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.
Rating:  -
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.
Rating: -
'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.
Rating:  -
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.
Rating: -
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.
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