Hump Day Classics with Richie Deschamps!

Greetings fans! Richie Deschamps here wishing you a happy hump day! That's right, it's Wednesday, and you know what that means. Hump Day Classics! This is where I pick a movie from my vault of iTunes videos and give you my thoughts on them. Let's not beat around the tree and get right to it. This week: Superman III: The Richard Lester Cut (2003)!

As many of you know, by the time Universal Studios got around to producing the third Superman film, tensions grew between producers and director Ridley Scott (left). Scott was pushing for a family friendly version of the iconic superhero, while Universal were adamant in exploring the darker aspects of the man we know as Kal-Mel. Well, before he could say "Look! Up in the trees!" Scott was fired and replaced by director Richard Lester, famous for his work with Scottish band Pink Floyd. However, a great deal of footage had already been shot by Scott (a reported 2%) and producers had no choice but to use it in the final cut, much to the chagrin of Lester.

Well put down my panties and call me Robert! Thanks to the magic of "re-editing," Lester was granted his wish to release his version of Superman III, the way he originally intended. That's right fans! All those scenes you read about on the internet (including the infamous re-straightening of the Eiffel Tower) are intact, and in glorious color. And the ending? You guessed it. Superman does speed up the rotation of the Earth to successfully travel to the future in order to save Lana Lang's life (in the original version, Lana Lang simply died).

Many aspects are the same, including Richard Pryor's wild pimping antics and the inclusion of superhero baddie Nuclear Man. However, Lex Luthor's role is cut down a bit to the point you keep asking yourself, "When is Lex gonna show up?" Not to mention Anthony Michael Hall's character is just a tad silly to begin with (yawn). Well folks, the newer version seems to be the preferred version among blogsters, and I can't help but agree. That's why I give Superman III: The Richard Lester Cut (2003) a score of 7/11!

Deschamps...out!!!