 |
 Release Date: 1983 Tagline: If the world's most powerful computer can control even Superman . . . no one on earth is safe. Director: Richard Lester Writer: David Newman* and Leslie Newman*
* indicates Yakmala All Star |
||||||||||||||||||||
 Plot Synopsis by Dave: Just when you thought the Superman films couldn’t get any better, you find out how right you were. Superman (Christopher Reeve) embarks on a new adventure where he has no idea anything is going on until the last bit of the film.After taking an introductory computer programming course, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) realizes that he’s a computer genius and begins to use those skills to his own end. After stealing from over $85,000 from the company he works for by hacking into the payroll system and having them issue him a check (not very bright I might add), he is caught by his boss, Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn), who has plans of world domination through the control of coffee. Webster, along with his masculine sister Vera (Annie Ross) and his secretly not so dumb assistant Lorelei Ambrosia (Pamela Stephenson) coerce Gus to take control of a government satellite to destroy the coffee crops in Columbia. Meanwhile, Superman has gone home to Smallville to attend his high school reunion. On the way he stops to fight a fire at a chemical plant to keep some acid from becoming volatile from over heating and sending an acid cloud across the middle of nowhere that could destroy everything. Superman doesn’t seem to be all that concerned about is secret identity anymore by changing in his costume where anyone can see him . . . like the back seat of a police car with a cop right in front. Anyways, Superman arrives in Smallville to be reunited with Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole), who’s only purpose is to provide some sort of romantic interest in the film because Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) decides to take most of this movie off (except for and appearance at the beginning and the end) and go on vacation to Bermuda. There are a few other life saving events where Superman dons the suit to remind you it’s a Superman movie. After Superman saves the coffee crop in Columbia, the Webster gang fear that Superman is setting out to interfere with their new scheme (which they just thought of but don’t have any details of the plan worked out yet), the control of all the oil. They decide it’s time to kill Superman but trying to synthesize kryptonite, but oops they get it wrong and just turn Superman into a Superjerk. Superman of course still has no idea that there is a villain in this film. As Superman literally fights his dark side in a lame battle that ends in the good Superman strangling the evil one and takes off to right all wrongs his evil self did, the Webster gang embark on building a super computer that can do what ever they want and defend itself from anyone or anything by using its attackers weaknesses against them. Superman finally sees that there are evil people out to harm him (only because they challenge him to stop them) and he sets off to destroy the computer. The final battle begins by the computer launching various rockets at Superman via an Atari 2600 targeting system, tries to encase him in a giant plastic bubble, and finally hits him with a kryptonite ray . . .not a very super computer. Gus has a change of heart and attempts to save Superman by shutting down the computer by removing ONE SCREW . . . again, not a very super computer. But the computer has fooled everyone, even its creators and tries to destroy everyone. It even turns Vera into some sort of robot woman . . . not much of an improvement. But Superman wins in the end by using the acid from earlier in the movie . . . who knew that would be useful later on? All is well in Metropolis again. The Webster gang goes to jail, except for Gus (because he’s Richard Pryor), Lana Lang moves to Metropolis and gets a job at the Daily Planet, and Superman is himself. Such a happy ending . . . until the next time. |
|||||||||||||||||||||