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 #66 | 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 | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

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

Filming Locations:

M25 Motorway, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene cut out of the U.S. theatrical version featured Superman saving a group of Soviet Generals from a nuclear missile in Moscow. The scene appears on the video release, but not on the DVD.

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Goofs

When both the missile fired from the submarine and the Soviet missile are launched we see them go far out into space above the Earth. However they are both ballistic missiles, and would not be able to reach that kind of altitude.

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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 is also included on an out of print Japanese laserdisc which has the 2 extra scenes in the TV version.

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Connections

References Superman II (1980)

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Soundtracks

First Nuclear Man
(uncredited)
Composed by Alexander Courage
Original Material Composed by John Williams

User Reviews

Not A Very Memorable Ending To The Reeve-Superman Series

Superman Turns "Peacenik" could be another title to this film. Christopher Reeve remarked several times that this was his most "important" Superman movie. Being somewhat of a Liberal "peacenik," he was the kind you'd see out with a big "peace sign" at rallies against nuclear weapons.This movie had the kind of message that was dear to his heart.

Superman goes about trying to rid the world of nuclear weapons here, especially, of course when they get into the hands of villain "Dr. Luthor" (Gene Hackman). It was a nice message and, overall, a nice film. Unlike the other Superman films of the era, they didn't overdo the sappy romance with "Lois Lane" (Margot Kidder). They concentrated more on the story. Unfortunately, that story - even with good intentions - just wasn't all that memorable.

Ask anyone: people remember the first two Reeve Superman films a lot more than the last two. This one, and the third one with Richard Pryor, pretty much "bombed" at the box office, at least compared to the others.

It did not help that the producers of this movie were Golan-Globus films, guys that were known for their cheap and usually-sleazy exploitation films. "Superman" deserved better.