soon after, a stuntman, dressed as Richard Pryor's character with a pink cape and wearing skis, jumped off the top of the building, way way down, landing on a huge airbag.
When the stuntman finally came down off the bag, i got him to sign a polaroid photo i took as he was in midair.
Saw it in theaters and I do recall the audience laughed when Robert Vaughn is trying to figure out who is stealing a fraction of a cent from every transaction in his company's data base and Richard Pryor rolls up in a Ferrari. Which the movie Office Space steals that plot point from.
Superman 3 will always be a guilty pleasure as it was the first one i seen as a kid. Its nothing to the first two but its not that bad either
When she turned into a robot, that scared me so much as a kid
1 thing you probably already knew - seeing the woman being forcibly assimilated by the supercomputer was absolute nightmare fuel to watch if you saw this as a young kid.
I agree....i remember watching this as a very young kid in the mid 80s. Freaked me out too. Still ended up being my favorite of the 4 films.....Tell me....did you think that all acids looked like campbells tomato soup and could eat through anything?
@@justindearmond1 Basically everything I knew about acids before middle school was learned from the Alien movies, haha.
I love that Minty loves this movie. I have always loved it as well. I saw this movie a million times as a kid as well. The fight between the two Clark’s was/is great
Grew up watching this constantly, my little sister was terrified by the cyborg transformation scene and usually left the room till it was over.
It was terrifying. First scary movie scene that I could remember as a kid. Seemed more realisitc/possible than anything from Indiana Jones.
That was nightmare fuel for me as a kid.
came to say this lol that scene was literally traumatizing to me as a kid.
Hahah! My little sister did, too. It was creepy.
She wasn't the only one who got spooked.
This truly is a fantastic movie. It’s interesting to see Superman portrayed in a rough situation and to see what happens when the villains take advantage of that. They created some great suspense showing just what Evil Superman could get away with. I have rewatched this movie several times and I always enjoy it. I like Gus Gorman a lot too. I think Richard Pryor did an excellent job playing the character!
Absolutely my favorite Superman movie as a Kid growing up in the 80's and its been so long since I've seen it that I never connected the importance to characters like Lex Luthor going forward. You never cease to amaze me with your trivia knowledge Minty, Love your work mate!
I don't love Superman 3 but I can enjoy it for what it is. A solid B movie that pretty closely matched the tone of the comics of the late silver/early bronze age. I think after 1 and 2 everyone's expectations were pretty high and felt let down by a campier and more down to earth story. I wished they would have leaned into the Brainiac side of the story and had more Lana Lang. I fell in love with Annette O'Toole.❤️
she did great in IT. The much better version of Stephen Kings novel. New ones sucked Donkey Lips' balls.
You have good points but 3 is definitely not a B movie, it cost $35 million to make, the highest budgeted film of 1983 with Pryor getting $5 million and Reeve $3 million. It's an A film all around, B is in reference to a films budget, not the quality. Halloween is a B movie, although it's also a great film
I think it would've been really easy to work in Brainiac, but I'm not disappointed either, because I don't Brainiac is a popular enough villain.
Loved it as a kid. That scene where Webster's sister gets computerized will forever haunt me, lol.
I have fond memories of hiring this from my local video shop. The build up to the evil superman is great. It is more comedic but that’s not a bad thing when you’ve got Richard Pryor involved. Great to see Pamela Stephenson too. You get Robert Vaughan being ultra cool and an evil robot. What’s not to like ❤️
The bit about Lex Luthors business man background being influenced by SM3 is definitely one of the most interesting things I've ever heard. Thanks Minty I can't wait to point it out to my mates.
The car filling up with water scared me when I was a kid. Actually, several scenes were scary, in 3, now that I think of it. The woman robot, the crusher crushing Clark, the combine-harvesters blades, Supes getting smothered in wires. It's like a mild horror in some parts, especially to a kid.
The split between good and evil is probably the most talked about and Chris really nailed the rage filled Superman as much as he did the beloved good guy. It almost seems like when the split happened, their powers were split as well. 3 is flawed but I can appreciate when directors take chances like this. People want to see creative fight scenes and not just people punching each other through buildings. That’s boring.
Maybe from decades of movie watching but at this point in my life I find extended fight scenes and car chases to be really boring and that's when I go to the bathroom.
@@jackbits6397 Movies are predictably less fun when you’re watching on the toilet.
I remember reading the novelization in 5th grade. And certainly most of the deleted scenes of the movie were in the book. The scientist in the factory fire was described as a mad dr. And the underlying tone was that Superman actually was not very happy with the Clark Kent part of his disguise. And that he really had to hold back against the way Kent was treated by society. And there was a nice part written of how he learned a new prospective when he defeated his " evil" half. And how Jor El helped him. It was a cool book especially for an 11 yr old.
In 1983 I was 9 to 10 years old, and this movie was my very first superhero movie that I got to watch on an actual movie theatre, so I have a special place in my heart for it. I left the theatre jumping and playing superman, and I was really excited after watching it, so to me, if the movie was made for entertaining the kids and superman fans, the producers can say 'mission acomplished'! 🤙
Awesome dude 4 was my first I wore my superman pjs with the cape everywhere lol
I saw Superman 3 in the theaters with my dad and cousin when I was 5. It was the perfect time to see that movie. I had the tv version on vhs as well
*_I truly enjoyed Superman 3™ back then and still today. It's not Richard Pryor's fault that the film leaned so heavily into comedy. The makers did that because Richard Pryor was a hotshot comedian at the time who was going to co-star in the 3rd film and they felt it would be better to accentuate everything in a way to make Richard Pryor's comedic existence fit in. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 but at least they took a chance and tried something new & different. Unlike today's cinema landscape where studio executives care so much about profits that they demand all films to stay within familiar boundaries, thus, giving us the exact same $hit over & over again [I'm looking at YOU, Disney/Marvel/Star Wars]._* 🤨
Every script is "taking a chance"....that's a shit excuse and they cheapened a Superman movie by making it a Richard Pryor "comedy". (Even though is character sucked ass and is not funny in the least bit) Robert Vaughn was also a weak point. Annette O'Toole was great and even her douche boyfriend was more tolerable than Pryor.
@@justinamenta7241 i totally disagree! I thought it was great they steered away from the usual formula, also i love how everyone bags on Robert Vaughn as a second rate lex luthor yet a few years later and Michael Douglas wins an academy award for his portrayal of a sleazy business tycoon in Wall street!!! And yeah it has some stupid and corny scenes (No movie is perfect) but the positives far out way the negatives! Not to mention the fact that it took $30 million in home video rentals is pretty darn impressive!
@@justinamenta7241 Richard Pryor himself actually wanted to have a more serious role in the movie! Of course producers didn't feel the same way! Well at least Richard Pryor got lucky with Lois Lane Off-screen🎬during the filming LOL!🦸♂🦹🤗🤔
I spell it $#!+
I would have liked Richard Pryor to play it more serious in this movie, a bit like how Robin Williams played some more serious non-comedic roles later in his career.
I grew up with this and part 2. The junkyard fight between good and bad Superman and tge fight with the super computer were great.
Is and always will be a landmark in my childhood.🤘😆🤘
Actually bought a 4 movie Superman pack just to get part 3 which I can not find individually anymore. It is always a favorite to me. I won't call it a greatest movie of all time contender, but it entertains me and the Smallville scenes are my favorite.
I think your Moonraker comparison is spot on! 3 was both fun and WTF to watch, plus it had Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang! Seeing her again as Martha Kent in Smallville was great.
You are correct about the competition that year as well. I remember standing with friends in a long as hell line to see Return of the Jedi. Back in the days when the only way to get a ticket was to go to the box office after it opened and hope your selected time wasn't sold out, then a second line to hopefully get good seats. Plus the two Bond movies...quite a year indeed.
Thanks for another great video Minty!
I don’t give the competition argument any credibility for films back then. The reality is less films were being made then. Less films were being released then, an all films stayed in the theater much longer. If someone wanted to see any movie, they had ample opportunity to do so.
She was probably my first little boy crush. Like when you thought your friend's mom was pretty but didn't know why.
Annette O'Toole also appeared in a scene as Lana Lang in the original "Superman" movie.
Gene Hackman refused to appear in "Superman III" because he refuses to work for the Salkinds again after they fired Richard Donner from "Superman II".
Margot Kidder only appeared in one scene because she didn't want to work with the Salkinds again either over the Donner firing.
Both Hackman and Kidder agreed to come back for "Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" because the Salkinds weren't involved in it, but it was made by Cannon Films instead.
The Salkinds still held onto the rights for "Superboy" and "Supergirl", making a "Superboy" TV series and the Helen Slater "Supergirl" film.
@@dhenderson1810 Thats not Annette O’Tool.
This kind of movie should not have been a superman movie in my opinion. There's no focus on a charismatic bad guy too camp. I don't understand what they were trying to do. Although, I'll give the movie this: that scene where Clark has to defeat Evil Superman in order to become Superman again is well worth watching this movie.
Speaking as someone who grew up with Superman 3, I don't understand why it's hated so much. I loved it as a kid and I still enjoy it now.
Every 80's part Ill was badass popcorn nostalgia from horror to comedy. Memories...❤
Rocky 3, Karate Kid 3,Return of the Jedi,Star Trek 3
the part with the chick being turned into a cyborg monster... yeah that scared the heck outta me as a small kid. Nice trip down memory lane and good video
The battle scene Superman vs himself is a clear message of real life battle within us. It teaches us that we are to blame sometimes when we limited ourselves in life . I really enjoyed this movie
I know that frozen lake he dropped would have crushed everybody instead of melting.
I love superman III because it's one of the earliest films I can remember really liking to watch as a child every time it was on tv on a Sunday on itv in the UK.
Who doesn't like the Clark Kent vs superman fight? That's my fave bit.
After all these decades, I don't think we'll get a Superman as good as Reeve.
1983 was golden. Jedi, Superman and Bond all in one Summer.
This is my favorite Superman movie. The silly parts are lame but the story of a good man losing himself and having to fight his own darkness and eventually triumph is poetic and great.
I enjoyed superman 3. I thought Richard Prier did a great job, if not one of his best acting performances.
I haven't seen this movie in about 40 years. I want to watch it again now! Thanks Minty. 😃
I totally agree with you. I like S III a lot. I always considered that it has a more 'comics - like' approach and spirit than the grandiose look of the 1st and 2nd.
I don't understand why some people say that this film is bad It's awesome RIP Christopher Reeve🦸♂️🌹🦸♂️🌹🦸♂️🌹
I have nothing against anyone who enjoys Superman III. People can like whatever they want.
But I respectfully believe that Minty is mistaken when he implies that those of us who don’t like it are just jumping on the bashing bandwagon.
I was nine and my Brother was ten when we saw this movie on the big screen in 1983. We were the perfect demographic for all the slapstick and buffoonery.
And we both despise Superman III!
The Fourth installment was awful as well. But, at the very least, I can laugh at the ridiculousness of it whereas III just left me and my Bro shaking our heads at its utter stupidity.
Also that third act scared the shit out of us! 😅
While it's a guilty pleasure, Superman III isn't very good. Here's why:
1. It's not Superman's movie. It's Richard Pryor's. Gus is the true protagonist, not the titular character.
2. The over emphasized slapstick. It's on par with or probably worse than the action-comedies of the modern superhero genre. The opening scene served no purpose other than to show Superman do 1 heroic thing. The part where Gus accidentally causes the ATM to spill money, overcharge the husband & causes the crossing signals to fight each other added nothing but were there to make people chuckle. Time wasted.
3. No adherence to the comic books. While I'm glad Ilya Salkind's treatment in which Superman & Supergirl would be lovers was ditched, there was no reason to not use Brainiac as the main villain & instead of focusing on Ross Webster's Lex Luthor-like schemes, give the viewers a sci-fi action blast where Superman has to save Metropolis from being shrunk & captured by Brainiac. Or hell, have Evil Superman turn into Bizarro once he & Clark split. Have his condition deteriorate to the point that he resembles Bizarro. The comic "Superman '78" is what Superman III should have been. Tweak Salkind's treatment to have Supergirl be his cousin & not his love interest, have Brainiac be obsessed with her because of Argo City & then his discovery of another Kryptonian living on Earth & have some super powered brawls & Superman III could have been an undisputed classic.
@@Batman88878 i agree. And while i say i Hate it,, its mostly because how much they wasted the character. I still watch pieces of it😂 there are a few good moments but more bad than good ones
Yes! I've been waiting for this one for a long time! SuperMan IV is a must
Also hopefully you'll do more comic book/superhero movies. Here's some suggestions:
The Meteor Man (1993)
Blankman (1994)
The Shadow (1994)
Barb Wire (1996)
Steel (1997)
Daredevil (2003)
Catwoman (2004)
Elektra (2005)
Fantastic Four (2005)
Man-Thing (2005)
Sin City (2005)
Sky High (2005)
After reading the comments I am convinced to watch again. I remember not liking the films very much but the enthusiasm displayed below is inspiring. I remember that by the time III came out that there was franchise fatigue.
Thanks for another thought-provoking video about the greatest super-hero.
Someone needs to make the computer game when firing rockets at superman.
I grew up loving Reeve's Superman yet I had no clue that Reeves had alopecia. Too bad this was never mentioned because he could have been even more of a real life hero to so many(especially kids) with alopecia. But I understand him keeping it quiet.
Well he had alopecia areata during this film, not androgenic alopecia, so I guess they patched him up on a few bald spots, or maybe he shaved off his hair and wore a full blown tupé or something, not sure, but it wasn't real male pattern baldness in any case.
It's interesting, a couple of years ago I re-watched all of the Reeve Superman movies for the first time in ages; and I found that my impressions of them were largely different from what I remembered. My recollections of them was that Superman II was the best, that the original was slow and had bad effects. I can't even remember what I thought of the first one and never got through IV as a kid.
So I was very surprised that I found the original motion picture to be the best; and despite being so long, it still holds up incredibly well. Meanwhile, Superman II is not all that great in my opinion. If it had been completed as the companion piece to the first one as it was intended, and not had all the behind the scenes crap, it could have been good, but even the effects I thought pale compared to the first one.
I really don't mind Superman III and think it has a lot of potential. There are definitely parts that could have been better, but overall it's not that bad.
Totally agree with you about the first two movies. When I was a kid, I thought SII was the best Supernan movie ever. And the first one good, but with a slow pace. As I grew up, I learned to appreciate the first one more and admit it is a masterpiece of a movie. Now SII, from an adult point of view, has its moments, but the effects compared to the first one, are very dated. The corny jokes/situations are not that good. Overall, part II is not as good as I remember it as a child. It's obviously a stepped down in quality in comparison with the first one.
Actually, I felt the same too concerning Superman 1, I thought it lacked quality but watching it as an adult, Superman 1 is a very good movie and i can appreciate it more for the qualities I overlooked or ignored as a kid! Superman 2 is still my favourite from the Reeves series…to me the plot, the storyline and the acting especially from General Zod was class! Classic lines like “Superman…who is this, Superman?” and “Kneel before Zod!” to this day are classic to the Superman franchise.
@@tusmoovek4444 I would generally agree but as an adult I feel the villains just sucked in Superman, I know Gene Hackman is a A list actor but to me he didn't take the role seriously enough to be a good villain and Ned Betty was cringe in every scene. I still like the movie but think both the direction and the acting of the Hackman and Betty are not very good.
@@jackbits6397 I respect your opinions my friend. I hear what you are saying but I have to still disagree but maybe it’s the bias in me loving the movie since a kid lol. Next time I watch part II again I’ll keep your views in mind and I might see things from a different prospective!
I remember watching this as a kid with my parents and brothers at the drive in movie theater.
Considering Superman was co-created by a Canadian and Metropolis is partially based on Toronto, it actually makes sense that Superman would fight for those Canadian Eh's!
This is the 1st movie I watched on HBO when my family got cable tv for the first time in 1984. It will always have a special nostalgic place in my heart.
I've never thought about it but I wish I had a memory of what we first watched (also got cable in 84). Eh it was probably Eddie and the Cruisers, that was always on.
@@D-Fens_1632 I watched Superman III over and over because they played it so much but I never got tired of it. HBO had an exciting intro where the logo exploded from space and ascended down to a close up on screen. This got me pumped for any movie I was about to see. I also saw lots of dirty Rated R movies I wan't supposed to see like Porky's, Fast times at Ridgemont high and Eddie Murphy Delerious. I was 13 years old. LOL!
I have the same experience with the television version of Halloween 2. I got so used to watching the tv version, the theatrical version seems weird to me now
Yes same here when certain scenes come up I think of tv scene that came next
This movie is the basis for a great joke about drunk superman and a bar in a skyscraper 🤣🤣
The '80s had so many great movies and this is one of my faves. Who didn't enjoyed Clark vs Supes fighting? It was the first and only Superman movie I know of that he had sex, the HS Reunion showed us a glimpse of Clark's past, Lois finally felt jealous of Lana who started to work in the Daily Planet, first to show climate change, so many catastrophes and accidents for Supes to handle, and Supes made a diamond from a coal (if he can do that then he should have been rich!)
Didn't he have sex with Lois Lane in part 2? I don't know.
I like this. You should talk about Superman 4 The Quest For Peace and Superman Returns next.
Yeah, and superman 64 lolol
yes, Lee Press On Nails of DOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
Cartoon Network randomly aired all these movies a week or so ago. I stand firm that this movie does not deserve the hate it still gets. People act like the first two weren't silly, too. Maybe not Batman 66 silly, but they had their moments. Plus, this is the one that really traumatized a lot of kids with the robot woman and drunk Superman. It's actually my favorite of all of them.
I love this film! It is fun and exciting with the character development of Superman versus Evil Superman. That battle between the two is easily one of the greatest scenes in any of the Superman movies!
I honestly really liked Superman III. It's not perfect like the original and Superman II but I honestly really enjoyed it. Especially better than that dumpster fire and that was Superman IV The Quest for Peace. That scene where that woman turned into a robot used to scare me a lot when I was younger.
The first two films are far from perfect.
I was TERRIFIED when the Ultimate Computer "possessed" Vera!!
The majority of Canadians do NOT say Eh. it is a regional/coastal thing.
Absolutely agree with you Minty. I watched the tv version on vhs over and over again and I can never get used to the cut version. It is still my favourite of the superman movies but I would love to watch it as I remember it.
Super Mam III was one of the best film I've ever seen growing up in the 80s.
Minty I think youre the coolest I love alll ur videos. But i know ive seen this ep once before. Any way you can do an epiisode about the Cheech n Chong movies. Or how bout the Friday movie with Ice Cube?? Would be awesome!! Cheers from TJ Bajacalifornia!!
Your videos...
Please, invest in a dictionary so you can learn how to spell in english correctly...
:) Christopher Reeve is The Best Superman!!
It's Reeve, not Reeves!
Why can't you people ever get his name right.
Christopher Reeve.
George Reeves.
Yes he is
@@ValiantWrestling lol
I always liked Superman 3 when I was a kid. Watched it all the time.
As a side note, I find it incredibly refreshing that someone else appreciated Frank Langella's Skeletor. Yes, a departure from the original high pitched voice, cranky Saturday morning villain to something more along the line of a Shakespearian antagonist.
I memorized the role from early elementary school age, I came to realize later that this style was very much in alignment with classical theater. Both version of the character have their place but I favored the movie.
As far as I’m aware, Langella’s portrayal of Skeletor gets consistent praise, and is the only aspect of the film to get any at all.
He was an amazing Skeletor. Great actor!
What? That Richard Pryor was slamming Louis Lane?😆😃☉
Her name is spelled Lois.
Louis is a male name...
@@ValiantWrestling I stand corrected my pugalistic friend.
No, he was slamming Marlon Brando!!! :)
Superman 4 ‘10 things’ next, please Minty.
Me and some friends were "lucky" enough to see a screening of Superman III at Warner Burbank Studios in late April/early May '83. It was a work in progress and many of the FX hadn't been done yet which made some scenes really fun to watch. Even then I thought the Pryor character pulled the movie down and it could have been much better without him.
Honestly my favorite in the series
I too watched this time and again on VHS and still love it now. It's very much of its time.
This video came out at just the right time. I was in my local Goodwill thrift store, and came across a record. It was the soundtrack for Superman III. They use the comedic cover for the album art.
I still have the novelization of Superman III. Haven't read it in many years, but I might have to check it out again. I still have fondness for this movie as well. Nice video, Minty!
I _LOVED_ everything about this movie, where it came out around the time I received my first home computer as a Christmas present, the Commodore Vic-20 (it had a _staggering_ 3.5K of available RAM, but despite this, it still had an _awesome_ Pac-Man clone called Snakman!), where the whole cast was _perfect_, with great turns from Richard Pryor, and Robert Vaughn, with Christopher Reeve being on TOP form 👍.
Chris reeve was at his prime as the character in this one. Looked absolutely fantastic
I used to have a large fridge sized old computer, the kind that had a huge lead weight on the bottom. I knew those evil computer wires that got Superman were coming for me next. I’m so old I had that computer, and programmed a tic tac toe game.
Both Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder are said to have been angry with the way the Salkinds treated Superman director Richard Donner, with Hackman retaliating by refusing to reprise the role of Lex Luthor. After Margot publicly criticized the Salkinds for their treatment of Donner, the producers reportedly "punished" the actress by reducing her role in Superman III to a brief appearance.
I saw this at a cinema when I was about five years old. My first experience of the series and a lot of fun. Still is!
The Brainiac, Bizarro, and Lex influences on the comics is crazy! You’ve opened my eyes. I’ve only seen 3 once or twice since I was a kid and this is making me interested in giving it another shot.
Growing up this was my favorite Superman movie
I was 13 when this movie came out absolutely loved it!
And I still have that nostalgia factor!!!!!
I was 12 when this came out. It was gold. I love it. Bad superman is the best scene that has yet to be topped.
A guilty pleasure of mine!
You’re not alone, Minty!
Brilliant review of an underrated film. I too discovered it on a VHS recording of the TV cut and that is my favourite version of the film.
This is my brother favourite film he loves Superman as a kid so do I
it’s very underrated as a film
The fight with himself is absolutely one of my favorite Christopher Reeve Superman scenes.
As a kid this was my favorite Superman movie and sparked a love of the character still to this day. Suck it marvel. I loved the bowling scene, freezing the lake, and the scrapyard scrap. The part where he stands up after defeating his evil self is pure gold. The way the theme song started and then he opens his shirt to reveal the bright colors gave me chills. This film was a great follow up to the more serious Superman 2. I liked that they Lana was the main girl rather than Lois. And Richard Pryor was the comic relief that it needed. I still quote from this movie. “There’s vodka in it now”.
I like the subplot that Lorelei (Webster's girlfriend) plays the bimbo but is secretly intelligent. Plus, Webster assuming the computer thief is long gone unless he's a moron, only to see Gus roll up to the office in a Ferrari will always be funny.
Richard Pryor burns were not an accident.
He set himself on fire while under the influence of Crack.
He actually talks about it in interviews.
I love Superman 1 and 2, but I love Superman 3 too. Superman 3 might not have had the glitz and glamour of 1 and 2 but it was still very entertaining and a fun movie to watch.
Funny too how Superman was battling AI in the early 80s. And he made it HIS BITCH! SUPERMAN! FUCK YEAH!
I loved this film as a kid. My grandparents had this on VHS in the mid 80s and it was one of my favorite movies. And until this day, it's still my favorite Reeves Superman film with Superman 2 being a close second
You are spot on minty. It has its hits and misses in the movie. I’ve loved this movie coz of my childhood and it was the first superman movie I watched. I thank my Nan and aunt R.I.P for introducing this film everytime I used to stay over.
I had the “Superman 3 “ cassette tape growing up. I watched it quite a few times. And that was the superman movie I knew best.
Hey Minty- you know you’re right I think Superman III is a really good film. It has more valleys than peaks when it comes to action compared to the other previous two but it’s still a good fun movie to watch and get lost in.
RP alone magically being able to program is hilarity that keeps on giving. Great movie in a So Bad It's Good context.
After watching Superman 3 in the theater as a kid, I thought that it was really different from Superman 2, it didn't live up to my expectations, but I still enjoyed. Evil Superman vs Clark Kent is still an Iconic scene to this day.
I remember seeing it with my Dad and loving it, but when we got out of the theater, he said it was really bad. I didn't agree, but he was my dad so I didn't argue. It's definitely a thousand times better than 4, which was unwatchable.
This was my first movie seen when my family was stationed in San Francisco. It was so great for a 9 year old! STILL fun.
Thank you Minty for this. In 1983 my dad took me to the theaters to see Superman 3 he loved Richard Pryor. I wanted to be a computer programmer like him. I live in Silicon Valley now, I never got my Ferrari nor do I work for a super villain. Wait maybe I do… I love this movie and this video ThanX again minty.
I’m skeptical regarding the story about Tony Danza potentially playing Superman in this film. Reeve may have had genuine reservations about the script, but based upon other documentation, he signed a new contract back in 1979 that included additional pay for finishing Superman II and $1 million for completing Superman III at a later date.
I saw this at the theater and loved it. I was eight. All these years later, I still like the movie, but nothing like the first two. Another cool video. Thanks, mate.
This one is actually my favorite of the Reeves entries. It's such a product of the time that it always takes me back to my childhood every time I watch it. I thoroughly enjoyed Richard Pryor's performance.
REEVE
I like Superman III. There’s some great scenes, the split Superman being a major highlight. Also the music is excellent too.