Superman III

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3:13

Superman III

PG

1983

2h 5m

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Action

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

104 Reviews

23%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Computer programmer Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) is hired by financial tycoon Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) to seize control of a weather satellite and annihilate Colombia's coffee crop. When Superman (Christopher Reeve) manages to thwart the plan, Webster commands Gorman to use the satellite to locate kryptonite, the Man of Steel's mortal weakness. But a missing unknown element in the kryptonite -- replaced by Gorman with tar -- causes an unintended side effect when presented to Superman.

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Critics Consensus

When not overusing sight gags, slapstick, and Richard Pryor, Superman III resorts to plot points rehashed from the previous Superman flicks.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Jul 8, 2025

Tedious, labored, and feeble beyond belief.

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Anna Maria Dell'oso

Sydney Morning Herald

Jul 8, 2025

A witty refreshing escape of a movie.

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Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jul 8, 2025

Mainly, it is pretty much what you would expect from a Superman movie starring Richard Pryor: moderately entertaining and totally predictable.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Sep 2, 2026

2/5

…Superman III is crass, corny, and a permanent strain to watch…Richard Pryor’s brand of worldly comedy just doesn’t fit this universe and the result is a tonal catastrophe that shows director Richard Lester way out of his comic element….

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 12, 2026

The "Superman" saga seems to be running out of fresh ideas, smack into premature middle age.

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Brad Cook

Flickering Myth

Jul 10, 2025

2/5

Lester apparently encouraged Pryor to do a lot of the shtick he was famous for at the time, which made the movie more campy than it should have been.

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Gunner I

@RT64755212 Oct 18, 2026

Richard Pryor did a fine job in this movie. He's a funny as can be. This movie isn't one of the best Superman movies but it's definitely worth a shot. I'd definitely watch it again.

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Sabih A

@RT57875922 Aug 9, 2026

What a Disgusting Thing to Call Film Almost everything about this movie is terrible, from the effects being worse than the first two films to the poorly handled characters. Superman feels out of character even before becoming the mean version, making his actions confusing and frustrating. The idea of a mean, arrogant Superman could have been interesting, but it's executed poorly. His relationship with Lana is decent in concept, but the villain's entire storyline is painfully boring and uninteresting. This is easily one of my least favorite movies I've watched. Very few moments capture the Superman we saw in the previous films, though Christopher Reeve still occasionally embodies the character perfectly. The classic Superman theme also remains excellent. In short: A terrible Superman movie with awful villains, weak characters, and poor execution, saved only by Christopher Reeve's occasional great moments and an iconic theme.

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Raja A

@Trafficman Aug 4, 2026

I didn't hate as much as most people, but instead of having to go through writing about all of my gripes with it, I'll just say this: they re-used the same final shot of superman flying of into space from the previous two movies.

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Thomas F

@RT70557918 Jul 17, 2026

Annette O’Toole was a lovely addition to the franchise, but the plot remained unbelievably messy. It was enjoyable for me, but that’s probably just because I love Superman.

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diogo13 T

@Tua_mera Jul 10, 2026

Este filme é tão mau que escolhi ver alguém reagindo no Youtube. Além de tudo o nome deviria ser "Richard Pryor e o figurante Superman"

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Dan K

@RT05142617 Jun 28, 2026

This movie gets beat up badly, but there are some fun moments that i still enjoy. While at times leaning to heavily on the slapstick comedy side, there are some fun action scenes with Superman. The evil/jerk Superman angle was fun and the junkyard scene with Clark and evil/jerk Superman was awesome.

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Richard Lester

Director

Christopher Reeve

Clark Kent

Richard Pryor

Gus Gorman

Robert Vaughn

Ross Webster

Jackie Cooper

Perry White

Margot Kidder

Lois Lane

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Synopsis

Computer programmer Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) is hired by financial tycoon Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) to seize control of a weather satellite and annihilate Colombia's coffee crop. When Superman (Christopher Reeve) manages to thwart the plan, Webster commands Gorman to use the satellite to locate kryptonite, the Man of Steel's mortal weakness. But a missing unknown element in the kryptonite -- replaced by Gorman with tar -- causes an unintended side effect when presented to Superman.

Director: Richard Lester
Producer: Pierre Spengler
Screenwriter: David Newman, Leslie Newman
Production Co: Cantharus Productions, Major Studio Partners, Dovemead Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Surround

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