Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) User Reviews

Such a shame!

[richieandsam · 5/10 · 16 May 2013]

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE

OK... so everyone knows that this is the worst Superman movie ever made... but if you have not seen it in a while, you should watch it.

It is still pretty rubbish, but it is not as bad as I remember.

The story is not that bad... Superman rids planet Earth of all the nuclear weapons, and in doing so unknowingly creates a super villain named Nuclear Man thanks to arch rival Lex Luthor.

The movie does star all the original cast, which surprised me. I knew Christopher Reeve was in it... and after reading his autobiography now know why. He said in the book that he only made it because the film studio wanted to make it and they said to him that they would only finance another movie he wanted to make if he made Superman IV. I will quote what he said in his book... "The less said about Superman IV the better."

Gene Hackman returns as Lex Luthor & Margot Kidder is back as Lois Lane. They all did good jobs as always, although Margot was a bit unsure in places. The other supporting cast were not great. Mariel Hemingway played the new boss of the Daily Planet. She was awful... not a great actress in this I'm afraid. But she was not the worst. Mark Pillow played Nuclear Man. Absolutely terrible. His acting was definitely the worst of the whole quadrilogy.

The effects in this film were so bad. You could see that the budget of this film was so much less than the other 3 movies made. Superman flying was so bad that Flash Gordon was more convincing... and speaking of Flash Gordon... Nuclear Man looked like him... but more camp! Nuclear Mans outfit was embarrassing... it was not much of a super villains outfit. It honestly was just a bad character through and through.

There are also some really bad scenes... there was a scene where a large chuck of the Great Wall of China gets destroyed and Superman fixes it just by looking at it and using some dodgy blue eye lasers. What the hell? Terrible. Also, there is a scene where Nuclear Man kidnaps a Lacy and takes her into space... WHAT? He drags her to space and not only does she not scream or even say anything, but she can breathe fine in space... erm... really? I know Superman was never meant to be realistic, but that is too much!

When I was a kid I was a big fan of the Superman movies... but I think my parents protected me from this disappointment, because I don't remember this film at all... I didn't see this film until I was an adult. Haha. Thanks Mum.

I will give this film 5 out of 10.

It's a shame about this film... it was a very disappointing ending to Christopher Reeves Superman career. But no matter what he will always be a legend.

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Is this film so bad?

[darrenhutton2 · 5/10 · 17 April 2005]

I have just watched the 89 minute cut of superman 4 and i've asked myself is this a stinker of a film or not and my answer to that is no i don't think it is.

Why you ask when most of the world thinks it is well i shall tell you.

Well it's world renowned that cannon were cheapskates and the budget was only 10 million on this film but that aside what Sidney j furie did with this film was i think a much better film than superman 3.

I liked the story the acting i think was on par with the other films and i enjoyed the action scene's especially the fight around the world with the nuclear man and it kept me entertained however there are bad points about this film as much as it kept me entertained which included Lenny who was as about as much use in this film as a chocolate tea pot and "THE NUCLEAR MAN" what purpose does he serve in this film he is that bad that Gene Hackman has to voice him so i can only imagine Marc pillow was more wooden than a park bench and also when superman and nuclear man are fighting in space it's so obvious that they are on a blacked out stage.

What really bothers me about this film is that somebody out there has the full 143 minute version and i think this is the problem with superman 4 the general public have seen a watered down version which in some places this film makes no sense where as the full version that was laughed at by critics in an advanced screening would make more sense than this version we have to put up with and lets face it the real critics are real movie fans who do not get paid for there views unlike these posh art house lovers who would dissect care bears the movie if they had the chance.

In closing i would like to say two things about this movie (1) This film is voted one of the worst films of all time because we have a watered down version that makes no sense in places.

(2)Warner brothers or cannon whoever has the rights to the full uncut version do the decent thing and give us the general public and superman lovers across the world the the right to view superman 4 the quest for peace in it's full uncut glory if not for us then let's have Christopher reeve doing what he does best in these films and entertaining us and believing that a man can really fly

Worth a few laughs

[dr_foreman · 5/10 · 4 January 2007]

I recently watched "Superman IV" for the first time since...well, 1987, I guess. How time flies.

I thought the first half-hour was actually pretty good - not luminous, but fine. The hostile takeover of the Daily Planet is interesting, and I enjoyed Superman's moral dilemma about the nuclear missile situation (some reviews suggest that Superman is all gung-ho about disarming the world; in fact, he's initially quite reluctant to do so).

But after that decent first half hour, the movie pretty much falls apart. The Daily Planet storyline is resolved abruptly and unconvincingly - I simply can't accept that Muriel Hemingway's character undergoes a total conversion from yellow journalist to an editor with integrity. What exactly inspires this change of heart, besides the fact that she's hot for stumbling, stupid Clark Kent?

The nuclear missile plot is also glossed over. I'm not exactly sure why Superman decides to abandon his disarmament mission; just because Lex Luthor's given him some trouble, suddenly he's not in favor of world peace? The movie simply doesn't explore his decision-making processes thoroughly enough.

Another strangely underdeveloped plot line is the sale of the Kent farm. In an early scene, we find out that a "big developer" is interested in buying the farm, but Clark would prefer to sell it to a small-time farmer. This is actually a pretty nice segment, pleasingly reminiscent of the first film, but it comes to absolutely nothing, as the sale of the farm is never mentioned again. Huh?

Some of these plotting problems doubtless arise from the fact that about 40 minutes were chopped out of the film before its release. However, I've heard that a lot of the missing footage is devoted to action, so it probably plugs relatively few of the aforementioned plot gaps. Anyway, what really matters is that the theatrical release is semi-incomprehensible.

The special effects are another big minus for the film. For example, the same terrible "green screen" shot of Superman flying toward the audience is reused about eight times, and it's so bad that you didn't even want to see it once. I know this film had a limited $17 million budget, but for goodness' sake, I've seen better special effects done on much smaller TV budgets.

And yet...and yet...I can't bring myself to hate this movie. At a mere 90 minutes, it's much pacier (and more sincere) than the plodding, dreadful "Superman III." Also, it's nice to see Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman back in substantial roles after they were basically ignored in the previous film. Hackman's performance as Lex Luthor is always pretty funny, even if he's playing it on auto-pilot; I particularly enjoy the moment when he lights his cigar using Nuclear Man's radioactive aura.

I don't even object to the presence of Mariel Hemingway, who is strangely sexy in this movie - though somehow I feel obliged to point out that an actress with a one-scene cameo as a teacher is actually the prettiest woman in the whole thing.

Even the much-maligned special effects have a certain campy charm. And, you know, Nuclear Man is cool in certain dumb ways; he gives Superman a tough fight, which makes him at least somewhat interesting. He looks ridiculous, of course, but I don't really sweat his mullet as much as everyone else does. (When are we going to get over this whole childish mullet obsession, anyway?)

Despite this praise, I should note that, toward the ending of the movie, Nuclear Man flies into space carrying Hemingway...and she survives, despite the fact that she's not wearing a space suit. That complete lack of realism, attention to detail, whatever you want to call it - I guess that's typical of the whole movie. But I still get a laugh out of it.

The Last Nail in the Superman Coffin.

[phillafella · 2/10 · 23 June 2003]

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

Actors try hard, but movie fails

[jpintar · 5/10 · 23 October 2004]

Superman IV is not nearly as bad as the reviews suggest. The actors try really hard, particularly Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder, to make it work. The movie is watchable and the musical score is good. The movie is an improvement over the disappointing Superman III. However, Superman IV has major problems. The movie has obviously been cut from its original length make it incoherent at times. The special effects are below the standards set in the first two movies (even the third movie had decent effects). Maybe if the movie were restored to its original length, it would be better. I can only give this movie a 5/10. I wished it were better and hope someday they do restore this movie to its original length.

Should have been titled Superman IV: Rest In Peace

[KMM · 1/10 · 2 March 2002]

This movie never should have been released. This movie is at the opposite end of the spectrum as far as favorites go for me. The 1978 original is one of my all time favorite films, while sitting through this one at the movies was like getting a root canal without the novocain. Special effects were horrible as well as character development and plot line. How could any studio head or those involved with the final print of this film feel comfortable with the finished project?

Talk about a film that rode on the popularity of its predecessors and failed to live up to any expectations that fans of the earlier films had. This movie certainly was the nail in the coffin as far as the Christopher Reeve Superman films go. And for what it's worth I fall in the category that feels Superman 3 was better than this mess. A waste of celluloid.

The Paradoxical Son...

[Xstal · 2/10 · 21 May 2023]

Lex Luthor makes escape from his stone jail, nephew Lennie makes assist avoiding bail, after decisions have been made, ridding the earth of atomic tirade, the man of steel will not accept, the world can fail. But Lex has a cunning plane to go all nuclear, as he creates a warrior, thermo-peculiar, although just like, photo voltaics, if the sun's gone he's just static, and so this fission brings derision and just flails. In the end you cannot take in all the trash, what was once spectacular has lost its class, taking an audience for fools, breaking all cinematic rules, the producers clearly had a neck, that was made of brass.

A "Super" disaster

[rparham · 2/10 · 22 June 2006]

After an absence of four years, along with Christopher Reeve's initial determination he was done with the blue and red tights after Superman III, the Superman franchise was brought back to life for one more entry, but after the release of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, it's unfortunate that everyone involved hadn't just decided to let things alone. Superman IV is a complete disaster on almost every level, a silly, cheesy and downright cheap looking poor excuse for a film that manages to rank among the worst comic book adaptation films of all time, bested only by such "winners" as The Return of Swamp Thing and the direct-to-video Captain America.

Superman IV finds our hero, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve), selling off his family farm after his mother has died between performing his normal super duties. He returns to Metropolis to discover that the Daily Planet has been taken over by tabloid king David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) and his daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemmingway) and are turning it into a salacious rag sheet. Shortly after the takeover, a young boy writes Superman a letter, via the Daily Planet, and asks him for assistance in solving the arms crisis by removing all nuclear weapons from the Earth. Superman initially refuses, taking the stance that he cannot interfere in human affairs (although how this relates to his other helping of humanity is a puzzler). Eventually, Superman changes his mind and begins ridding the world of all nuclear weapons by tossing them into the sun.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has escaped from prison with the assistance of his nephew Lenny (Jon Cryer), and hatched a devious scheme: to create a new super villain to defeat Superman by taking a sample of Superman's DNA recovered from a museum exhibit featuring a single hair from Superman's head and attaching it and a computer to the side of one of the missiles that are hurled into the sun by Superman and thus creating Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow, voiced by Gene Hackman), a being with the power of Superman, the voice of Lex Luthor, plus more abilities, powered by the sun. The two match off, but has Superman finally met his rival?

It's not really surprising that Superman IV is terrible movie, considering it was produced by The Canon Group, who may never have released what you could label a "good" movie when they existed in the '80s. And Superman IV is not a good movie. It has an intriguing concept at it's heart, Superman ridding the world of nuclear devices, but everything around that central idea is just a complete mess. The script by Laurence Konner and Mark Rosenthal is borderline insipid, featuring some extreme gaps in logic that cause the audience to have to accept some absolutely ridiculous contrivances and just asinine ideas. Superman tosses a missile containing Nuclear Man's basic building blocks into the sun. And how is that not all fried by the sun? Okay, maybe the Superman genetic material may not be (although I don't know if it was ever stated he is able to withstand even the sun), but the computer that will supposedly give Nuclear Man form, along with the barest shreds of material that suddenly grow into clothes to cover his body? Please. And how does he get Lex's voice? Late in the film, a human character is carried into space by Nuclear Man with no oxygen or protective suit, and survives. The complete contempt for the audience the script shows is inexcusable.

With Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) still pulling a mostly supporting role, the writers attempt to inject Lacy as a new love interest, with her eye on Clark instead of Superman. They also try to generate a triangle between them, but none of it works. There is no chemistry between Lacy and Clark, and much of what was there between Superman and Lois seems to be gone or on life support. Yeah, Lex Luthor is back, but he is nowhere near as engaging as he was in Superman and Superman II. Hackman does the best he can with his questionable material, but there is no saving it.

Many of the outstanding aspects of the previous films are just shoddy this time around. The special effects are abysmal, with many generic elements of Superman flying reused over and over again and almost none of it is believable. The action sequences, what few there are, are unspectacular and barely raise your pulse. The film, on the whole, has a rushed and half-complete feeling to it, and you get the impression you are watching a movie made on the cheap, not the latest sequel to a successful, multi-million dollar grossing franchise.

So, after close to ten years and three sequels, Supeman IV is able to do what Lex Luthor could never accomplish: it brought the Man of Steel down, and left him tattered. It would take almost two decades for Superman to fly again, and we can only hope that the next entry is worth your time, because this one wasn't.

The Superman series limps to an ending with him facing his greatest foe yet....slashed budgets and dwindling filming resources

[IonicBreezeMachine · 3/10 · 20 March 2022]

Superman (Christopher Reeve) continues his life of costumed superhero and Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. As the Daily Planet is taken over by tabloid magnate David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker), Clark and fellow reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) find themselves uneasy with the more sensationalist route taken by the paper's new owner and editor/David's daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) who also has a crush on Clark. Meanwhile the failure of a summit between the United States and Soviet Union causes both nations to increase production of their nuclear stockpiles. A young boy, Jeremy (Damian McLawhorn), writes a letter to Superman asking why Superman can't dispose of the nuclear weapons himself, and while he's uncertain about whether he should get involved following public pressure Superman makes an announcement that he will rid the world of nuclear weapons singlehandedly. While Superman's words and actions are met with approval by the public and (I think) several public officials, they irk war profiteers, military strategic think tanks, and others whose pocketbooks and political standing is threatened by the new development. Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) having escaped from prison with the aid of his dimwitted nephew Lenny Luthor (Jon Cryer) formulates a plan with the help of those with vested interest in preserving the arms race to create a nuclear clone of Superman which comes in the form of Nuclear Man (physically played by Mark Pillow, voiced by Gene Hackman) who has the power to destroy the Superman.

Following the disappointing response to Superman III and disastrous response to Supergirl, Ilya and Alexander Salkind scrapped a planned Superman IV and out of financial necessity sold the rights to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of The Cannon Group, Inc. For $5 million in 1985. When Christopher Reeve was approached by Cannon to reprise his role he was reluctant, but Cannon offered Reeve $6 million, story input, director approval, and financing and distribution for Reeve's long stalled pet project Street Smart. With Reeve on board, Cannon was able to lure back other veteran members of the Superman cast such as Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder who hated the Salkinds for their abusive treatment (especially of Richard Donner) and underhanded and duplicitous dealings so the change in producers was seen as a fresh start. While Superman IV was a priority for Cannon, the movie beset with production difficulties from day one with the promised $36 million budget slashed to $17 million, which lead to downscaling in the special effects and locations with noticeable results. As a company, Cannon had often kept themselves afloat with foreign presales to upcoming movies as well as sales of TV and home media rights to current films used to keep the cycle afloat with their primary output being action and horror fare of $5 million or less that could continue this endless cycle and in essence "robbing Peter to pay paul". With movies above that $5 million threshold the company didn't have that windfall hence why Superman IV was so troubled. Superman IV is considered the worst film in the Superman series and often labeled one of the worst of all time, and it's hard to disagree because not only is it a stupid story, but unlike the previous films it's not even technically competent.

Superman IV is an anti-war movie with Reeve credited with a story credit. Reeve was apparently inspired based on his personally reaction to the failure of the 1986 Reykjavik Summit as well as then President Reagan's military buildup and skepticism towards arms control. Now on the surface that's not an awful idea, but when you have Superman making declarations he will singlehandedly remove all Nuclear Weapons from the Earth without consulting with the leaders it feels like it goes contrary to his character. Now as much as I don't like this direction....it does unfortunately have comic book precedent. In stories that Marv Wolfman wrote for the comic Adventures of Superman that ran concurrently with John Byrne's run in the main series that reintroduced the character "post crisis", Superman did undertake a one man crusade against the fictional Middle Eastern nation of Qurac destroying all their weapons and artillery so as dumb as this plot is, it's not the first time this route has been taken with the character. The movie is a disjointed mess with a number of dangling unresolved subplots and jumps due to the fact that the movie's 110 minute runtime was trimmed to 89 minutes making it the shortest Superman film by a considerable margin. Not that the footage being put back in would've helped because the script is not only stupid with its very reductive look at the arms race and the nature thereof, but the comedy present in these movies has reached the worst of hackneyed writing with Superman now utilizing the dreaded "two dates to the prom" setup that doesn't even have a proper payoff to that tired cliché. In fact many of the "jokes" feel like they're missing punchlines or reactions which is probably a tell tale sign of things that were cut.

Reeve remains good as Superman (his poorly thought out story notwithstanding) and Gene Hackman looks like he's at least having fun despite his knowledge of how bad he movie is. But most of the other performances, effects, and set pieces feel passable at best or unfinished at worst. The Superman films have always had competent work at minimum at minimum and you do not get that here. Editing is often shoddy, characters have knowledge of things they shouldn't, things explode despite a lack of projectiles, it wouldn't surprise me if not only was the budget slashed in half, but the post and foley work also felt the wrath of Cannon's budget scissors.

Superman IV is bad, but it is at least fascinatingly bad. The same goofy optimism that began this series is on full display, except without the brain that added substance to the silliness. Even at their lowest point the Salkind Superman movies gave us at least ONE scene that we could say "that's impressive" like the Clark Kent vs. Superman fight in Superman III, or Supergirl being stranded on The Phantom Zone in Supergirl. Here however, I can't name one scene that even approaches good. If you watch this movie you'll watch it all the way to the end, and you'll even laugh, but only in the manner most befitting watching a trainwreck.

Even Superman couldn't save this one!

[griffolyon12 · 1/10 · 14 May 2006]

I am a huge Superman fan and I loved the first two Superman films,but starting with the third one this franchise slowly started going down.Now we reach the fourth installment in the franchise and not even Superman himself could of saved this one.The story and villain were weak and the action was boring.Plus this sported the worst special effects in the franchise.This film feels rushed and choppy,cutting from scene to scene leaving you confused.Christopher Reeves still played the part perfectly,but him and Margot Kidder are the only ones.I felt throughout the film they tried to rekindle the success of the original two,but just couldn't do it.With a corny script,bad special effects and action,weak acting,and terrible directing and editing this one is completely passable.You definitely will not be watching this one again and again like the first two.

A disappointing: 1/10!!!

A flawed, though enjoyable movie

[ar87 · 10/10 · 16 August 2001]

My rating - 3/5 stars CONTAINS SPOILERS Released in 1987, Superman did very poorly in the box office, because of bad reviews and because of some people's experiences with Superman III. John Williams replaced Ken Thorne - He and Alexander Courage made terrific music, possibly the greatest in the entire series, but unfortunately not on CD. Superman IV, a Cannon Group Inc./Golan-Globus Production, directed by Sidney J. Furie, and featuring the return of Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, and Marc McClure, a story by Christopher Reeve, Lawrence Konner, and Mark Rosenthal -

Christopher Reeve returned as the Man of Steel, on the condition that he could help write the story. He came up with a very sensitive theme - nuclear disarmament.

After receiving a letter from a boy wishing that Superman would rid the world of nuclear weapons, Superman decides to put the plan into action, and with the approval of the world leaders, he hurles the missiles into space. Unknown to him is the fact that Lex Luthor planted a device on one of the missiles, with DNA from a strand of Superman's hair. A nuclear creation emerges from the sun, and makes his way to Earth. "Nuclear Man" proves to be Superman's biggest challenge yet. He destroys everything in reach to "have fun," and gives Superman a nuclear beating. Although Superman proves to be a better fighter, Superman is scratched on the back of his neck by Nuclearman's "nuclear nails." Bleeding for the first time in his life (with his powers) Superman becomes "sick" and disappears. He uses the green crystal for the second time (not too original) which returns his powers to him. Suddenly, we see a scene with Nuclearman destroying everything in sight, until Superman will tell him where Lacy Warfield (new publisher of the Daily Planet) is hidden. The scene basically pops out of nowhere, and leaves you staring at the screen with a blank look on your face. Superman pretends that Lacy is in an elevator, shuts the lights off, and hurls it into the moon. Superman forgets to do a double check to see if any cracks are in the elevator, and is attacked by a regenerated Nuclearman. Superman is pummeled into the ground (literally), while Nuclearman flies back to Earth. Nuclearman grabs Lacy, and flies up to space, his reasons unknown. He's a blond, buff, moron - What did you expect? Superman moves the moon (possibly causing tidal waves in the process) to cover up the sun. Nuclearman "shuts down," and Lacy is left struggling to hang on to him, so she doesn't "fall," then Superman comes out of nowhere and brings her back. He takes Nuclearman, and throws him into a nuclear reactor. One would think that this would cause a power surge, but every light in the city turns on, blinding everyone in sight, even though I'm sure many of the buildings didn't have their light switches on.

The budget was cut in half, leaving the special effects group helplessly reusing effects. One of these reused effects seems like a cutout of Superman being pushed towards the camera on a stick (great way of describing it, DVDfile).

The only thing that saves this film is a great story (the nuclear disarmament idea, DEFINITELY not Nuclearman) and some great performances, as usual, by Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman. Margot Kidder appears as well, but doesn't get a whole lot of screen time.

The old wise tale is that there was a screening of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace in Orange County, CA. The viewers didn't like it, so they cut the supposedly 134 minute movie down to a measly 90 minutes. The TV version has 2 extra minutes of footage. It's possible that the extended cut is still out there - many fans have a theory that it was thrown in the fire. I think it may be out there - you never know if that one pimple faced college student had his mini camera handy when he attended the Orange County screening...

The End of an Era... for Christopher Reeve

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 20 September 2006]

In this 4th and final Chritopher Reeve Superman film, Superman tries to rid the world of nuclear weapons, only to find that Lex Luthor is back and ready to supply the world with these dangerous weapons. Oh, and he has a new sidekick: Nuclear Man!

Many people have given this a lower rating (understandably), but a 3 or 4 out of 10? It really is not that bad. The film is fun, fast-paced and very watchable. Some consider it the worst, but I did not find it any better or worse than part 3. Granted, parts 1 and 2 are superior (thanks Richard Donner) but I've seen many worse films than Superman 4.

Random thoughts: The double date scene was clever, but really annoying and completely pointless. If Superman would just reveal himself to Lois Lane he wouldn't have to find other girls on the side... although see below.

The idea of getting rid of nuclear weapons was very nice and a great social and political commentary. I agree getting rid of nuclear weapons would be a good move. But the film made this very unrealistic. The world cheers him on, when in reality the countries would protest. He invades a variety of countries and steals their to secret hidden weapons (not sure on the legality or logistics of that). And what is to stop someone from building these weapons all over again?

What happened to Lana Lang? At the end of part 3, it looked like Superman finally realized that Lois Lane is a loser and hooked up with Lana. But she is never seen or mentioned in part 4, despite working for the Daily Planet (at least as of the last film). What gives?

Does anyone else think Lex Luthor is getting a little tired? Did we really need 3 films with Luthor and one with a Luthor knockoff? What about Brainiac or Bizarro or the Eradicator or just about anyone else? Heck, General Zod is so much cooler than Luthor (with all due respect to Gene Hackman).

There's a scene where he rebuilds the great wall of China just by looking at it. What power did he use? Tractor beams from his nipples?

But anyway, this film is not as bad as many would have you believe, and if you've spent six hours on the first three, you might as well invest 90 more minutes in this series finale.

Crap...but good if you want to laugh at the ineptitude of the film.

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 31 January 2017]

"Superman IV: Quest for Peace" should have been renamed "Superman IV: Quest for a Plot" as the film's script is pure garbage...full of schmaltz, preachiness and so many things that simply are dumb and make little sense. It's also a film that clearly shows the limits of special effects, as even with 1980s technology the film should have looked so much better--especially since it's about the most effects-laden Superman film up to that time.

The story is full of saccharine when the entire planet stops to take notice of some little boy who writes to Superman to request that he bring about world peace! Superman, never wanting to disappoint any child, responds by destroying the world's nuclear stockpile. However, Lex Luthor disguises one of the nuclear missiles as just a garden variety nuclear bomb when really it's infused with some Superman DNA. So, when the missile is tossed into the sun, it naturally produces an evil Krytonian who is bent on killing Superman and working for Luthor. Can our incredibly plastic hero destroy this evil menace AND balance two women...one who is beautiful and loves Clark and another who's an idiot who STILL can't understand that Clark and Superman are the same freaking guy!!

While the story is saccharine and stupid and the special effects quite bad, the film team do manage to also make the acting terrible- -even by Superman standards. The standout in this department is Jon Cryer-- who really can act. But given the bilge the writers (a room full of baboons, I think), he comes off as simply annoying and hateful. The rest, by the way, aren't much better.

So do I recommend this film? Yes and no. No if you want to see a decent film. Yes if you are either using it to torture someone or if you are a glutton for punishment, like me, and occasionally enjoy laughing at Hollywood stars destroying themselves. A little schadenfreude is what's needed to enjoy this picture, that's for sure.

Crashing down to Earth

[Rainfox · 21 November 2001]

* (1 out of 5)

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace

Directed by: Sidney J. Furie, 1987

Perversely bad. With major budget cuts (from $28 to $16m) and story problems, the moviemakers suddenly found themselves cutting corners in all areas. And it shows. Completely lacking in awe, fun and excitement, Superman IV most of all feels like a bad joke.

The fact that it comes across more cartoonish than the previous three is hardly intentional, as everything - from effects to dialogue - just seems oddly rushed and second-rate.

The only highlight is Gene Hackman - who returns in high spirits as Lex Luthor. Christopher Reeve co-scripted this time and he again personifies the Man of Steel. But most of his co-stars are either wasted (Mariel Hemingway) or hysterical (John Cryer).

The new villian, Nuclear Man (as played by Mark Pillow), looks like a Swedish showwrestler in a home-made Halloween suit, complete with mullet hair and horrendous over-acting mannerisms.

Director Sidney J. Furie (the man behind the otherwise taut thriller The Entity) seems unable to create any sparks and Superman IV falls completely flat, head first. Game over.

Note: Certain scenes had to be borrowed from the previous movies, most notably Superman and Lois on their romantic evening flight above the Manhattan skyline. How they even managed to make this scene look worse than in the original is really mind-boggling.

Wrong Idea

[SnoopyStyle · 1/10 · 23 March 2014]

There is a new nuclear arms race underway. Superman is forbidden to interfere with Earth's internal affairs. However a little boy's letter and taunting from the paper's owner David Warfield, Superman decides to make a declaration at the UN to destroy all of the world's nuclear weapons. Lacy Warfield (Mariel Hemingway) is the new woman at the paper who falls for Clark Kent. Meanwhile, nephew Lenny (Jon Cryer) helps spring Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) from prison work detail. Using a strand of Superman's hair, Lex Luthor creates Nuclear Man.

The movie is pretty boring and even more silly than all the others. There are a lot of problems with the ridiculous nature of this movie. Nephew Lenny is annoyingly silly. The premise of the world politics is stupid. The idea that Superman would reveal his identity and kiss it away just to ease his mind seems wrong. The effects may have actually gotten worst. However the biggest mistake is the idea that Superman would get rid of all the nuclear weapons.

During WWII, Superman never really battle the Nazis or the Japanese directly. It was a matter of Superman not be a God like figure to direct and interfere with mankind's wars. If Superman is to act like God, then the reaction from the earth's political and commercial powers have to act more realistically. This movie is too silly and simplistic dealing with world politics. The whole thing is a wrong idea.

No worse than the '60s comic books

[jwpeel-1 · 5/10 · 31 July 2004]

I don't know how many of you followed the comic books in the 1960s as I did, but this was the period when Marvel was getting all the comic book readers that were leaving DC in the dust. That was because the stories got increasingly juvenile and silly, and tried to too hard to be decent and honorable and a teacher of sorts. In other words... boring!

Yet even in this time, the DC comics were simple fun escapism and the artwork of Curt Swan made it palatable to the eye. The same could be said of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. The budget was obviously lower and the platitudes higher (due to Christopher Reeve's need to make a statement about nuclear proliferation) but the film as its moments of excitement, particularly in the scene between Superman and the manufactured super-villain of Lex Luthor, a sort of Sun-Man.

I still prefer it to be second film in the series. That one, at least for me, really bit the big one. That's why I rate it higher than Superman II.

Pillow Goodness

[repo_jake-1 · 3/10 · 4 July 2005]

Superman 4 the quest for peace?? OK the premise had potential - Superman saving the world for Nuclear disaster. If anyone who has read the Graphic Novel 'The Dark Knight Returns', will know that Superman does indeed save the world from nuclear destruction as Batman faces off finally against Joker. So Superman doing this and an escaped Lex Luther trying to make money from re arming the world has merit.

But it is completely wrong! Lex Luther suddenly develops a unique talent for genetic engineering to grow a man from the sun. The films most funny point is its endless use of the same shot of Christopher Reeve superimposed flying towards the screen. When you monitor it, you see how often it comes up you start yelling "use another shot"!

The funniest thing is Nuclear man played by the legendary Mark Pillow! He flies, he growls, he has retractable finger nails and is dubbed with Gene Hackmans voice! He looks like he is wearing a black nappy with bondage gear on! I think the growling is dubbed too. He is supposed to be as hot as the sun (floor melts under him) but when he kidnaps Mariel Hemmingway she doesn't melt in his arms or die from being flown through deep space by Pillow! This was just stupid, she looks down at the Earth from the Moon! What the hell????

The whole film is just stupid, Hackman and Reeve just look bored and thinking of the money they will make! The flying scenes just look pathetic as seen when Superman takes Lois flying! Its soooo bad! The only saving grace is when Superman is clearing up the destruction left behind by Nuclear Man, not bad like the Mount Vesuvius eruption!

Mark Pillow should join the legendary Dan 'The Man' Haggerty as he is so bad he is good! Superman Returns should be a return to form!

Superman 4

[maple_leafs_kickass · 5/10 · 6 July 2006]

I'm not about to solely bash this movie just cause pretty much everyone did upon it's release. Before I say anything good, I'm gonna start with the bad starting with the special effects for the fourth installment of this series which was very poor. When Christopher Reeve lands on the moon you can see the wires suspending him as well as in other scenes, the editing is cheap and many shots you can tell are the same or just look digitized. Also lets not forget when Mariel Hemingway is brought into space she dosen't die. Ya it's bad quality and is definitely the poorest film of the 4. But I have to say,the story wasn't that bad though a bit corny. Superman clearing the world of nuclear weapons and Lex Luthor creating a being named Nuclear Man to kill the Man of Steel. The concept of Nuclear Man was pretty cool but he could have been portrayed a lot better instead of....well an idiot, especially since he was created from Superman's DNA. It was entertaining when Superman and him duke it out across the world with Superman repairing the world as Nuclear Man destroys it (ignoring the fact that it was daytime in America, China and Russia at the same time another error thanks to the poor production) and of course the battle on the moon. It was a good storyline turned into a not so good movie. We all know it could have been much much better but thanks to the cheap production of Golan/Globus this is all we got. Nevertheless I still appreciate this picture despite it's craftsmanship and have always enjoyed my multiple viewings of it.

Sad note for the Man of Steel to go out on...

[jo007r · 5/10 · 21 August 2000]

The final adventure of Superman is by far his worst. Granted Superman III isn't much better, but at least it was not as contrived as this one.

First of all, let's look at the good parts of this movie, it is a short list. Christopher Reeve came up with an excellent story for this film and it reflected the times that the world was facing. Riding the world of nuclear weapons was a good start, a nice foundation to build on; unfortunately there was not enough money to finish the film and it was released unfinished.

The other nice things about this film are the return of Lex Luthor,and the return to seriousness in the film series. One can only wonder how this movie would have turned out had all the necessary funding been there.

The special effects are just plain horrible, and the audience winces as Superman makes his 'dramatic entrance' by saving a space capsule from spinning into the Earth's atmosphere and rescuing a man falling into space. Everytime Reeve is in flight, the animated Superman is obvious to everyone, and it is sad to see this; for the audience no longer believes a man can fly, but that a cartoon can instead.

So many scenes are deleted from this movie that it is confusing to understand just how certain key elements of the film are executed, or worse yet, why!

The only scene which holds interest for a little while is the climatic battle between Superman and Nuclear Man, at best the scene gets a mediocre.

So far this has been the final entry of the Superman series, and although the film is exceptionally weak. Christopher Reeve once again sparkles as the Man of Steel. He always gave an excellent performance as Superman even when the movies where sub-par, and that speaks plenty.

At least the ending to this movie is done well with Superman flying out of the Earth and smiling at us as he flies off into space, protecting the world; that alone will always inspire some kind of hope to people.

A Mediocre Sequel

[superboy478 · 5/10 · 27 February 2002]

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is a good movie, but it was a failure in my opinion. It was great seeing the Superman cast back together again, including Gene Hackman who we haven't seen since Superman II. This time, Alexander and Ilya Salkind were not producing the movie. Instead, Menaham Golan and Yoram Globus, the owners of Cannon films, were producing. If you ask me, the Salkinds knew how to make a Superman movie better than those two.

In Superman IV, Superman hears the threat of Nuclear War over and over, and so he decides that he will rid the world of every nuclear weapon known to man. At the same time, Lex Luthor has broken out of jail again and this time, his sidekick is his dorky nephew Lenny. The two criminals create a device that they put on one of the nuclear weapons and that ends up creating Nuclear Man. Nuclear Man has the same powers as Superman but, the only difference is that Nuclear Man gets his power from the sun.

While all of this is going on, The Dailey Planet is being controlled by a tycoon and his daughter who has her eye on Clark Kent.

So Superman has a big job here: SAVE THE WORLD FROM NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION!

I'm going to say that, anyone who has seen the first three Superman films, then just go ahead and see IV because it would be a shame to not see the film that is last in the series. But, in my opinion, I didn't like it much. I think Alexander & Ilya Salkind would've made a hell of a last movie.

Not *That* Bad

[lee-p-sherman · 5/10 · 8 April 2010]

I saw this movie when I was about 11 and liked it. Later I learned of all the scorn heaped upon it, and figured it was one of those shabby films that only seems entertaining when you're not old enough to scrutinize it in the least (e.g. the "Ninja Turtles" live-action movies). But I rented it today for curiosity's sake, and I still like it. I honestly don't understand why it's gone down in history as one of the worst films ever made. If any of them deserve scorn, it's "Superman III." But that's a different review for a different day.

I'm not going to claim this is a great film. It does have problems. Except for a few nicely-constructed models (particularly the Russian space station), the special effects are bargain basement. It doesn't have as many nice character moments as the first movies or "Superman Returns." The plot doesn't flow naturally. The green crystal is an unsatisfying Deus ex machina (and really confusing in light of the first movie, although I think we're supposed to believe this is a separate crystal piece of the spaceship that we didn't see before – maybe they should've made it purple to avoid confusion). A number of things come up only to be dropped. And, perhaps most unfortunately, the real issues of the Cold War and nuclear disarmament aren't fully explored. But "Superman IV" is not a bad piece of entertainment, and it's refreshing to see a movie that depicts the world as a place where people can rise above all the hatred and evil and forge a better future.

I could criticize this movie for being scientific nonsense, but the "Superman" movies have always been closer to fantasy than science fiction, and this isn't really any worse than the others. We have Superman talking in the vacuum of space and being heard by astronauts, but that happened in "II" with Ursa. And a lot has been made about how he telekinetically moves things in this movie by looking at them, but Zod did the same thing in "II" and that didn't seem to bother anyone. Him ringing the doorbell from the balcony to appear as Clark Kent once Lois turns her head is stretching credibility, and the part where Lacy is taken into space is stupid, but little things like that aren't what ruin a film in a series where heavy suspension of disbelief is par for the course. Lastly, none of the "plot holes" are that serious, and most of them are just a byproduct of the (admittedly clumsy) editing job done to improve the film's pacing and remove a braindead subplot.

Now I'll focus on the positive things. The part where Clark playfully reveals himself as Superman to Lois, consults her for advice, then reinstates the mental block, is great. It was pretty much the only thing I remembered from watching the movie as a kid, and there's a reason. It's beautiful, funny, and provides insight into the Man of Steel's mind. The subplot with Lacy and her father is good for some laughs. The humor and drama are in a ratio that I consider good, as in "Superman Returns" and the Donner Cut of "Superman II." Probably the biggest highlight is Lex Luthor. He may have natural hair for no apparent reason, but he's the same magnificent bastard he was in the two "Superman" films I love. The lines written for him and Gene Hackman's performance are both top notch. And, while I'm on the subject, Christopher Reeve does a great job too, although there isn't a whole lot to his role in this film (excepting the scene described above). On the minus side, Margot Kidder phones it in, and the rest of the supporting cast is so-so. Jon Cryer is wasted as Lex Luthor's teenage nephew.

There is one thing that really annoys me about "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," mainly because it baffles the hell out of me. Holograms of Kryptonian elders appear to Kal-El in the Fortress of Solitude, and none of them are the same elders who appeared in the first two movies. Makes sense, couldn't get the actors, y'know. Except John Hollis, who played one of the Kryptonian elders in those movies, is in this movie in a totally different role (Soviet general). I mean, seriously, what's up with that? The bottom line: This isn't a bad movie. I don't know if I'd recommend buying it, but you should rent it if you like "Superman," or if you want to show the kids something fun that isn't violent or obscene. It's a pleasant, optimistic, fairly engaging action-fantasy story, and it has lots to offer those who look to the '80s with nostalgia. And be sure to watch the deleted scenes, because one is better than anything in the feature. It's a clever bit of political commentary that depicts the Cold War arms race as an '80s arcade game, with all the quarters going to Lex Luthor and his fellow war profiteers.

"The film that killed Superman"? Give me a break

[RiffRaffMcKinley · 8/10 · 5 May 2007]

I cannot stand public opinion about the fourth and final Christopher Reeve "Superman" outing. "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace", while not the best of the entire series, is better than "Superman III" and better than Richard Lester's cartoonish "Superman II" (in which Lois Lane actually says, "I'm going to change into something more comfortable").

First of all, people have claimed that "IV" is the most physically ridiculous of all four. This is not true. Yes, for a human to fly in space, they would have to survive being burned up leaving Earth's atmosphere, then survive the vacuum of space (in other words, two people would have been dead by the end of the movie). However, let's revisit the 1978 original, in which the Man of Steel flies around the world, making it spin backwards, which also makes time reverse. If that really happened, every living thing and object on the planet's face would be flung off into the cold depths of space.

I won't linger on this anymore. Yes, "The Quest for Peace" has unbearable dialogue (in places), but it's classic Superman-- the cheese, the cheap effects, and the general cartoon feel. Plus, it does have Jon Cryer, in what is oddly his best performance of all time (you'd better believe it), and a solid message people still need to think about. In other words, come to believe a man can fly, stay for the inherent message of the movie: we would have to be very stupid to nuke our own planet.

Not A Very Memorable Ending To The Reeve-Superman Series

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 2 February 2007]

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.

Being thrown directly into the Sun would be less painful than watching this movie

[Ruskington · 1/10 · 13 April 2020]

The only way I can psychologically process the experience of watching this film is to assume it is an intentional comedy designed to subversively mock the superhero genre. Otherwise, I would have to rank it as one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

Superman III was an unmitigated disaster but still had some decent moments. It's successor, however, is completely and utterly irredeemable. The storyline is recycled and lethargic, and you can feel the lack of interest from the cast. Even at just 90 minutes long, the film is painfully slow-moving and feels like its never going to end.

The coup de grace of Superman IV is the introduction of Nuclear Man, who is, by some distance, the single worst villain I have ever seen in a movie. I simply don't have words to describe how awful this character is. Mark Pillow is either a comic genius or literally the worst actor of all-time.

Christopher Reeve is a wonderful actor and one of my personal heroes. His book 'Still Me' is one of the most powerful things I have ever read and I have given copies to almost everyone I know. It pains me deeply to award one of his films the dreaded 1/10 but I have no choice. This movie is truly horrific and a blight on the reputation of everyone involved.