Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

Jerry Siegel (character created by: Superman), Joe Shuster (character created by: Superman)

Stars:

Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder

Bottom Rated Movies #78 | 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Reeve	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Gene Hackman	...	Lex Luthor / Nuclear Man (voice)
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Jon Cryer	...	Lenny
Sam Wanamaker	...	David Warfield
Mark Pillow	...	Nuclear Man
Mariel Hemingway	...	Lacy Warfield
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Damian McLawhorn	...	Jeremy
William Hootkins	...	Harry Howler
Jim Broadbent	...	Jean Pierre Dubois
Stanley Lebor	...	General Romoff
Don Fellows	...	Levon Hornsby
Robert Beatty	...	U.S. President

Storyline

Superman does a lot in his newest adventure. Archvillain Lex Luthor, determined to make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man. The two super-powered foes clash in an explosive screen extranvaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, repulse a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna, rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China and perform many more spetactular feats.

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Plot Keywords:

dc comics | unintentional humor | campy | kryptonian | male kryptonian | 

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Taglines:

Nuclear Power. In the best hands, it is dangerous. In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. This is Superman's greatest battle. And it is for all of us.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jeremy appears at the press conference, his response to the reporters is "I wish Superman would've said yes." The Daily Planet publishes the headline as "Superman Says Drop Dead to Kid!" In 1975, when New York City was facing bankruptcy, Mayor Abraham Beame asked the government for a federal bailout, and President Gerald Ford gave a speech denying federal assistance to New York City, and the New York Daily News published the story with the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead", misquoted words which Ford never himself said when turning down New York City's request for federal relief.

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Goofs

The trains and the subway system are part the London Underground, not New York's subway system.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cosmonaut Captain: [in Russian] You can sing later comrade Sinatra.
Cosmonaut: [in Russian] Back at home they told me to sing in space.

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Alternate Versions

The 94 minute version played theatrically in Australia, however all Australian video versions have been taken from the 90 minute North American print.

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Connections

Version of Superman vs Doomsday

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Soundtracks

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
(uncredited)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

The Last Nail in the Superman Coffin.

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE pits the Man of Steel against Nuclear Man, Lex Luther's newest creation while ridding the world of nuclear weapons. This is easily the worst of the SUPERMAN movies, and it was doomed to fail right from the start. Cut from its original 134-minute version, it is full of plot holes resulting in a movie with some scenes that just don't make any sense, but even with the extra 45 minutes intact, the movie still wouldn't work because the special effects are cheap and ridiculous, and it shows. Unless you are a diehard fan of the Superman genre, this movie should be avoided.

1 out of 5

Details

Official Sites:

WB Home Entertainment - DVD site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Russian French Italian

Release Date:

24 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Filming Locations:

M25 Motorway, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,683,122, 26 July 1987

Gross USA:

$15,681,020

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,681,020

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Films, Warner Bros., Golan-Globus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 93 min (1987) 134 min (pre-release cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1