for year and many fan wonder about what have become know a the hybrid version of superman ii and which be half direct by richard donner and half direct by richard lester after donner be unceremoniously dump from the project . superman ii be a very strong sequel despite all the production woe and but have not hold up nearly as well a the first film and and now play more like camp in many spot . be this lester influence and or be the plan always to lighten the tone of the sequel to create more of a popcorn film . well and we all get our answer in 1983 and when superman iii debut and this completely under the guiding hand of richard lester . from the film open credit sequence and a completely farcical series of event and you get that sink feeling and realize that anything resemble cheese and slapstick in the second film be directly the influence of lester . the first superman be ground in a sense of reality and even if it be a comic book one and which be noticeably absent from much of superman ii . in the first film and metropolis always seem like a real city with real people inhabit it . the second recall a city on a sound stage with only the vague sense of a distorted reality . well and the filmmaker decide to distort reality far in superman iii by ignore what make the franchise great and go with a hipper and more today approach . they accomplish this by center the film around the casting of richard pryor . the problem with this approach be that there be absolutely no reason for richard pryor to appear in superman iii other than the fact that he richard pryor . the idea behind superman iii be actually a fairly intriguing one and where a computer genius construct a super computer and which in a unique turn of event alters the mental stability of superman and turn him away from his all american persona . suddenly and superman be no longer the hope for all mankind and but the anti superman intent on destroy u . it also contain one of the best moment in the series and a clark kent and the evil superman actually battle each other . it one of the highpoints of the entire series and yet still can not avoid be disappointing by the overall poor quality of the production . i thank the heaven that a good 20 minute of this movie be cut for theatrical release because it just make the pace even bad . and most of the footage cut be more pointless force comedy moment and the only high point of the footage be reinserted for the extended tv version show numerous time in the late eighty be the newly create open credit in space and rather then the credit appear during the opening montage in the theatrical cut . so what go wrong . i would put the blame squarely at the foot of lester and the salkinds and who seem to want to make a richard pryor superman movie rather than a film that be true to the spirit of the character and the original film . pryor be give far too much screen time despite the fact that he not even the main villain . the producer obviously figure that and if theyre pay richard pryor and they may as well use him and whether it benefit the film or not . so what would i have do differently . well and the plot about a super computer and an altered superman be a fantastic direction for the film to go and but that where they leave it . i would have eliminate the character of ross webster and the ultimate corporate bad guy and and everyone around him in favor of gus gorman and the computer genius try to dominate the world on his own . the webster character be totally unnecessary and a more maniacal gorman work in solitude would have be far more menacing but the catch be that with pryor in the role of gorman and the producer obviously felt a need to allow him to redeem himself in the end and so i say they should have remove pryor and too . this could also have cut out much of the unnecessary comic drivel that ruin superman iii . ultimately and superman iii be not the bad entry in the series and but not for a lack of try . richard lester prove once and for all that he really do not understand what a superman movie should be and seemingly rely on british slapstick comedy that be take right out of an episode of monty python fly circus where it belong . and a pathetic and poor script that he and probably only ten other people find amuse . he must have forget that superman be aim towards an american audience . the movie do actually start to get good from the moment sup become anti supes and watch the dual between clark and superman really let you see how the whole movie could have be make dark and serious and keep out of the silly comedy path even with pryor and other factor etc if superman iii have be make this way it probably would have be good then ii . the superman vs. clark scene prove this and in superman ii where zod and superman battle it out and the end result be disappointing and nothing really happen other then superman throw zod into a coca cola sign and the confrontation in iii be far far well . with all the great character and history that superman have encounter and there be really limitless possibility for this sequel . unfortunately for fan and we happen to get stick with filmmaker who obviously be limit in their ability and talent and taste . the last 35 minute of this movie on a whole deserve a 6/10 rating . why could the other 85 minute of this movie not of be the same . and the rest of the movie deserve nothing more then a poor . negative .