Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

**Better than the tedious Superman Returns/Man Of Steel** Bad effects aside, this one is definitely more fun than the _tedious and dull_ Superman Returns and Man Of Steel stuff - an overload of special effects does not make an engaging film. The performances here are all top notch as usual and the plot moved swiftly without taking itself too seriously. The franchise has always been silly - stupid even - especially when we remember that _Richard Donner's Superman had Ned Beatty as the moronic Otis._ The silliness has always been integral to the Superman series.

Filled with cheap gags, really horrible visual effects, a lazy story, a very bad musical score by Alexander Courage, a terrible villain (Nuclear Man), and some tiresome performances by the cast (except for Christopher Reeve), Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is one of the worst films ever made, the one of the worst movie sequels of all time, and the worst Superman film of all time. It is the kryptonite nail in the coffin for the Superman films, and none of the films after this even tried to save the Man Of Steel from his own detriment.

_**The least of the tetralogy due to a slashed budget and the corresponding cheesy F/X**_ Superman (Christopher Reeve) destroys all nuclear warheads on Earth for the sake of world peace, but Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has discovered a way to make a nuclear-powered thrall from Supes’ DNA and the energy of the Sun. Meanwhile a tycoon & his daughter take over The Daily Planet (Sam Wanamaker & and Mariel Hemingway). “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) is the weakest of the quadrilogy because the Salkind family sold the franchise to a Grade B production company, Cannon, and so instead of the healthy $39 million budget of “Superman III” (1983) it was slashed to $17 million (although it was originally supposed to be $36 million), which is apparent in the low-rent opening credits and the non-special effects throughout. Other than that glaring flaw, the main cast returns and the story is decent, augmented by the kick-axx Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) and the continuation of Clark’s relationship with Lois (Margot Kidder). The first two movies are standout sci-fi motion pictures, despite hailing from the late ’70s, and the third one has worthy themes if you can adjust to the parody tone and cartoonish presence of Richard Pryor (at least his character has a worthy story arc). This one, by contrast, is disappointing due to the second rate vibe. While there are some entertaining elements, the drop in quality is just too noticeable. The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot entirely in England with establishing shots of New York City, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Great Wall of China, etc. GRADE: C

<em>'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'</em> isn't one I'll be filing anywhere near 'good', though it is at least a minimal improvement on III and <em>'Supergirl'</em>. It has a pleasantly short run time of just under 90 minutes and features a plot that I didn't find totally terrible. Christopher Reeve stars as Superman for the final time, to as decent effect as you'd expect. Gene Hackman makes a return as Lex Luthor, to my support - I think he's the one I'll remember most from these films, aside from the main guy obviously. It's not Hackman on top form, but still solid enough. Overall though, I didn't get the required entertainment. I do think it starts better than it finishes, the end noticeably drags. One big reason for that is the Nuclear Man character. Any time he appears, I was uninterested. The 'switching' in front of Lois Lane is also extremely repetitive by this point. A blessing for all involved that this era of Superman concluded here. Now to see what they did for 2006's <em>'Superman Returns'</em>, a movie I'm a little surprised didn't cross my path as a kid to be honest; as the Spiderman flicks from those years did. Maybe I'll find out why!

"The Quest for Peas"? At least they are green like Kryptonite, but for heaven's sake talk about flogging a dead horse! It's now 1987 and the Cold War is about to heat up so "SuperClark" (Christopher Reeve) decides to take it upon himself to remove all the planet's nuclear arsenal and fire it off into space. Ever eying an opportunity for global domination, "Luthor" (Gene Hackman), abetted by his hapless nephew "Lenny" (John Cryer), realises that this precarious world peace offers him a chance to craft his very own version of our caped super-hero and so enter "Nuclear Man" (Mark Pillow) - an anti-hero formed from a strand of super-hair pinched from a museum and dressed in golden lycra instead. Now this new nemesis isn't exactly the brightest spark, but he's obedient to his master's dastardly wishes and that leads to plenty of contretemps with "Superman" in both battle and on the romantic front. Who's going to prevail? I am afraid that just about everyone needed a pillow here, not just Mark, as this is tired. Even Hackman can't find the slightest hint of enthusiasm for a role he has long since mastered; the Cooper v McClure dynamic at the controversially newly owned (by Sam Wanamaker) "Daily Planet" ought to be more about pension contributions by now; Kidder looks exhausted by the silliness of this shockingly contrived scenario and the dialogue is banal in the extreme. It can rely on the visual effects to an extent, but even here time hasn't been kind to the greenscreen and by the rockbound denouement I think I didn't really are who won out. Sadly, this is way more of a damp squib to finish off the franchise and is really best avoided if you've any fondness for any of the regular characters from the past whatsoever.