Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (DC Comics Movie Review)

Plot
With global superpowers engaged in an increasingly hostile arms race,Superman leads a crusade to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But Lex Luthor, recently sprung from jail, is declaring war on the Man of Steel and his quest to save the planet. Using a strand of Superman's hair, Luthor synthesizes a powerful ally known as Nuclear Man and ignites an epic battle spanning Earth and space.

Jason's Thoughts
Christopher Reeve's time as the Man of Steel started off with a bang and ended with a sputter.  Superman IV: The Quest for Peace always seems to get a bad rap for being the worst of the four Superman movies Reeve's starred in, and while some of the criticism is warranted, I didn't think it was that bad of a movie.

Sidney Furie took over the director's chair and the camp that Richard Lester, who directed most of Superman II and all of Superman III, was removed to make an more overall serious film.  I'm sure I'm in the minority in saying this, but I felt Superman IV was far better than Superman III.  The main characters from the film series had returned - Lois Lane and Lex Luthor were pretty much absent from the third installment - and it introduced a new villain that was on par with Superman's powers.

In my mind, the biggest drawback with the movie was the special effects.  I remember writing that the effects for the Superman: The Movie were well done for its time.  Superman IV came out nearly a decade later, but seemed to have gone back about 10 steps in the effects department.  The budget was slashed for this film and it shows, especially during the flight scenes.  It was so bad that I found myself laughing whenever I would see Superman or Nuclear Man fly towards the screen.  It got so repetitive that it started to become a parody of itself.

Aside from the special effects, there were a few other drawbacks to this film, which mainly include scenes that were shot that were poorly planned and thought out.  Little things like Superman bringing humans into space with no consequence or the large rope sack that Superman tossed all of the nuclear missiles into.  Seriously, who made that rope bag and where did it come from?  Having Superman toss missiles into the sun wouldn't be enough?

Not everything was terrible, though, as one scene that I did enjoy in particular was the double date scene between Clark Kent, Lacy Warfield, Superman, and Lois Lane.  Also, If you listen closely to the dialog you will catch a bit of unplanned foreshadowing.  Near the end, Superman tells Luthor "See you in twenty."  After this movie was made, it took nearly that long before another Superman movie would end up on the big screen.  With the way the series played out, it was probably a good thing.

Comments

No comments have been posted.