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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

tomatometer

10

Average Rating: 2.8/10
Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 27

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.

20

Average Rating: 3.2/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 4

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.

audience

29

liked it
Average Rating: 2.5/5
User Ratings: 62,153

My Rating

Movie Info

Superman (Christopher Reeve) tries to save the world from nuclear destruction at the hands of Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) in this action film featuring the man of steel. In a speech to the United Nations, Superman declares he will rid the world of all nuclear weapons. Arch-villain Luthor emerges from prison obsessed with killing Superman and creates an adversary known as Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two engage in a fight to the finish in various landmarks on Earth before taking their battle into

May 1, 2001

Warner Home Video

Cast

All Critics (31) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (3) | Rotten (28) | DVD (14)

The earlier films in the series were far from perfect, but at their best they had some flair and agreeable humor, qualities this one sorely lacks.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

By ordinary movie standards it's awful, but fans of cinematic dementia should have fun for about half an hour.

April 17, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment (1)
Chicago Reader
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The Superman series gets more and more whimsically outrageous as it goes along.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
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One of the cheesiest movies ever made.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
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More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at K mart, it's a nerd, it's a shame, it's Superman IV.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
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Predictably awful fourth installment.

July 12, 2010 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment (1)
Empire Magazine

With the passing of the production torch to infamous budget tightwads Golan and Globus, it was clear that the worst was yet to come.

April 7, 2010 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
TheMovieReport.com

The special effects are decidedly on the cheap side.

April 17, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment (1)
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Disappointing to say the least, but at least it doesn't have Richard Pryor this time as its star.

December 23, 2006 Comments (2)
Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

The cut-rate production resulted in what Reeve termed "catastrophe" for a film intended to marry a serious message to the series' signature action, humor, and romance.

July 5, 2006 Comment

...this final sigh of a movie manages to send the series out with a feeble yet breathing dignity. It's bad, but it's better than III in that it does try to rise above itself.

April 5, 2006 Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | Comment
DVDJournal.com

Warner's DVD release has a clean anamorphic transfer (2.35:1) and audio in Dolby 2.0 mono.

April 5, 2006 Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | Comment
DVDJournal.com

About as dreary as a summit conference in Belgium.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Avoid!

August 23, 2005 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment (1)
Filmcritic.com

That this movie is how the Superman movie legacy ended would be a depressing thought if the movie weren't so endlessly hilarious.

June 18, 2005 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

Great cast, terrible premise, done ultra-cheap. Sad Supes had to go out like this.

September 7, 2004 Comment
New Times
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

This last Superman movie has a very obvious sub-plot about nuclear war, and it's also very cheesy. It's not as bad as the third one, but it's still not a great superhero movie. Overall, it's okay.

September 6, 2010
ajv2688

Super Reviewer

While it does have one of the craziest villians of all time, Nuclear Man, it is not enough to make this movie worthwhile. The plot is laughable and the acting is atrocious. It was a tad better than part III, but still a disaster and horrible conclusion to the series. While it's great seeing Gene Hackman back as Lex

November 26, 2009
ythelastman89

Super Reviewer

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