World Are Superman III and IV really THAT bad?

[kguillou]

Ok, so after Man of Steel, I've been on a Superman high as of late. I watched Superman The Movie ( great film, except for that ending smh), Superman II Richard Donner Cut (another enjoyable film-- except for that ending smh) and now I want more. I've never seen Superman III and IV because i've always heard those films are absolute garbage. But I want to ask my fellow trusted hypsters--are they really THAT bad? I guess what I'm asking is, is there any fun at all to be had from watching them, even if its a "So bad its fun" kind of fun? I'm now quite curious to watch them but at the same time do not want to subject myself to torture.

Thoughts?

 

[Lord]

Well, Superman III is enjoyably bad, Superman IV However is just complete trash

 

[ThePhantasm]

Yes, they are that bad.

 

[BH/HHH]

Nope Superman III fir all it's problems has some truly great standout moments and I think it actually flows quite decently. I'd put it above Superman Returns.

Superman IV isn't as bad as you'd thought, it's far worse

 

[Senator Pleasury]

SIII I haven't seen it in a while. SIV is that bad.

 

[Shikamaru]

Yes.

 

[jonathancrane]

Yesss

 

[A&W]

I saw part 3 and it was so bad I wont evwn try to watch part 4. not one minute of the movie is worth your time. it's horrible

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Superman III is not a bad movie.

It has Christopher Reeve is not only his best, most authorative, most heroic, and most ripped Superman performance (and with the best wig), he also plays THE BEST EVER evil version of a hero. Then you have the awesome junkyard battle, which is intense and pretty brutal. You have the best special effects of the series. The woman being turned into a cyborg - pure nightmare material. Annette O'Toole as a love intrest for Clark, not Superman.

But the main thing people forget is that Superman III isn't about Richard Pryor and computers and Lana. It's about the friction between Clark and Superman. The original title was Superman vs Superman, and if you pay attention you'll see in this movie Clark actually establishes himself as a personality and not just a disguise for Superman. It reaches a head when they split and fight. That's really the point of the film.

 

[gohei_]

Superman III is not a bad movie.

It has Christopher Reeve is not only his best, most authorative, most heroic, and most ripped Superman performance (and with the best wig), he also plays THE BEST EVER evil version of a hero. Then you have the awesome junkyard battle, which is intense and pretty brutal. You have the best special effects of the series. The woman being turned into a cyborg - pure nightmare material. Annette O'Toole as a love intrest for Clark, not Superman.

But the main thing people forget is that Superman III isn't about Richard Pryor and computers and Lana. It's about the friction between Clark and Superman. The original title was Superman vs Superman, and if you pay attention you'll see in this movie Clark actually establishes himself as a personality and not just a disguise for Superman. It reaches a head when they split and fight. That's really the point of the film.

My god she was so hot back then, I mean really.

 

[mikey1974]

yeah,Superman III has some good stuff in it. some BAd,too,but definitely some good.

Superman IV,truly,is complete crap. from the storyline,to the acting,to the new characters,to the effects....

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Cool things about Superman III:

1. Reeve gives his best Superman performance; no messing about, kick ass and take names heroics. I love it. 2. The junkyard fight scene, the best pre-CGI superhero movie fight sequence ever. 3. When Clark becomes Superman again after that fight scene; the way he stands up, realises who he is and then rips his shirt open to reveal the clean, fresh, heroic S symbol is awesome, and is one of the most stirring and effective Superman moments ever. 4. Best special effects of the series. 5. Richard Pryor IS funny, even though he is clearly in the wrong flick. 6. That nasty Zelda-from-Terrahawks cyborg monster that woman gets turned into at the end - genuinely scary. 7. Lana Lang is so much better than Lois Lane, you can actually see why Clark would go for her. 8. The way Superman outwits the computer at the climax rather than just using his power to defeat it.

Here's the ultimate cool thing: when most actors play evil versions of their characters, they just play them as 2D bad guys. But Reeve makes the evil Superman a convincingly bitter, currupted version of the Man of Steel, who realises how great he used to be and hates himself and everybody else for his fall from grace. He's a disgraced hero, a fallen angel. Ironically, he's the best villain of the Superman series. The whole good/evil Superman thing is awesome and for me makes Superman III a very good film.

 

[kellyliang674]

I don't think so.

 

[Xak-Ell]

so bad to the point when superman returns erased them from continuity i was happy

 

[superhero]

acutely super man 3 is my favorite movie by Christopher Reeve as super man I enjoyed super man 4 it was just fun movie if you wont bad movie rent super girl that was horrible movie

 

[Comics N' Toons]

i always thought Superman 4 had a lot of charm (in almost every scene without Nuclear Man).

Superman 3 was kind of the most terrible superhero movie ever made.

 

[Joshua_B]

In my opinion, the only advantage the third film has over "Quest for Peace" is that it was actually finished. I love Chris' scenes with Annette O'Toole, but everything else was ridiculous.

By contrast, it seemed the whole cast really wanted the fourth entry to reignite the creative spark of the original, but Cannon Films' greed got in the way. Gene Hackman actually came back since the Salkinds were gone, but the heroics sucked because of the severely slashed budget.

Story-wise, I actually prefer "Quest for Peace", but both of them are pretty bad.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

In my opinion, the only advantage the third film has over "Quest for Peace" is that it was actually finished. I love Chris' scenes with Annette O'Toole, but everything else was ridiculous.

By contrast, it seemed the whole cast really wanted the fourth entry to reignite the creative spark of the original, but Cannon Films' greed got in the way. Gene Hackman actually came back since the Salkinds were gone, but the heroics sucked because of the severely slashed budget.

Story-wise, I actually prefer "Quest for Peace", but both of them are pretty bad.

The story is actually why I like 4 better than 3

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Superman III: Dangermouse Cut proves that the third installment can be elevated to "good movie".

 

[NewYorkSpider]

While Superman IV is a terrible movie, I still enjoyed it. Superman III isn't all that bad, but it just doesn't feel the same.

 

[bluerayer]

Cool things about Superman III:

That nasty Zelda-from-Terrahawks cyborg monster that woman gets turned into at the end - genuinely scary.

I had such horrible nightmares about her as a kid...

 

[Senator Pleasury]

I had such horrible nightmares about her as a kid...

Those eyes....those horrible silver eyes!

 

[BH/HHH]

Superman III is very underrated for me, its got some of the finest moments of any Superman film; Superman's saving the workers/Jimmy in the chemical plant scene Evil Superman terrorises the World, Evil Superman vs Clark (best fight in all pre MOS live action Superman movies) and the finale of Superman vs the machine. Of course it does have to overcome some of the bad things i.e. Poor villains, Richard Pryor, the domino effect opening (which admittedly features a neat Clark to Superman change in a photo booth) but I think the good far outweighs the bad.

Superman IV however was just ugh, I really think though with a bigger budget and Chris Reeve playing both Superman and the villain it would have been a much better watch.

Edit: I just realised I'd already posted here but this post was more elaborate.

 

[The Guard]

Both SUPERMAN III and IV have their moments. All the films have their moments. I'm not sure what people are smoking to watch SUPERMAN III and consider it a remotely good movie, though. Other than the stuff between Clark and Lana, it's mostly just awful attempts at comedy. Superman constantly forgets he has powers, so that he can look more clever with a longer sequence, and apparently also forgets what Kryptonite looks like. It's kind of silly how contrived it all is. And "best special effects of the franchise"? Is that a joke? Braniac-lite is a crime, and its take on technology is offensive even by 80's sci-fi/technology standards. Pryor's just there. He doesn't really add or subtract anything to the film. He just bumbles through it as a plot device.

Reeve does gives a good performance in SUPERMAN III, especially as Evil Superman in combat, but what's with his appearance all of a sudden? Suddenly his hair is almost brown with highlights in it, making him look much older.

And did anyone notice that Margot Kidder basically gets less into her role with each film, and less concerned about her hair?

 

[BH/HHH]

Both SUPERMAN III and IV have their moments. All the films have their moments. I'm not sure what people are smoking to watch SUPERMAN III and consider it a remotely good movie, though. Other than the stuff between Clark and Lana, it's mostly just awful attempts at comedy. Superman constantly forgets he has powers, so that he can look more clever with a longer sequence, and apparently also forgets what Kryptonite looks like. It's kind of silly how contrived it all is. And "best special effects of the franchise"? Is that a joke? Braniac-lite is a crime, and its take on technology is offensive even by 80's sci-fi/technology standards. Pryor's just there. He doesn't really add or subtract anything to the film. He just bumbles through it as a plot device.

Reeve does gives a good performance in SUPERMAN III, especially as Evil Superman in combat, but what's with his appearance all of a sudden? Suddenly his hair is almost brown with highlights in it, making him look much older.

And did anyone notice that Margot Kidder basically gets less into her role with each film, and less concerned about her hair?

I don't think people are saying Superman III is a good movie just that its nowhere near as bad as its made out to be.

I don't think he forgets what Kryptonite is, look at the way he looks at it. But it doesn't hurt him so maybe he assumes its just a green crystal, its already starting to effect his mind. Also the look is simply to do with the modofied Kryptonite turning him evil, I guess in some ways you could maybe compare it to Lord of the Rings with the ring changing the holders appearance ageing them etc only here because he's Superman he can snap back. Don't forget his suit is also Kryptonian so that may be why it turns dark. But mostly its just symbolic to show this isn't your friendly Superman but a darker version.

That's bevause Margot Kidder had problems that escalated and escalated. She was heabily into drug addiction around this time.