Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Plot synopsis:
The film begins at a Russian space station where a cosmonaut is working outside, singing Frank Sinatra songs in Russian. A piece of space debris flies into the space station, spinning it out of control and sending the cosmonaut into deep space. The Russians are saved however, when Superman (Christopher Reeve) flies to the rescue, first putting the space station back into it's orbit and then rescuing the cosmonaut.In Smallville, Superman aka. Clark Kent returns to the old Kent farm which is being put up for sale. In the barn, Clark listens to a message from his Kryptonian mother (Susannah York) which explains that the green crystal he holds is the very last source of Kryptonian energy and that he should use it wisely. At that point, a car arrives at the farm and Clark puts the crystal in his pocket.A realtor named Hornsby (Don Fellows) greets Clark with the news that a big company wishes to buy the land unseen, much to Clark's dismay. Refusing to sell to anyone uninterested in the farm itself, Clark then returns to Metropolis. On the subway, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) is practicing her French for an upcoming trip. Clark, just behind, misses the train and waits on the platform. The train driver suffers an apparent heart attack and causes the vehicle to pick up speed, hurtling past the next station. Clark hears the panic from the train and steps into a nearby phone booth, where he changes into Superman. Superman then flies past the train and gets ahead of it, stepping on the tracks to stop the train's power. While the emergency team attend to the driver, Superman informs the public that the subway is still the safest and most reliable form of transport and then flies away.At the Daily Planet, Clark arrives to discover that a media mogul named David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) and his daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemmingway) are to take over the newspaper, with plans to turn it into a sleazy tabloid. Clark's outspoken opinions on delivering the truth is noticed by Lacy who develops a liking for him. Meanwhile, Lois' trip is cancelled and editor Perry White (Jackie Cooper) heads off to the bank to try and get funds to buy back his newspaper.Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is broken out of jail yet again, this time by his young nephew Lenny (Jon Cryer) who Lex refers to as 'the dutch elm disease' of his family tree. His first plan on breaking out of prison is to destroy Superman and his first port of call is the museum where a strand of Superman's hair supports a massive ball of steel. After the museum closes, Lex steals the strand of hair.Elsewhere, peace talks break down between the world's superpowers and the U.S. President (Robert Beatty) appears on TV to say that America 'strive to become second to none in the nuclear arms race'. A school boy named Jeremy (Damien McLawhorn) writes a letter to Superman, asking him do something about the crisis, and sends it to the Daily Planet.Superman is moved by the letter but cannot intervene in global politics and when he seeks guidance from the Kryptonian elders (at the Fortress of Solitude), they encourage him to move on to another planet where war is forgotten. But Superman decides that Earth is his home and addresses the UN, with the world's press in attendance. He proposes to do what no one else can, or will, which is to 'rid the world of all nuclear weapons'. Following a tremendous applause, the superpowers all begin to launch their missiles into space where Superman collects them in a gigantic net. The net is sent flying into the sun by Superman, destroying the missiles safely.At Lex Luthor's penthouse, a trio of arms dealers hear Luthor's plan to make a fortune re-arming the world and to get rid of Superman, which involves creating a clone with the same deadly powers. Using protoplasm grown from Superman's hair strand, Lex infiltrates a missile compound and attaches the protoplasm to the last remaining missile to be launched. Superman again catches the missile and throws it into the sun.Immediately, a lifeform emerges from the fiery star and grows rapidly into a full grown man. Crackling with power, the 'Nuclear Man' (Mark Pillow) flies to Metropolis. Lex is impressed, not by Nuclear Man's power, but his own intelligence. Nuclear Man, however, has one major flaw - his power is drawn from the sun, and when he is not in direct sunlight he becomes incapacitated.Meanwhile, at Lacy's apartment, Clark and Lois attend a double-date with Clark having to be both himself (who Lacy is attracted to) and Superman (who Lois still has feelings for). The dinner is interrupted when Lex transmits a supersonic message to Superman, leading him to his penthouse. Just after arriving, Superman is confronted by his new enemy, Nuclear Man. The pair become locked in battle, as Nuclear Man leads his enemy around the world, setting off a volcano in Italy and destroying the Great Wall of China. Finally, Nuclear Man takes the Statue of Liberty and drops it over Metropolis. Superman catches it just in time, but leaves him vulnerable to Nuclear Man who scratches him with his radioactive nails.Superman, severely injured, manages to replace the Statue of Liberty but is kicked into sky, with only his cape left flapping in the wind. Presumed dead by everyone except Lois, Superman/Clark appears to be suffering some sort of rapid ageing and takes the green crystal that he pocketed earlier. With Superman out of the action, Lex begins raking in the money from his arms deals while Nuclear Man becomes obsessed with Lacy Warfield after seeing her picture.On the streets of Metropolis, Nuclear Man wreaks havoc searching for Lacy. Through the smoke emerges a fully recovered Superman who lures him into an elevator and manages to cut off the sunlight, causing Nuclear Man to shut down. The Man of Steel flies the elevator into space and dumps it on the moon's surface. But a crack in the door allows Nuclear Man to catch the sun's rays, starting a fight on the lunar surface. During the battle, Superman is buried in the ground while Nuclear Man finds Lacy at the Daily Planet and flies her out towards deep space. Superman climbs out of the ground and manages to save Lacy by causing an eclipse, allowing him to then deal with Nuclear Man by dropping him into a nuclear reactor.Back at the Daily Planet, Perry White has managed to secure funds at the bank and buys back control of the newspaper. Superman takes Lenny Luthor to a boys' home and his uncle back to prison, where the film ends.

Tags: good versus evil, violence

Review:
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).
The truly horrific nature of this films effect sequences can be seen during the climactic battles between Superman and Nuclear Man. The added addition of new powers with bad special effects doesn't help either.The other major problem is the pacing of the film.
The Courage adaptation never fails to use the Williams music to maximum effect and it's a shame that, at Courage's own request, it has yet to see release.Despite its flaws in special effects and editing, Superman IV has saving graces in Christopher Reeves, the rest of the cast, the music, and the timely nature of the story.
come on people what's wrong with it, I there's a lot of problems with this movie but if you don't take it seriously I think you will like it like I did, I admit the effects were terrible, the same shots used over and over again, fighting scenes meh and a bad villain and retarded scenes, and last but not least no logic is in this movie.but just remember the budget used when they were making this, there was a good message and it was well presented still I enjoyed it, all those problems make it what it is a fun movie to watch, and I would recommend it if you like funny failed movies such as batman and robin, troll 2, for me the movies so bad it's good.
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!!!.
"Superman IV: The Quest For Peace" is a definite improvement over the embarassing "Superman 3".The cast give sincere performances despite the film's flaws with Christopher Reeve handing in another great performance as Clark Kent/Superman."Superman 4" is a flawed film, most notably the special effects and the bad editing, as well as the cut scenes, but I like the film.Alexander Courage's adaptation of John Williams' music is lovely and is certainly much better than Ken Thorne's version in "Superman 2".
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.
"Superman 4" is a fun-house of watching bad special effects, plot holes and actors looking lost at times..
But things are slowly changing, when Superman's number one enemy Lux Luthor (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Gene Hackman) is having plans to kill Superman once and for all with the help of Luthor's nephew (Jon Cryer) by using a piece of Superman's hair by creating an super-clone named Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow).
This movie is one of my favorite Superman installments(after Superman 2).It has it all: a original plot( Superman's quest for peace), the return of Superman's arch nemesis, Lex Luthor(played remarkably by Gene Hackman), a super villain just as powerful as Superman, Nuclear Man( the fighting scenes between them are outstanding), and new changes like the Daily Planet becoming a tabloid news paper.
The opening scene when Superman help a group of Russian cosmonauts in space , wow in 1987, i can only assume the thoughts of many viewers back then.The movie even suggested that there was an economical angle concerning the nuclear arms race(mainly through Lex Luthor).From my point of view, the reason this film flopped is because it meddled in to Politics.For many people super heroes belong in comic books, facing fictional problems( like for instance, an alien invasion).However it's very illogic to assume that Superman with all that power wouldn't take a stand on serious issues like nuclear arms and relegate to minor issues like saving a cat stuck on a tree.Many people expressed their dislike on this movie by focusing on the special effects.But not the entire movie has lower grade special effects, in fact there are only a few scenes.My favorite scenes like Superman worldwide chase of nuclear man, Superman missile round up in space, birth of nuclear man, metropolis show down have very good special effects.
Anyway in the end he does destroy them, mean while Lex Luthor steals one of superman's hairs from a museum and uses it to create Nuclear Man, basically an evil superman...well it's almost exactly like superman except hes blonde and needs the sun to get energy on a more extreme level than superman.Still the movie has some great action sequences and fits in well to the other superman films, though you do have to take this for what it is "a comic book movie" it is good at what it is, you have to watch it and forget everything you where ever taught or believe...OK some of the stuff like the fight on the moon is abit extreme but it's a SUPERman movie.
the most hated sequel in the superman saga is one of my favorites.i loved this movie from start to end with amazing acting and special effects.the story is exicellent(superman getting rid of nuclear weapons/lux luther creates a nuclear man to destroy superman) and so is the comic book style setting.gene hackman (luthor) and chris reeves(superman)give outstanding acting and so does margot kidder as lois lane.john cryer gives a goofy performace as luthors idiot nephew lenny.you also got those good special effects(they dont suck to me) and a comic book movie that kids will love.so sit down and watch  the 90 minute special effects charged movie that gives chris reeves final performace as superman.on a scale from 1-10 i  give it a 10!!!!!.
Once again, Christopher Reeve does an amazing job as Clark Kent and Superman, and Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder also have great performances in their roles of Luthor and Lois Lane.
This is the fourth and final Superman film with Christopher Reeve taking on the role, where he tries to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and battles Lex Luther (Gene Hackman) and his super-powered sidekick, Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow).Though the level of excitement and intrigue of this film doesn't match the first two, it is almost on par with the third and is still fun and fast-paced with neat special effects that showcase Superman's powers and great action scenes, something that sorely lacks in Superman Returns.The nuclear weapons plot I thought was clever and unique to a Superman movie.
In addition, the fight scenes between Nuclear Man and Superman were awesome - Nuclear Man looked like a force to be reckon with as he possessed the same level of powers and same physique as Superman.Overall, I think this film is a fitting ending to the Christopher Reeve saga.Grade B-.
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.
Look I'll give some of the actors credit, it was nice to see Gene Hackman back as Lex Luthor (even though the horrible dialogue didn't do much)and Christopher Reeve was alright as of course you, Superman.But all of it still feels like it was done for nothing.It feels like it was just done to keep your franchise alive and made for a quick penny so that Cannon can make more cheesy films.Well the joke was on them...
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.
Great performances, special effects, and a good story make this film a must-see for Superman fans, and movie fans.The story is about Superman's quest for peace.
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.
sure it's not the greatest film in the world but compared to superman 3 i'll watch this over that any day of the week.The problem with superman 4 is we haven't seen how it was or was not intended therefore the film doesn't make much sense but i personally think there is more standout points in this film than superman 3(1)Clark and superman simultaneously having dates with Lacey and Lois a really well made scene.(2)superman and nuclear man's fight around the world, silly but entertaining (3)russians in space singing my way, unrealistic but a well made scene.there are a few more but the point i'm trying to make is superman 3 has one worthy scene and that's the junkyard fight between Clark and superman.I truly believe when the deleted scenes come out this film will gain more respect but other than that i enjoyed it so balls to you all ha ha.coincidently i have a version of superman 2 with Richard Donner's footage which i recommend if you can get your hands on it.
I can buy Superman's 'mind erasing kiss' or even him flying back in time if it's only happening once and a while, but in Superman IV every time I hear Luthor talk about how the sun is just a 'big bomb' or anything like this I just want to cringe.'Nuclear Man' seems like an interesting idea for a villain, but the way he's created and just about everything about him is hilariously bad.
His new creation is a Frankenstein like being, a Nuclear Man. Can Superman stop the Earth from blowing itself up?Actors such as Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman were crazy when they agreed to do this film.
Superman IV is a mix of good and bad things.The good things-1: The intention of the movie; its good, Superman X nuclear weapons is coherent because is one of worst enemies of humanity.2: The cast; Reeve and Hackman gives a bit of light in film, but Jon Cryer and Mark Pillow aren't good.The bad things-1: The production of film is poor, very poor, the FX effects, the flying effects are horrible for a Superman film.
The Golan/Goblus production isn't competent in anyway.2: The plot could be better, much better...The nuclear Man, Superman talking in space after to save astronauts, Lacy Warfield in space, the Moon's scenes and Luthor's escape of jail are some examples of the mistakes in the plot, but some scenes like the Superman speech is OK.The film's intention is really good, but intention is never enough..
The low budget means Furie has to shoot in wholly unrepresentative locations that are so far away from the classy glamour of the first movie it's unreal, while ironically given Hollywood was on the verge of CGI breakthroughs around this time, the effects are the shoddiest of all four movies; the story starts in earnest fashion, with the interesting notion of Superman being called upon to interject in a nuclear arms race (though given, at this point, America & Russia were practically bowling buddies, it's not exactly razor sharp political commentary) utterly shattered when it descends (after a bizarre sequence where Supes throws ALL the nukes INTO THE SUN - surely that's a terrible idea, scientists?) into yet another dumb Lex Luthor farce of a plan and introduces the most laughable antagonist in comic-book history...
Poor visual effects aside, this movie is just hastily cobbled together from a few half-baked ideas that aren't fully realised, with the character motivations and the way certain plot points come to fruition not making a lick of sense.I understand that 45 or so minutes of this film were left on the cutting room floor, but having both watched the deleted scenes and read the original script for the movie, I have to say that even if all of the footage had been left in this movie would still have been a mess.
The film is a sad end to an otherwise classic (or half classic) movie saga and unfortunately leaves Christopher Reeve, the definitive man of steel, in a bad light.
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.
Superman becomes active in disarming the world of nuclear weapons but his arch nemesis Lex Luthor still holds a grudge against the Man of Steel and devices a plan to get rid of him; by creating a super villain of his own.Reeve shares co-credit story this time around but he's not responsible for the terrible script.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace had a lot of potential to be a good movie, but it was put in the wrong hands.One thing that I must point out is how they ruined the film's villain.
Mark Pillow has some good moments, but some of the best scenes of Superman chasing Nuclear Man around the world ended up on the cutting room floor.
Sadly, everything else is a 90-minute disaster: from the dire script (it almost screams: "Hey, nuclear weapons are a bad thing, you know?", and it has some awful dialogue, such as "You know what we can do with Superman's hair?" "A flying wig?") to the far from exciting SFX scenes (the same flying shot is reused at least four (!) times), The Quest for Peace is even worse than Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin, which at least tried to be decent (Schumacher himself admitted he wanted to make it less "clownish" than it turned out).And let's not (?) forget the villains: Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is sidelined in favor of his obnoxious nephew (Richard Pryor, who was the bad guy in Superman III, had a bit more charm), and the "frightening" Nuclear Man (voiced, God knows why, by Hackman) is probably the most throwaway movie character I've seen to date.The premise was interesting, but not even Christopher Reeve could completely prevent this movie from crash-landing rather than flying.
However, it is nice to see Gene Hackman returning as Lex Luthor as he did his best with a bad script, but don't think he did good as the voice of Nuclear Man which I find it pretty silly.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)** (out of 4) The death nail in the series finds Superman (Christopher Reeve) having to once again go up against Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) who has now wants to use Nuclear Man for his wild schemes.