Rating:  -
I found Superman IV an improvement over Superman III. In 3, it's pretty much about Pryor's character than Reeve (don't get me wrong though, he did a great job). But the character just punches a few buttons when he's training and voila! He finds a hidden talent. That's not normal, you either know you have it or you don't. I found Superman's Great Wall of China Vision more believable. The one thing that should've been apart of the story is the paranoia of a god-like character being pretty much in control of the world. A being takes and destroys all of our nuclear weapons and nobody questions his authority? I don't think so. If they had went in that direction, along with Luthor introducing Nuclear Man, I think it would've made a better story. This way, Superman would have to regain the public's opinion of him, sort of like the series finale of the 90s animated series.
Rating:  -
I think the most frustrating thing about this movie is that it could have been so much better. If you look at the movie in the context of the time in which it was created, late 80's when their really was a nuclear arms race, this movie could have really done a lot to help children understand the desperate need to handle this nuclear problem. Instead all Writers for this movie could come up with was, "lets have every country that has nuclear weapons shoot them into the air so Superman can get them and throw them into the sun."
As usual I did like the cast which is what saved the movie from 1 star. Gene Hackman was great as Luthor, Christopher REeve is Superman! I love his portrayal of Clark. Mariel Hemingway makes a great female lead in this movie. I wish that she had been cast Lois instead of Kidder.
Unless you just have to complete the Superman series in your collection I would leave this Superman alone.
Rating:  -
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.
Rating: -
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).
Rating: -
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.
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