Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘You'd risk worldwide nuclear war for your own personal financial gain.’
‘Nobody wants war. I just want to keep the threat alive.’
- Superman and Lex Luthor

Sometimes good intentions can only take you so far. We've all been there. We saw an opportunity to do something amazing, and took the initiative to make it happen. In some cases, it was an attempt to make someone happy, or maybe it was an attempt to radically change something in our lives or our workplace.
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But when the moment arrived to execute our plan or play the hero, things went awry. We unintentionally offended that person, or ended up ticking off our co-workers or we accidentally made our lives that much harder. All from the best of intentions, and it is this concept and its subsequent consequences that best describes the 1987 film, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

After years of living among us, Superman sees a grand opportunity to finally make the world a better place for all of mankind. He will put an end to the Cold War, and potentially all war by disarming the planet of nuclear weapons. But there is one man out there who sees this chance at peace as a chance at revenge. Lex Luthor has returned and will use Superman's plan against him to rid the world of the Man of Tomorrow once and for all.  

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This is the Superman movie that I have dreaded writing about. Because I wasn't kidding when I talk about good intentions gone wrong. The concept of the film is a smart one, and relevant to the times. We have Christopher Reeve donning the cape once again and Gene Hackman reprising his iconic role as Lex Luthor. Heck this time around Reeve even put himself deeper into Superman's journey, by actually offering up input on the story, something that allowed for him to earn a ‘Story By’ credit. So, with so much love and care and passion from the core group that made this franchise a hit, this movie should have been amazing. But, in the end that positive energy didn't completely carry over into the production process, because the finished product is an utter disaster.
 
The issues with this motion picture started financially, by way of a new production company that originally approved $36 million for this movie to be made, but eventually they had to slash the budget to $17 million, forcing drastic changes, and they all hurt the film from top to bottom. Special effects, once a strength of the franchise are one of the film's biggest weaknesses this time around. Recycled shots are a staple of this movie and said effects are about as low grade as they can get, making this outing at times quite hokey. Not to mention, there are massive plot holes abound. There are too many to list quite frankly but the one that continues to bother me is watching Superman grow deathly ill from being ‘infected’ with radiation from Nuclear Man. It's something that just isn't possible. Superman thrives on the radiation from our sun, so how on earth can he become terminally ill from receiving a heavier dose of what he thrives upon?

It's a shame really, because this film had so much potential to be a sweeping and epic entry in the franchise. Which means it’s time we answer the million-dollar question, should you watch it? Absolutely, for one incredibly important reason, to say goodbye to the legend that is Christopher Reeve. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was the last time he would don the cape and shield, and while the film may not provide the proper send off, taking the time to watch it and reflect on all the great things Reeve brought to the role, is a proper thank you and farewell.  

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