SUPERMAN
III ($20) confirms that director Richard Donner and "creative
consultant" Tom Mankiewicz were the men responsible for the success
of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and everything that was great about SUPERMAN
II. For those unaware of the turbulent production of the first two
movies, Donner was dumped as director when SUPERMAN II was already
halfway completed. Donner’s unceremonious dismissal also brought about
the departure of Mankiewicz (not to mention composer John Williams) for
the production. Since much of SUPERMAN II was already in the can
and the script had the fingerprints of the "creative consultant"
all over it, the second film was almost as bullet proof as the Man of
Steel and couldn’t be damaged by their replacements.
SUPERMAN
III levels the playing field by removing all traces of Donner and
Mankiewicz- thus showing what the first two films might have been had
it not been for the intervention of the original director and his "creative
consultant." All this build up about the success of the first two
films brings us to an absolutely disappointing third installment. My only
question about SUPERMAN III is as follows- did anyone bother to
read the script before putting this turkey into production? The campy
treatment the Man of Steel receives in SUPERMAN III is a totally
disservice to the character, as well as the fans that loved the first
two films. Sure, there were camp elements in the first two films, but
at least there was a sense of restraint. More importantly, the humor in
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and SUPERMAN II was actually funny.
Despite the presence of Richard Pryor, there is nothing funny about SUPERMAN
III. And that’s another thing, what the heck is Pryor doing in a Superman
movie? Sheesh!
The
only interesting aspect of SUPERMAN III revolve around Superman
being exposed to artificial Kryptonite, which turns him into an uncaring
lout, then splits him into two people for a super-showdown. Other facets
of the plot fail to engage because the characters are so poorly written.
I had high hopes for Clark Kent's return to Smallville, where he encounters
his high school flame, but even that section of the plot just lies there
waiting to be put out of its misery. As for the villains, they seem to
have started out as Lex Luthor and Eve Teschmacher, but had to be badly
rewritten for different performers. Actors that embarrass themselves by
appearing in SUPERMAN III include Christopher Reeve (although he
does try to overcome the material), Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette
O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and Margot Kidder,
who is fortunate to escape most of this mess with very limited screen
time.
Warner
Home Video has made SUPERMAN III available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays. SUPERMAN III does not utilize the soft focus photography
that was features in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and SUPERMAN II,
so the film starts out looking somewhat crisper and better defined than
the first two installments. Still, there are some shots within the body
of the movie that appear soft. The film element used for the transfer
is free from signs of wear and obtrusive markings, which makes the image
on the DVD fairly clean and attractive looking. Minor blemishes and a
touch of film grain are the only flaws in the element. Colors are certainly
stronger and more stable than they appeared on the SUPERMAN II
DVD. Flesh tones maintain a natural appearance and there are no signs
of chroma noise or smearing during the presentation. Blacks are accurate
looking and the level of shadow detail is about what one would generally
expect from an early 1980's production. Digital compression artifacts
are well concealed on this dual layer DVD. Although SUPERMAN III
looks better SUPERMAN II, the recently restored SUPERMAN: THE
MOVIE provides viewers with the most satisfying presentation of any
of the three.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack decodes to standard surround, but
as with the second installment, is unimpressive. SUPERMAN III sounds
a bit better than its immediate predecessor, but the difference isn't
going to float anyone's boat. The forward soundstage has a decent amount
of activity and channel separation has cleaner definition that what was
found in the second film. Surround usage is relegated primarily to ambient
sound, but there are occasional active effects. Age and limitations in
fidelity keep the sound effects from having an overly convincing presence.
Dialogue has better intelligibility than number two, although the voices
sound a bit flat at times. As for the music, Ken Thorne is no John Williams,
so you aren't missing much listening to the uninspired score at a limited
level of fidelity. A French monaural track is also encoded onto the DVD,
as are English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Music underscores
the basic interactive menus, which provide access to the standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer and cast
filmographies.
In
case you haven't guessed, I am no fan of SUPERMAN III. Because
I loved the first two installments, I take offense at this film and become
even more offended every time I see it. Those of you that like SUPERMAN
III will find the DVD to be a good representation of how the filmmakers
intended it to look and sound. However, if you have never seen a Superman
movie- do not start with SUPERMAN III!
SUPERMAN
III ($20) confirms that director Richard Donner and "creative
consultant" Tom Mankiewicz were the men responsible for the success
of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and everything that was great about SUPERMAN
II. For those unaware of the turbulent production of the first two
movies, Donner was dumped as director when SUPERMAN II was already
halfway completed. Donner’s unceremonious dismissal also brought about
the departure of Mankiewicz (not to mention composer John Williams) for
the production. Since much of SUPERMAN II was already in the can
and the script had the fingerprints of the "creative consultant"
all over it, the second film was almost as bullet proof as the Man of
Steel and couldn’t be damaged by their replacements.
SUPERMAN
III levels the playing field by removing all traces of Donner and
Mankiewicz- thus showing what the first two films might have been had
it not been for the intervention of the original director and his "creative
consultant." All this build up about the success of the first two
films brings us to an absolutely disappointing third installment. My only
question about SUPERMAN III is as follows- did anyone bother to
read the script before putting this turkey into production? The campy
treatment the Man of Steel receives in SUPERMAN III is a totally
disservice to the character, as well as the fans that loved the first
two films. Sure, there were camp elements in the first two films, but
at least there was a sense of restraint. More importantly, the humor in
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and SUPERMAN II was actually funny.
Despite the presence of Richard Pryor, there is nothing funny about SUPERMAN
III. And that’s another thing, what the heck is Pryor doing in a Superman
movie? Sheesh!
The
only interesting aspect of SUPERMAN III revolve around Superman
being exposed to artificial Kryptonite, which turns him into an uncaring
lout, then splits him into two people for a super-showdown. Other facets
of the plot fail to engage because the characters are so poorly written.
I had high hopes for Clark Kent's return to Smallville, where he encounters
his high school flame, but even that section of the plot just lies there
waiting to be put out of its misery. As for the villains, they seem to
have started out as Lex Luthor and Eve Teschmacher, but had to be badly
rewritten for different performers. Actors that embarrass themselves by
appearing in SUPERMAN III include Christopher Reeve (although he
does try to overcome the material), Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette
O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and Margot Kidder,
who is fortunate to escape most of this mess with very limited screen
time.
Warner
Home Video has made SUPERMAN III available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays. SUPERMAN III does not utilize the soft focus photography
that was features in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and SUPERMAN II,
so the film starts out looking somewhat crisper and better defined than
the first two installments. Still, there are some shots within the body
of the movie that appear soft. The film element used for the transfer
is free from signs of wear and obtrusive markings, which makes the image
on the DVD fairly clean and attractive looking. Minor blemishes and a
touch of film grain are the only flaws in the element. Colors are certainly
stronger and more stable than they appeared on the SUPERMAN II
DVD. Flesh tones maintain a natural appearance and there are no signs
of chroma noise or smearing during the presentation. Blacks are accurate
looking and the level of shadow detail is about what one would generally
expect from an early 1980's production. Digital compression artifacts
are well concealed on this dual layer DVD. Although SUPERMAN III
looks better SUPERMAN II, the recently restored SUPERMAN: THE
MOVIE provides viewers with the most satisfying presentation of any
of the three.
The
Dolby Digital 2.0 channel soundtrack decodes to standard surround, but
as with the second installment, is unimpressive. SUPERMAN III sounds
a bit better than its immediate predecessor, but the difference isn't
going to float anyone's boat. The forward soundstage has a decent amount
of activity and channel separation has cleaner definition that what was
found in the second film. Surround usage is relegated primarily to ambient
sound, but there are occasional active effects. Age and limitations in
fidelity keep the sound effects from having an overly convincing presence.
Dialogue has better intelligibility than number two, although the voices
sound a bit flat at times. As for the music, Ken Thorne is no John Williams,
so you aren't missing much listening to the uninspired score at a limited
level of fidelity. A French monaural track is also encoded onto the DVD,
as are English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Music underscores
the basic interactive menus, which provide access to the standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a theatrical trailer and cast
filmographies.
In
case you haven't guessed, I am no fan of SUPERMAN III. Because
I loved the first two installments, I take offense at this film and become
even more offended every time I see it. Those of you that like SUPERMAN
III will find the DVD to be a good representation of how the filmmakers
intended it to look and sound. However, if you have never seen a Superman
movie- do not start with SUPERMAN III!
