Customer Reviews
Mariel Hemming way can breathe in space 
2008-02-20
Ok, where do I begin.
The story is weak and stupid. The villian is laughably ridiculous.
You could feel the budget cut is was that bad.
The fight on the moon scene, black curtains where used. Wires sticking out to make hero and villian fly exposed.
Superman rebiulds the wall of China with his eyes, just simple camera work for budget costs.
My fav part, nuclear man takes Mariel Hemmingway's character into space.
Yup, past the thin air, the intensly hot atmosphere and she is ok.
I don't mind good "bad" movies, but this is just BAD bad.
Not even worth watching for free.
Avoid this clunker.
Just when you thought they couldn't make a film worse than Superman III 2007-12-12
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is directed by Sidney J. Furie. The film stars Christopher Reeve and co-stars Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, Mariel Hemingway, and Jon Cryer. The musical score is composed by Alexander Courage, and uses themes composed by John Williams.
With the help of his nephew, Lex Luthor has once again escaped prison. This time around, he has stolen a strand of Superman's hair from a museum, and conceived a scheme to use it with a nuclear reaction in order to create a clone of sorts, that can do battle with the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Superman has embarked on a quest for peace - ridding the world of its nuclear arms. It isn't long before he comes face to face with Luthor's new monstrosity. The twosome engage in a duel covering the four corners of the Earth - and beyond.
After Superman III, I was telling myself things could only get better for this franchise. Nothing else could be as bad as that horrid installment in the series.
Well, believe it. Superman IV is even worse!
The plot is cheesy. The villain over-the-top and stereotypical. The production terrible. The pacing no better. The progression and conclusion predictable. Even plot holes get thrown into the mix. Do I really even have to say anything more? With the end result here being so horrid, it's no surprise that another live-action theatrical Superman movie wasn't released for nearly two decades after.
As far as the cast and characters go, it's the same old story. Christopher Reeve makes a terrific Superman.... But even he can't save this heap. I was glad to see Lois Lane get some more screen time after being cast aside in the previous film.... But she can't save it either. Lex Luthor didn't need to be brought back, and his nephew is an over-the-top eighties stereotype who is one of several things that has prevented this film from aging well. Same old story here.
First, let's look at the plot. Superman tries to make peace on Earth by disposing of all of its nuclear weapons. Lex Luthor makes a nuclear-powered clone of Superman. And the twosome engage in a predictable duel. The whole "evil twin" thing had been done to death - even Superman III had a variant on this! Predictability of the plot doesn't help things, either. Lex Luthor mentions Nuclear Man's weakness to his nephew.... So we inevitably know that Superman is going to incorporate this into his victory strategy. Could this movie BE any more by-the-book and cliched!?
Even though this was the fourth and final film in the Christopher Reeve Superman quadrilogy, the production here was actually INFERIOR to the original 1978 Superman! This is most evident in the battle between Superman and his newfound nemesis. Wires can be seen suspending the characters in numerous scenes, and the black background on the moon is an obvious curtain you can even see the wrinkles in! You'd think with time the production would improve.
Plot holes don't hesitate to rear their ugly head here, either. Where's Clark's girlfriend from the previous movie? Why is the Fortress of Solitude in this movie if it's been destroyed? How can How can Superman talk in space, and helmeted, pressurized astronauts can hear him? I'm gonna stop now, but I could go on for hours with these plot holes.
Pacing is horrid the for Superman's fourth outing. The previous films all had plenty of action scenes along their two-hour-plus run times. This time around, the movie just drags on and on for its first hour. There is only one major action scene (an extended one, no less,) and it doesn't even begin until over an hour of the movie is over. That first hour is pretty much pointless, and we have to spend it with characters we don't even care about or bond with - apart from Lois Lane, and even the usefulness of her role has diminished from the first two movies. The filmmakers must have learned something from the overlong nature of Superman III and made the fourth installment only ninety minutes. And yet, I STILL felt like this film was too long!
In the end Superman IV is a truly terrible film. It's a shame that the Christopher Reeve Superman series, which started off with such promise and two great films, became a parody of itself practically overnight. There are no redeeming qualities here. Just a ninety-minute joke of a movie that will have you laughing for all the wrong reasons. Thumbs WAY down on this one.
Thumbs down
The end of an era 
2007-11-04
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was the end of an era this was the last time Christopher Reeve would play the title role and after this Superman would be long gone movie wise until Superman Returns. I know a lot of people were disappointed by Superman III and I totally understand why, but even with the flaws I have to say I really enjoyed the movie. The Quest for Peace was the movie to get the series back on track.
But instead of fixing the series it just further buried it and was the end of an era. The idea behind Superman IV was very political, which might turn some people off. I don't mind a political message in film, but when it's too much agree or not it can be annoying. I personally didn't mind the highly driven political story and the plot to Superman IV, while not the greatest plot it was good enough, but everything was poorly done. I'm a fan of Cannon Pictures, but here they just went over their heads.
The F/X was quite weak, which were in thanks to the budget cuts. Superman & Superman II (both Donner & Lester) had great F/X for their time and while of course they are now dated a lot of the F/X still looks fairly decent today. Superman III was mixed on that but in the end the F/X were pretty good, but Superman IV by far had the weakest F/X. Superman IV had mostly poor F/X while there are some decent ones as a whole it cannot compare to the first 2 and even the 3rd. But the budget for Superman IV was cut in half, so due to that is the reason why the F/X came out the way they did.
The screenplay by Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal, which was based off a story by both of them as well as Christopher Reeve, was very flawed. The concept was pretty good, but the execution of the screenplay just didn't seem to work. Konner & Rosenthal do a good job at keeping the characters true to the previous 3, but many of their scenes just don't seem to work quite well and their script while not the worst just falls a bit flat.
Sidney J. Furie steps into the director's chair for Superman IV and as a director he left a lot to be desired. Originally the producers tried to get back Richard Donner or Richard Lester but both ended up passing. Despite some flaws in the screenplay, Sidney J. Furie could have saved Superman IV, but instead he just helps make a little more of a mess. The comedy aspect is very much toned down. Richard Lester went for comedy in his version of Superman II and went for it even more in Superman III.
Furie goes back and does it more Richard Donner style, with some comedy, but not to where it goes from an action flick to a comedy. As much as I enjoyed both of the Lester Superman movies I am glad Furie toned down the comedy. But besides that his vision of Superman just doesn't seem to work. His scenes just pretty much fall flat. The one thing I can say is despite the flaws of Superman IV there is enough action to keep the movie from being boring. Sidney J. Furie doesn't totally fail as a director he does have his moments, but when all is said and done his scenes just don't work for the most part.
The double date scene could have been a classic, but was poorly handled. The scene had Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield on a date with Clark Kent, while Lois Lane had a date with Superman. All 4 were to be at Lacy's house for dinner. While the scene does provide a few laughs it really isn't played out to its full potential, which actually is the problem for the whole movie.
What saves this movie and keeps it some what interesting is the cast. Christopher Reeve is still giving it his all as Clark Kent/Superman. He gives yet another brilliant performance. No matter who played the role before and no matter who plays it after Christopher Reeve will always be Superman to me. Margot Kidder makes her return to the series after only appearing in about 5-min of Superman III. Kidder again gives a solid performance and while her scenes work quite well with Reeve the idea is starting to get old. But both actors make it work for the most part even if the Clark/Lois plot is growing quite stale.
It was fun seeing Gene Hackman back as Lex Luthor, the previous movie he wasn't in, but the villain in Superman III was a Luthor clone. Hackman again in a blast to watch; despite not having the most solid of material he plays it off well.
Mariel Hemingway was a solid addition to the cast, but what I hated is there is some focus on Lacy and Clark and the possible relationship goes nowhere. Superman III suffered from the same problem with Lana & Clark. It was built up in the first half just for it to go nowhere and Lana to be pretty much MIA in the 2nd half. Lacy doesn't totally disappear, but the possible romance between Lacy & Clark goes nowhere. In fairness Clark didn't seem all that interested, but everything just ends with no closure, there was a deleted scene, which wraps the plot up. Though I don't understand why it wasn't used?
Jon Cryer was just annoying in Superman IV, while I'm not the biggest fan of his he has done some solid work and can be quite funny, but here I just wanted to strangle him. Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man made for a fairly decent villain, but the character never seems to totally work and is quite forgettable.
I personally don't think Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is as bad as some of the reviews are making it out to be. It is indeed a big drop off from the previous 3, the first 2 in particular. Superman IV does sort of walk the line of so bad its good. With all that said while Superman IV is a very flawed film with some decent ideas that just don't seem to work, but I kind of enjoyed it for what it was worth.
Superman IV is by far the weakest of the Superman series with Christopher Reeve, but I still enjoyed it more than Superman Returns. Again it is a big drop off from the previous movies in the series, but when all is said and done Superman IV does make for an entertaining watch. I guess it can be put in the guilty pleasure category.
The Worst Sequel But Still Enjoyable 2007-09-10
With cheesy dialogue, illogical scenes, annoying characters, and story plot holes-it is easy to see why this movie is considered to be the worst of all the movies. With that said; I still liked the idea of the movie and thought that Nuclear Man was a cool character. Now, more than ever, we would like Superman to be real to end Earth's problems.
This movie is just full of flaws. Many times in the film, you can see the strings attached to Reeve making him fly. Other scenes you can tell are made on a set, such as the black curtains used to look like outer space on the moon. There are also scenes that don't make sense, Lois actually flies by herself and normal humans brought into space with no suit are able to breathe! Another thing wrong with the movie is the fact the story doesn't flow smoothly. Things happen without explanation. Lenny Luthor, Lex's nephew, is more annoying than Otis!! He is nothing more than an idiot stereotyped teen from the 80s that adds nothing to the story.
So there are a lot of reasons to not like the movie, but I can't help it, I like the movie. Like I said, Nuclear Man just made the movie for me. The entire film was very comic book like and reminded me of a story I could easily read in the comics. No, this film is no where near as good as the others, but once again- I like it.
SUPERMAN IV 
2007-07-15
Good Movie , But Not As Good As 1 And 2 , Still Christopher Reeve Became Superman To A Whole New Generation Of Kids , And The Man Was A Fine And Very Talented Actor , God Rest His Soul , He Made A Whole New Generation , " LOOK!, UP THERE IN THE SKY !! IT's SUPERMAN!!!.....
Enough already. . . 2008-07-17
SUPERMAN 4, THE QUEST FOR PEACE wasn't a bad idea. Chris Reeve really wanted to make a statement about nuclear weapons. Problem is, he literally stands there and makes his statement. Now, where do we go from here?
Nowhere.
Okay, Gene Hackman is back as Lex Luthor. Now, he just wants to sell lotsa weapons to anyone who will pay. Oh, yes: he also creates a clone (Eighties buzzword alert!) of Superman's DNA who buzzes and sparks a lot, and is called Nuclear Man (or new-kyoo-ler man, as Hackman pronounces it). New-kyoo-ler Man and Superman fight. Big whoop.
The Salkinds did not produce this fourth go-round. Quickie producers Golan-Globus' Cannon Group put this one before the cameras (DELTA FORCE, DEATH WISH 3, ENTER THE NINJA, ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD. . .you get the picture). As with SUPERMAN 3, a tiny budget was ONE of many problems (they use the same exact tough-guy Supe Flying At The Camera shot over and over and over again!), along with script, color matches, SEVERE editing which made what script there was incomprehensible, and so on.
To his credit, Chris Reeve does give Superman his best, which is more than this movie deserves. He is always worth watching. Margot Kidder, Marc McClure and Jackie Cooper are also back, and do what they can with their roles. Cooper does get a nice bit at the end.
On the Deluxe DVD, the film is letterboxed in 2:35 to 1, with a decent transfer of picture and sound. Also included are the original theatrical trailer, outtakes, trimmed material (including an early version of Nuclear Man played for laughs), and commentary by co-screenwriter Mark Rosenthal.
SUPERMAN 4 is merely okay. If you are a completist, add it to your library. If not, rent it first.
The Super That Clearly Wasn't 
2008-05-06
I can tell that the filmmakers were trying to correct some of the biggest weaknesses of the last outing--and I can't really blame them--but in doing so, they overlooked what made the first two movies so great, while trying to focus on what they thought had ruined the third one.
* For instance, the third one suffers from a lack of Lex. Introducing a billionaire Luthor wannabe just doesn't cut it. So they brought back the domed one himself.
* Additionally, there is not much sense that there is really much at stake in the third one. Sure, Webster was trying to control the worlds oil, but ... that's about it. Here, Superman takes on the threat of nuclear holocaust. That's a global problem if ever there was one.
* Then there's the fact that fans want to see Lois and Superman together and Lois had less than five minutes air time total in the third movie. Well, she's back now.
* And fighting a computer at the climax of the movie is not nearly as thrilling as reversing time or kicking the trash out of the Zod Squad. Here we get a super clone (sort of) of the man of steel himself.
And now the problems that they overlooked:
* The special effects plain suck. I know that good effects do not a good movie make, but they are very essential to this franchise. The main advertising for the first one was the line "You will believe a man can fly." If you can't actually believe that Superman is flying, you can't get pulled into the movie and lose yourself to it. Every bad effect just pulls you out of the movie and sets you back down in your seat, watching a sub-par superhero movie.
* The super clone couldn't act his way out of an open doorway. This is a far cry from Terrence Stamp who can effectively play both Zod (movie II) and Jor El (Smallville). Stamp is just such an imposing presence whenever he is on screen, but Mark Pillow, this former Chippendale's Dancer (it's right there on IMDB) can barely keep our interest, even at his evilest.
Of course there are many more things that could be brought up, but those are the biggest ones. Fortunately, this one is kept short at just 90 minutes (making it the only one that actually comes in under two hours).
Good idea, disappointing results 2008-04-20
Christopher Reeve's final appearance as The Man of Steel SHOULD have been a great way to close the Superman franchise. Reeve agreed to return to the role one last time, provided he could use his story idea about the controversy of nuclear disarmament. So, there was every good intention to make a terrific movie. But then, you know what they say: Good intentions do not necessarily make a good picture.
Its faults are biggies: 1. Cheesy special effects. 2. Gaping holes in logic from the script. 3. A corny villain. The original Superman film was a marvel in technical achievements compared to this shoddy sequel. Its cheapness (reportedly, a budget cut was made during production) is never so apparent than here. Bad back-screen projections, visible wires and god-awful flying scenes (a toy figure streaking through the skies??) succeed in undermining the film's integrity. And really...tiny figures bench-pressing the Statue of Liberty? Not amazing, just laughable!
On top of this, scientific logic is thrown out the window as: Mariel Hemingway seems to be able to breathe in the cold vacuum of space; the moon shifts from night to day; Superman succeeds in "corking" an active volcano; and Lex Luthor (how did Gene Hackman, great actor that he is, get roped into doing this film??) escapes---in broad daylight!---in a slow-moving vehicle, making it easy for Superman to catch him...and he's supposed to be a criminal genius?? And Nuclear Man is a one-joke idea; a grimacing, growling neanderthal (with bad 80's hair, no doubt) created to antagonize Supes. Luthor's correct when he comments: "Not one of your great thinkers!" I say: Bring back the criminals from Krypton, they were much more fun!
What saves this film from being a total disaster is the amusing Clark Kent moments, as well as the subplots: Clark doing a farcical quick-change routine with Lois Lane (the always-wonderful Margot Kidder) and Lacey Warfield (Hemingway),including his poignant scenes re-visiting the Kent farm; Jackie Cooper delivering a great send-off performance as irascible Perry White, buying out owner Warfield (Sam Wannamaker) and saving the Daily Planet from becoming a tawdry, irresponsible tabloid mag; cultural 80's references to "fad" gyms, corporate greed and, of course, the problem of the arms race as Supes faces a great moral dilemma.
It's a shame that "The Quest for Peace" wasn't better; Reeve and the entire cast deserved a more dignified send-off than this.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (A Noble Failure) 2008-04-07
After more than two decades, yes, it is still all too easy to pick apart this dreadful movie featuring Christopher Reeve's final appearance as the legendary Man of Steel.
However, I recently thought the special edition version was at least worthy of a cheap DVD rental, so my two-year old son could witness the real "Superman," Christopher Reeve, in action regardless of the film's shoddy editing and dismal special effects. While my little boy was fascinated at seeing a living, breathing Superman before him, I, too, became fascinated (albeit, for a different reason).
While watching the film, I developed a more insightful appreciation for what the late Christopher Reeve truly intended this movie to be, and he certainly deserves credit for some noble aspirations. Here's the premise once more: an initially reluctant Superman (Reeve) is inspired by a young boy to end the nuclear arms race once and for all; meanwhile, old nemesis Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) conjures up his own nuclear-powered super-villain (Mark Pillow). The end result is, of course, predictable, as Superman discovers why no single person (not even Superman) is ultimately up to the task, when only the human race can bring itself lasting peace.
Although this movie originated as Christopher Reeve's bargaining chip for a more substantive, gritty drama he starred in entitled "Street Smart," it appears, from viewing his earnest performance here, that he clearly gave "Superman IV" his best effort, even though he no doubt suspected it would be the franchise's last gasp. Still, when compared to the FX-driven mega-movies of today's generation, can any of them legitimately claim they have something positive to say about making a difference in the world? Since we know what the answer unfortunately is, Reeve's truly admirable legacy as Superman will indeed stand up for generations to come. "Superman IV," despite its laundry list of flaws, is proof positive of why his interpretation of the Man of Steel still matters.
If it had been gifted with a hefty budget equal to that of the first two "Superman" films, this fourth installment could have been a worthy addition to the franchise. However, the deficient budget isn't the only reason why this movie failed. Director Sidney J. Furie, despite some solid credentials at the time, had been reduced to making schlock movies by the mid-1980's (i.e. 1986's "Iron Eagle") and it clearly shows here. Since Richard Donner wasn't available, I can only imagine what other capable directors like Irvin ("The Empire Strikes Back") Kershner, Nicholas ("Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan") Meyer, or Lawrence ("Wyatt Earp") Kasdan could have done in reshaping the script and enhancing the actors' performances to a comparable level of the first two films.
Speaking of the actors, the original film's supporting ensemble of Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor), Margot Kidder (as Lois Lane), Marc McClure (as Jimmy Olsen), and Jackie Cooper (as Perry White) all return with decent efforts, though Kidder and McClure clearly appeared too old by this point to effectively portray their characters. Newcomers Jon Cryer (as Lenny), Mariel Hemingway (as Lacy), Sam Wanamaker (as Mr. Warfield), and Mark Pillow (as Nuclear Man) are hardly noteworthy, but again, a more inspired director could have made a difference with them. Also, reliable Ned Beatty (as bumbling Otis) is sorely missed from this installment.
As for the DVD's special features, there are the following: a series of mostly unfinished deleted scenes, screenwriter Mark Rosenthal's insightful commentary, cast filmographies, and the obligatory trailer. Of the deleted scenes, the extended, unfinished sequence of Superman taking Lois on a flight across the country, which includes Lois "flying" on her own, is a nostalgic wink back at the original film's exuberant romanticism.
In today's world, "Superman IV" wouldn't have qualified as a theatrical release, but rather as a forgettable Sci-Fi Channel original movie. Still, at least this movie aspired to be far more than its end result. Fans of Christopher Reeve's timeless portrayal of the Man of Steel should fondly remember "The Quest for Peace," more for what it could have been and for what Mr. Reeve deserved it to be.
My Grade: a strong 2/5. All factors considered, including Christopher Reeve's heartfelt sincerity, I am being realistic here. However, let me put this way: try sitting through 2006's "Highlander: The Source," and you will see why "Superman IV" is an Oscar contender by comparison.
SILLY, SHODDY AND UNNECESSARY! 1 3/4 STARS! 2008-04-02
'SUPERMAN IV THE QUEST FOR PEACE' is entertaining on a pure camp level. The film is bad, the FX run from good to laughable(flying wires clearly visible)and some truly stupid decisions. I don't know what they paid Hackman to be in this unnecessary retread, but I hope he had fun spending the money. Everything in this film has a "been there done that" feel to it. The film is the shortest one in the series by at least 30 minutes but, I found myself dozing off a few time only to awaken with Mariel Hemingway breathing in outer space! LOL! It's sort of fun to watch if you know what to expect. I have heard there is a longer version.......I hope not! ....and I hope Spider-Man 4 doesn't come out this bad! I rated it 1 3/4 stars for a good laugh.
