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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Play trailer Poster for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace PG 1987 1h 30m Adventure Sci-Fi Fantasy Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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10% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 16% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Seeing the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race that could lead to Earth's destruction, Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides that he must take action. He collects all the nuclear warheads from the world and throws them into space. Meanwhile, Superman's nemesis, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), has broken out of prison with a new scheme. He clones Superman with radioactive material to create Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), a being just as powerful as the man of steel.
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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

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Critics Consensus

The Superman series bottoms out here: the action is boring, the special effects look cheaper, and none of the actors appear interested in where the plot's going.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune The impoverishment here is not merely of means, but of spirit. Rated: 1/4 May 5, 2014 Full Review Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times The overall effect is of a story atomized and dying before our eyes, collapsing into smashed pulp, ground down into big-budget Kryptonite ash. May 5, 2014 Full Review Desmond Ryan Philadelphia Inquirer Of course, Superman saves the world, but the real news is that there's still some life in the series. Rated: 3/4 May 5, 2014 Full Review Don Shanahan Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast The charm is there, as well as Reeve's dedication, but the execution is not. Jun 21, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It appears to have been filmed for a buck fifty. Rated: 1.5/4 May 13, 2023 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is the single worst Superman film of all time--a disgrace to the franchise, its creators, and most of all, the audience's intelligence. Rated: 0.5/5 May 9, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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r96 s 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' isn't one I'll be filing anywhere near 'good', though it is at least a minimal improvement on III and 'Supergirl'. 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 'Superman Returns', 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! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/08/25 Full Review Michael P I cannot believe how bad this movie is. This is one of the worst movies I've seen. From bad editing, to Superman has telekinesis? To the writing, the sound, the story, all of it. Reeves is always good as Superman and Gene Hackman is great as Lex but everything is terrible... wow that was bad Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/25 Full Review Magnus Ø Better than Superman III at least Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/21/24 Full Review matthias s "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" is a major letdown for a Superman movie. The plot is way too thin, and it’s clear the budget was slashed—those special effects are embarrassingly bad, especially compared to the earlier films. How did they go from the flying sequences in the first two movies to *this*? At least Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder are back, which adds a bit of nostalgia. Nuclear Man had potential, but he’s more laughable than threatening—a dude on wires isn’t exactly intimidating. The story is riddled with plot holes and feels like it was hacked to pieces in the editing room. That said, there are a few moments that shine, and somewhere in here, there’s the potential for a decent film. It's definitely more entertaining than Superman III (still the worst of the series), but it’s bad. Overhated? Maybe. But still disappointing. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/21/24 Full Review Tim R Suffice it to say this movie is just DUMB! The actors, especially Kidder, seem like they couldn't be less interested. And, what's more, they think the audience (us) are dumb too. Nuclear Man flies into OUTER SPACE with Mariel Hemingway on his arm but she's ok. Nothing to see here. Did I read somewhere that exposure to the vacuum of space only negatively affects 1 out of 7? Plus the space wind was blowing her hair real nice and she looked pretty so that must have saved her. Yeah, just DUMB! Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Jay W This movie is really bad. Not just the worst Superman film, but one of the worst movies of all-time. With that being said, why can't I stop watching it and talking about it. It is the only (1/10) movie that I have watched 8 times. Most bad movies are mostly forgettable. It comes in, fails at its job, and goes on its way. This movie transcends that trend. It is SO bad it is unforgettable. Unlike a similar bad fourth entry, "Batman and Robin", this movie has the benefit of having the original good actors found in the good movies. That makes this film feel more legitimate. It feels like a Bizzaro version of the Superman movies that are just awful. Each scene gives you a new thing to make fun of, a new instance to ask: "What were they thinking?" The special effects are so much worse than the effects of the 70's. Cannon productions had these "so bad they're good" movies down to a science. I could go through scene by scene and describe the ludicrous story this movie tries to tell. It has about 12 side stories going on at the same time. The Daily Planet gets new management. Lacy Warfield has a crush on Clark Kent. Superman throws all the world's nukes at the sun. Lex Luthor breaks out of jail. Lex creates Nuclear Man to fight Superman. Little kid Jeremy is upset about the cold war. I will not try to sum up the story of this film, it simply must be seen to be believed. It is beyond bad; it is SUPER BAD. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/01/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Seeing the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race that could lead to Earth's destruction, Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides that he must take action. He collects all the nuclear warheads from the world and throws them into space. Meanwhile, Superman's nemesis, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), has broken out of prison with a new scheme. He clones Superman with radioactive material to create Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), a being just as powerful as the man of steel.
Director
Sidney J. Furie
Producer
Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan
Screenwriter
Lawrence Konner, Christopher Reeve
Production Co
Cannon Films, Warner Bros.
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.9M
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround
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