Shortly before production began at Elstree Studios on September 27, 1986, Cannon reduced the budget from $36 million to $17 million. Youre in Milton Keynes, you have a few dozen extras, and Christopher Reeve walking around in his cape, yet the location still doesnt look like New York; it looks like a lonely part of a modern British city. It is the fifth film (including 1984's Supergirl) in the Superman film series and a sequel to Superman III (1983). Meanwhile, the Man of Steel pushes the moon out of its normal orbit, casting Earth into a solar eclipse which renders Nuclear Man's powers useless. Later, in a press conference, Superman declares only partial victory in his peace campaign. [3], After reviewing various scripts, Reeve suggested the storyline of Superman becoming involved in the global political issue of nuclear warfare[4], in order to give the film a more serious feel to distance itself from the previous film. Superman, Lex Luthor, Actually, much of the final act isnt so much a fight scene, as Supermans attempts at cleaning up Nuclear Mans trail of destruction. [18][19], According to Jon Cryer, who played Luthor's nephew Lenny, Reeve had taken him aside just before the release and told him it was going to be "terrible." Superman rescues Lacy from the Man of Molten Steel, whom he finally defeats by shutting him in the core of a nuclear power plant. Cut from its original 134-minute version, it is full of plot holes resulting in a movie with some . Theres the scene where Superman suggestively asks Lois Lane, Howd you like going solo?. He pushes the Moon in front of the sun, cutting off the life-giving rays Nuclear Man needs to fight and shout. Coming Soon. As a result of prior contracts, different entities own different components of Superman IV. The site's critical consensus reads, "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. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". At a meeting of the United Nations, Superman tells the assembly that he plans to rid the Earth of all nuclear weapons. Be the first one to, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Main Title / Back in Time (Superman IV) (Superman March), Smoke the Yokes / Nefarious (Lex Luther Theme), Flight to Earth / Introducing Nuclear Man 2, Come Uppance / Lifted / Quarried / Flying With Jeremy / End Credits (Superman IV), Someone Like You (Lacy's Theme) (Slow Version), 02 - Main Title _ Back in Time (Superman IV) (Superman March).ogg, 04 - Smoke the Yokes _ Nefarious (Lex Luther Theme).ogg, 14 - Fresh Air (Love Theme from Superman).ogg, 17 - Flight to Earth _ Introducing Nuclear Man 2.ogg, 20 - Ear Ache _ Confrontation _ Tornado.ogg, 28 - Metropolis Fight _ Lift to the Moon.ogg, 30 - Come Uppance _ Lifted _ Quarried _ Flying With Jeremy _ End Credits (Superman IV).ogg, 31 - Fresh Air (Love Theme From Superman).ogg, 32 - Someone Like You (Lacy's Theme) (Slow Version).ogg, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). Synopsis. Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) fires honest editor Perry White, and instead installs his own daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway). After declaring that he intends to rid the world of all nuclear weapons, Superman must defeat Luthor's Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), who fights him in landmarks around the world before taking their battle into outer space. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. (Hyperion, 2008), p.38. According to Reeve, Golan & Globus did not have a script in mind when they first approached him about doing the fourth installment; they simply wanted him to reprise his role. However Cannon refused. Meanwhile, Superman's nemesis, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), has broken out of prison with a new scheme. [28] It was the eighth highest-grossing film in the UK for the year with a gross of 3,457,959 ($5.5 million). Then, in an extremely bizarre development, he flies off into space with her. In an elementary school, this becomes a current-events discussion; one student, Jeremy, decides on writing to Superman for help. Superman Shazam! The music for the film was adapted and conducted by Alexander Courage based on existing and new music composed by John Williams. Good guy former editor Perry White manages to buy out Rupert Murdochs sorry, David Warfields stake in the Daily Planet, thus returning it to a quality broadsheet. As the sun rises, Nuclear Man breaks out of his makeshift prison. Various other British locations were immortalised in Superman IV, too; Clark Kents Smallville farm was actually shot in a place called Baldock in Hertfordshire, while a disused airfield in Saint Albans doubled for a US Air Force base. [13] Reeve was also hesitant to return to the series as Superman, bowing out from a planned cameo appearance in Supergirl. This film gives the Man of Steel powers with which he had never before been portrayed. Here the Man of Steel is faced with his most . There are, however, lots of interesting things about it. Voice of Nuclear Man, Character Face-Off: The Best Version of 15 Mega Popular Movie and TV Characters, New Certified Fresh Movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime: E.T., Indiana Jones, Superman, and More. While saving the Statue of Liberty from falling onto the streets of New York, Superman is infected with radiation sickness by a scratch from Nuclear Man's radioactive claws. OST-BSO Flac Volume 90% 1 Fanfare / Space Saver - John Williams; Alexander Courage 01:49 2 Main Title / Back in Time (Superman IV) (Superman March) - John Williams; Alexander Courage 05:43 3 Pow! The film grossed $36 million at the box office, less than half of what any of the previous three films grossed individually, marking it as a commercial failure. Unfortunately for Superman, his well-meaning gesture gives his arch-nemesis a cunning idea. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man. Lex establishes that, despite possessing powers which rival Superman's, "the Man of Molten Steel" will deactivate if isolated from the sun's raysor from suitably-bright artificial light. A Russian space station is endangered, when a collision with debris sends a cosmonaut hurtling off into deep space. Amazon.com: Superman IV - The Quest for Peace : Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer, Sam Wanamaker, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway, Damian McLawhorn, William Hootkins, Jim Broadbent, Sidney J. Furie, Christopher Reeve, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal: Movies & TV All rights reserved. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. On the brink of nuclear-hastened death, Clark uses a Kryptonian energy module (saved from the space ship hidden in Smallville) to restore his energy which is just as well, because Nuclear Man has developed an alarming crush on Lacy, and wants to kidnap her. By the mid-80s, original series producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind had sold the Superman rights to Cannon Films, a production company more used to making cheap action movies such as The Delta Force and Missing In Action. Fantasy, Even woeful production values and a duff script can distract from the undeniable charisma and chemistry Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve bring to their roles. For example, Konner and Rosenthal wrote a scene in which Superman lands on 42nd Street and walks down the double yellow lines to the United Nations, where he gives a speech. But Lex Luthor, now a nuclear arms entrepreneur . [44] The story had Superman dying and resurrecting in the shrunken, bottled Krypton city of Kandor. Warner Bros. co-produced the film and handled North American theatrical distribution, while Cannon Films handled distribution outside North America. Betrayed! 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. Brief Synopsis. The Daily Planet has gone bust. The international DVD rights were not settled until 2005 and WB has since released IV outside the U.S. on home video. Felled by radiation sickness, Clark barely makes it to the terrace of his apartment. 4 in the late-1970s-to-1980s movie series that featured the amiable Christopher Reeve as the 1930s cartoon superhero. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace PG 1987, Adventure/Sci-fi, 1h 29m 10% Tomatometer 52 Reviews This scene was to have preceded the film's theatrical scene where Clark returns to Smallville to meet the contractor in hopes of selling or leasing the Kent farm. Uh, no pain no gain Kent says, as the gym instructor falls to the floor, possibly dead. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Jump to Edit Summaries The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man. Lawrence Konner, According to Rosenthal, Reeve and director Furie begged to be able to film that sequence in New York in front of the real United Nations because everyone knew what New York was supposed to look like and that the England setting looked nothing like it. With the help of his cretinous nephew Lenny (Jon Cryer, who talks like Otto out of The Simpsons), Luthor steals a lock of Supermans hair from a museum, and using cutting edge Hollywood science, creates the evil Nuclear Man. It shows a much more complex and complete story. [39][40][41], The film was voted number 40 on a list of 'The 50 Worst Movies Ever' by readers of Empire magazine. Cannon's bankruptcy resulted in the film rights reverting to Ilya and Alexander Salkind. This is Superman's greatest battle. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 1987 PG 1h 30m IMDb RATING 3.7 /10 51K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 2,296 1,861 Play trailer 1:27 2 Videos 99+ Photos Action Adventure Sci-Fi The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man. [14][4][7] The studio enticed Reeve to return by offering him $6 million, financing for his pet project Street Smart, and approval over the story and director. by Christopher Reeve DVD. The new filmmakers then offered Reeve a deal he couldn't refuse in exchange for starring in the fourth Superman film, they would produce any project of his choosing, and also promised him story input (there was also talk of having Reeve direct a fifth Superman film in case the fourth one proved successful). on the Internet. In place of a voice-over from Lara in the early scene involving Superman finding the mysterious crystal, there is a projection of Jor-El himself, much like in the first film. The footage is presumably taken from an original workprint, as visual effects are not complete, music is consisted from stock elements and the first film's soundtrack, and the film is in a very rough state. The final words in this film, "See you in twenty," proved to be prophetic. With Nuclear Man squashed into a reactor and presumably dead, the final pieces of the story fall into place. But it was.not. Christopher Reeve, Release Date (Streaming): In the best hands, it is dangerous. Daily Tomato - Can you guess the movie of the day? In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. [37] The Washington Post described it as "More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at Kmart, it's a nerd, it's a shame, it's Superman IV. In stock. The Man of Steel is faced with his toughest mission ever -- to rid the world of all nuclear armaments. Cannon Films, The budgetary constraints are obvious wherever you look, and the script is, at times, laughably bad (Id like our civilians to know that our subway system is still the most safe and reliable form of transportation, Superman says after preventing a train crash). Warner Bros. Where previous directors had the budget to film in downtown Manhattan, Furie had to make do with various hurriedly-dressed locations in the UK. Meanwhile, young Lenny Luthor breaks his uncle Lex Luthor out of prison. According to writer Mark Rosenthal's commentary on Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Deluxe Edition DVD released in November 2006, and the gallery of deleted scenes included on the disc, there are approximately 45 minutes of the film that have not been seen by the public after they were deleted following a failed Southern California test screening. Superman does a lot in his newest adventure. Reeve himself admitted in his autobiography Still Me that he really wasn't sure that he wanted to do another Superman film, especially if it were going to be treated as a farce, which had been the case with the third film, an approach that Reeve felt was disrespectful to fans and the source material. A flop in 1987, Superman IV is one of the most maligned sequels ever made. Then he deposits the elevator on the moon, without noticing that the Man of Molten Steel has cracked open the doors. At the Smallville farm he inherited from his deceased parents, Superman, as Clark Kent, uncovers the capsule that brought him to Earth and removes a luminescent green Kryptonian energy module. In fact, the Nuclear Man that appears in the film is actually the 2nd Nuclear Man that Luthor created. [32], On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 10% based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 3.1/10. At the very least, Superman IV has Gene Hackman back as Luthor. Just as the Luthors are negotiating the freeway out of Metropolis, Superman intercepts them. Filming & Production Felled by radiation sickness, Clark staggers to his terrace where he retrieves the Kryptonian energy module and attempts to heal himself. Superman also recaptures the fleeing Luthors. Which characters were adapted from the Superman comic books? Well stick a couple of fire hydrants around the place, and nobody will suspect a thing, If nothing else, Superman IV is a movie with important messages in it. | There are, however, lots of interesting things about it As history has ably demonstrated, movie sequels are just as susceptible to the laws of entropy as anything else in the universe. That failure was a huge blow to my career. The result was Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, a bargain-basement sequel that effectively killed the franchise for almost 20 years. Of the four Superman films starring Reeve, this one fared the worst at the box office, and the series, as it turned out, went dormant for 19 years. Part of the problem was that Cannon financed its films by selling the television and home video rights in advance, which failed with films of a budget of over $5 million. Meanwhile, when Lois Lane (Kidder) invites both Superman and Clark Kent to a double-date dinner, Superman's powers are tested so that both men can be present. Superman has recognized the greatest threat to humanity, and he is out to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Get it Aug 25 - 31. 1h 29m. Cut from its original 134-minute version, it is full of plot holes resulting in a movie with some scenes that just don't make any sense, but even with the extra 45 minutes intact, the movie still wouldn't work because the special effects are cheap and ridiculous, and it shows. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, unit production manager: U.K. (as Malcolm Christopher), first assistant director: second unit (as Michael Higgins), flying unit director / second unit director, additional sound effects (as Jean Pierre Lelong), first assistant special effects technician, senior special effects technician: model effects, senior special effects technician: model effects (as Robert Hollow), senior special effects technician (as Bob Nugent), senior special effects technician (uncredited), opticals: Ray Mercer and Company (as Bill Aylesworth), opticals: Van Der Veer Photo Effects (as Bob Bailey), opticals: Buena Vista Studios Visual Effects, rotoscope/ink and paint (as Judith A. The next Superman film, Superman Returns, arrived at cinemas in June 2006, nineteen years after Superman IV premiered at the box office. Mark Rosenthal's DVD commentary pointed to this scene as an example of Cannon's budget slashing. Purchase Superman IV: The Quest for Peace on digital and stream instantly or download offline. Over the next several days, Superman takes every nuclear weapon he can find and gathers them into a gigantic net in orbit above the planet. The film looked as though whole pages or sections of the script were summarily torn out. Rosenthal's DVD commentary cited this scene as an example of Cannon's budget slashing. Release Dates The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE pits the Man of Steel against Nuclear Man, Lex Luther's newest creation while ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Stine's Mostly Ghostly: One Night in Doom House, Adventure, Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Fantasy, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 1987 Directed by Sidney J. Furie Synopsis Nuclear Power. Apparently played for laughs, the fight involves cars being very slowly squashed together, and Christopher Reeves stunt double being thrown through billboard posters for well-known burger outlets. Bearing all this in mind, Id argue that times been unusually kind to Superman IV, and viewed for what it is a camp, messy B-movie its actually enormously entertaining; more so, perhaps, than the disappointing Superman III. It is bought out by David Warfield, a media mogul who made his fortune through supermarket tabloids. Its actually quite possible for a human being to survive in the vacuum of space, and not suffocate or freeze to death you can actually hear Lacy gasp and breathe as she struggles in Nuclear Mans grip. In case we had any trouble following all that, Superman helpfully explains to Lex Luthor what happened. Sidney J. Furie, Producer: Using a strand of Superman's hair, Luthor synthesizes a powerful ally known as Nuclear Man . Cut scenes featured the original Nuclear Man engaging Superman in battle outside the Metro Club and being destroyed by the Man of Steel. Release Date July 24, 1987 Previous Movie Company Credits Clark Kent/Superman learns that the United States and the Soviet . (at around 1h 20 mins) Lacy Warfield is able to survive in space without a space suit. For the Supergirl episode, see. Christopher Reeve Composers John Williams; Alexander Courage Cinematographer (s) Ernest Day Running Time 90 min. 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. Read critic reviews. The computer inside will need enough material to maintain the high moral standards Ive always aspired to.. In what would have been Mantles first big-screen appearance, Nuclear Man fights Superman in downtown Metropolis. [7][4][13], After negotiations during the 38th Cannes Film Festival, Ilya Salkind agreed to sell the Superman franchise to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of The Cannon Group, Inc. for $5 million in June 1985. He clones Superman with radioactive material to create Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), a being just as powerful as the man of steel. This is easily the worst of the SUPERMAN movies, and it was doomed to fail right from the start. View in iTunes. Tell him that I love him. on October 30, 2019. Richard Donner would have choreographed hundreds of pedestrians and vehicles and cut to people gawking out of office windows at the sight of Superman walking down the street like the Pied Piper. The studio was narrowly saved from bankruptcy after a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to provide $75 million to repay its loans in exchange for distribution rights to its upcoming films, including Superman IV, which provided enough confidence in the studio for a $65 million line of credit from First Bank of Boston.