 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 was like a TV Movie compared to the others. Or an episode of a reasonably well made TV series episode based on the movie series...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was 15 and I remember my dad asking me which movie I wanted to see in the summer of 1983: Superman III or Return of the Jedi.
I went with Superman III. I actually liked it. My dad was a fan of old slapstick comedies so the opening credit sequence had him in stitches.
I was Return of the Jedi a little while later and thought it was okay. At the time, I liked Superman III more.
To be fair, most of the franchise pics in 1983 were low bar. Jedi was a drop from Empire (but a greater financial success), Superman III was a comedy and Octopussy was uninspired.
Over the years, my appreciation of Jedi grew to surpass Superman III, but on a recent rewatch of the series, I actually liked III - it is genuinely funny and a well made film. It's a fun, kid friendly Richard Pryor comedy with Superman in it.
I actually watched the Superman movies in reverse order this time.
Superman IV: I am the only person who sees entertainment value in this. I appreciate it for the performances, the music and what it wanted to be. It is a proper Superman story and with a legit studio behind it, it could have been as good as II. It is a bad and incompetent film but a better "Superman" movie than III.
Superman III: a nice and very well done movie but not a good Superman film. But the flying effects were at their peak for the Chris Reeve films
Superman II (theatrical): really great sequel and second part of the story. Some minor bits of slapstick inappropriately placed, but still a high water mark. I kinda hate the Richard Donner cut for reasons I outlined in a post when it came out. So many weird character beats and Lois is certifiable and wildly over the top.
Superman (theatrical): perfect.
Reeve remains my favorite actor to play the part, he was larger than life. But Cavill was just fine. He merely needed better movies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The whole scene with Gus and Brad getting drunk is hilarious.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not the best movie, but as Henry mentions, Christopher Reeve gives a great performance and the junkyard scene is a fantastic scene. As a comic fan, I like that they gave their spin on red kryptonite and a kind of, sort of, Brainiac. Plus, Gus's embezzlement scheme was used again to great effect in Office Space, so Superman III gets some credit for that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott, I saw SUPERMAN III with my dad in the theater too, I was six in the summer of 1983. It was the third movie I ever saw in the theater. The first film was E.T., then JEDI and then SUPERMAN III. It was a great era, and it’s nice talking about it with you.
You literally the nicest person on the board. We need more Henry's 
|
|
|
|
|
|
I didn't see Superman III in the theater. It's a movie I will always associate with that time, circa 1984, when having cable and HBO were a huge novelty for me, when just seeing a movie uncut and uninterrupted was a "thing" in itself, and if the movie was any good, that was the icing on top. So I might be a soft judge of III, but I liked it.
I don't remember if it was David Gerrold or Harlan Ellison, but one of them wrote in their Starlog column that it was a continuity error for Superman to have a tryst with the femme fatale in this one, because Superman II had established that he couldn't do it with a human female unless he gave up his powers. The argument was based on Superman II and also the famous Larry Niven essay:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Steel,_Woman_of_Kleenex
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was never a great script, Quest for Peace, but it was dragged down by the financial problems of Cannon films who seriously underfunded the film, picked cheap effects houses and forced them to use inadequate locations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_IV:_The_Quest_for_Peace
Peter and Harrison Ellinshaw did the FX for S IV and I think they hold up the best of the original 4 movies.
III's are pretty obvious, and even I & II's no longer completely convince.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
