---
title: "Superman III: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/superman-iii/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/superman-iii"
critics_score: 56
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Superman III (1983): what the critics said

Critics' score 56 from 8 reviews: 2 positive, 3 mixed, 3 negative.

The reviews lean mixed, with praise clustering around Christopher Reeve, the Smallville scenes and individual comic sequences rather than the film as a whole. Reeve’s handling of the dual role remains a strength even for detractors, while the relationship between Clark Kent and Annette O’Toole’s character supplies welcome warmth. The opening slapstick also earns approval from otherwise opposed reviews, suggesting that the comedy works better in particular passages than across the full film.

The spread is wide, and the main divide concerns the lighter tone. The Hollywood Reporter welcomes Richard Lester’s brisk direction and finds an energetic audience-pleaser. Time Out admires the satire and precisely timed slapstick. Less favourable reviews find the broad humour overdone, Richard Pryor poorly used, and the drama short of its predecessors’ wonder and scope. Two of the eight reviews lack accessible text, so their specific reasoning cannot be established.

## The Hollywood Reporter — Arthur Knight

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 1983. 

Knight finds the film great fun and an energetic audience-pleaser, despite some letdowns. He especially praises Richard Lester’s brisk direction and Annette O’Toole’s warmth.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/superman-3-review-movie-original-1983-1236308897/)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 74/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents the film as the series’ most satirical entry. It singles out the opening credits’ precisely timed slapstick as especially impressive.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/superman-iii)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 1983. 

The article text is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. Its praise or complaint cannot be reliably identified from the accessible page.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/17/movies/superman-iii-reeve-joined-by-pryor.html)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The available page contains only a browser-check message.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/superman-iii-1983)

## Radio Times — John Ferguson

Rating 3/5. 

Ferguson finds the humour uneven and says the film cannot sustain the irreverence of its predecessor. He praises Superman’s turn to nastiness and the sweet Smallville scenes, while finding Richard Pryor’s comic presence ineffective.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fupq59/superman-iii/)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 38/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2007. 

Thomas finds the film lighter and less dramatically compelling than its predecessors, despite some good action. He praises Christopher Reeve’s command of his dual role but faults the film’s whimsical tone and diminished sense of wonder.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/superman-iii-review/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1982. 

The review finds Superman III a disappointment, criticizing its broad-comedy focus and lack of the earlier films’ mythic scope. It praises the pre-credits sequence as hilarious and notes the appealing relationship between Clark Kent and Annette O’Toole’s character.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/superman-iii-1200425419/)

## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2009. 

Carty considers Superman III the weakest instalment so far, though still worth watching for Christopher Reeve. He praises the Smallville story arc and Reeve’s performance, while criticizing the overdone comedy and Richard Pryor’s miscasting.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/superman-iii-film-review-by-stephen-carty)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/superman-iii.md