PROS: The cinematography is beautiful, and the special effects are above average. The score is still rousing, and Christopher Reeve is likable enough as Superman. The film is decently paced and there are one or neat touches such as when Superman turns nasty.

CONS: The storytelling is very clunky for me, while the script is awful. Margot Kidder apparently wanted little to do with this film and if true I'm afraid it does show, while Robert Vaughan is a pretty poor replacement for Gene Hackman and the less said about Pamela Stephenson the better. Also the direction is rather heartless and using Richard Pryor as the source of the laughs just didn't work.

Overall, it is disappointing and lacklustre but it is watchable unlike the fourth. Anyway that is another story. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I'd heard this film was bad, but ye gods! I had no idea it would be this awful. Turning the whole epic superhero movie into a silly, superficial comedy was definitely a big mistake, and you know this is going to be a chore to sit through right from the diabolical opening sequence (which seems to go on forever). An embarrassed-looking Robert Vaughn takes over chief villain duties as a rich businessman who harnesses the power of computer technology to rule the world (and kill Superman at the same time). Much of the focus is on Richard Pryor as a supposedly amusing computer programmer but I could barely bring myself to look at the screen, so badly was his character written.

There's some minor amusement to be had from the dated technology and it's a relief that the awful Margot Kidder has barely any screen time, but the film's so poorly made it's difficult to watch. The idea of an "evil Superman" is a good one but underdeveloped, although it does set up a fun action scene in a scrapyard later on. Annette O'Toole is a far more charming love interest than Kidder ever was, but even her sub-plot is sidetracked in favour of more relentless inanity. Could it get any worse than this? I doubt it, somehow...

Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) is thrown off unemployment after 36 weeks. He discovers that he's naturally gifted as a computer genius. Wealthy businessman Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) finds Gorman's scheme stealing his money and uses Gorman's skills for his own corrupt gains. Meanwhile Clark (Christopher Reeve) goes back to Smallville and reconnects with Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole). Webster sends Gorman to Smallville to take over a satellite. Eventually he creates a synthetic Kryptonite that turns Superman dark.

This is the much maligned follow up to the original two. I seem to like it more than most people. Whereas the comedy in this franchise is often campy, at least Richard Pryor provides a real comedian to direct the jokes. What this one lacks that was in Superman II is the great villain Zod. It becomes a series of rescues like firemen rescuing treed cats. The introduction of Lana Lang could have led to some good romantic entanglements. However the general public, still pulling for Lois Lane, was probably put off by his change of heart. They probably still pine for the missing Lois Lane and Lex Luthor days. And I actually like the supercomputer set. For all of its problems, Richard Pryer's likability makes up for much of its deficiencies.