Richard Lester's Superman III gets lots of sneers and jeers, even though many do enjoy David and Leslie Newman's amusing script. (For the record, at a recent gathering, when a few of us had an opportunity to watch either Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Superman III, the latter won unanimously. If that doesn't speak volumes ...) Even so, most will agree, Superman III does have some irksome anomalies (e.g. that surreal, traffic-light rumpus).
At any rate, I discovered a swell, video essay (inserted above) by Michael Kelly of JAKlife (culled from YouTube's Otherworldly Funding), where he (along with crossover guest interjector Deadpool) gives an enlightening theory that changes Superman III's slant. It all comes down to Richard Pryor's Gus Gorman and one of Superman III's considered but rejected villains, Mr. Mxyzptlk. (An early, Superman III treatment depicted Gorman as Brainiac in disguise. However, the connection doesn't gel with the antics displayed on film. Kelly's idea is exclusive to what we witness in the WB-approved movie, where Robert Vaughn's Ross Webster performs as top villain.)
Kelly's notion doesn't change Superman III in any official capacity, but for an imaginative path, his concept does, indeed, jive. Give his "I Can Fix Superman III" a try, and by golly, the odds favor you'll understand why.
