Superman III (PG, 1983)

Computer genius Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) goes from grunt to a much higher position at a large firm when his greedy boss, Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), promotes him. In his new position as a hacker, Gorman's job is to create worldwide disasters that will allow Webster to control coffee and oil markets. Since only Superman (Christopher Reeve) can stop this, Webster assigns Gorman to figure out a way to kill Superman. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is visiting his hometown of Smallville for a high-school reunion. He rekindles a friendship with Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole), now a divorced, struggling single mother. The two have something that looks like an incipient romance, and Clark becomes a father-figure for Lang's boy, who, of course, needs rescuing by Superman now and then. Meanwhile, Gus Gorman creates a synthetic kryptonite in hopes it will finally put an end to Superman. It's flawed, however, and instead of destroying Superman it causes personality change, bringing out Superman's selfish, morose, and evil aspects.

Though it's not up to the first Superman: The Movie, this installment isn't an embarrassment, and there are some intriguing elements. Reeve, who fought a never-ending battle against movie critics over how good an actor he really was, is especially noteworthy here, hardening his eyes and tightening his jaw and making this Mr. Hyde-Superman callous, unshaven, and homicidal. Edgy comedian Richard Pryor brings his typical screen persona, a rebellious urban petty hustler, somewhat jarringly, into Metropolis.

Computer knowledge and data technology in this film are pretty much a kind of awesome, omnipotent magic, a recurring and amusing cliche in movies of this time, and viewers may wince or giggle at the inaccurate depictions of computer technology.