The first two Superman movies were filmed at the same time, but after the success of the first one, the studio quickly made a contract to film three more Superman movies. But after the disaster of Superman III, no one really wanted to make the next two. So the "fourth" Superman movie was actually a Supergirl movie, which I've never seen, and was apparently horrible. After a lot of negotiation, begging, and pleading, they were finally able to convince Christopher Reeve to return one last time. However, Reeve only agreed to this if he could have a say in the story, which he wanted to be about ending the nuclear arms race. He was also able to convince Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder to come back. Unfortunately, Richard Donner refused to direct, but fortunately, Richard Lester also turned it down. So Sidney Furie directed 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
There definitely was a big push to return to the magic and feel of the first Superman movies. However, most of these attempts were negated by the severe lack of budget. At the last second, the movie's budget was literally cut in half and about 40 minutes of planned screen time were also cut. This made the story feel rather rushed, and also created the worst special effects in the franchise. Seriously, Superman: The Movie, which came out nine years before this one, had better special effects. The soundtrack, which returned to John Williams' score, also was weak because it sounded like it was played on a synthesizer. I have to take a point off for this.
I'll take another point off for possibly the worst character in the franchise (which is saying a lot) — Lex Luthor's long-lost nephew, Lenny. He was supposed to be stupid (yes), funny (wasn't), and "cool" (not even close). I was OK with having Lenny help Lex escape from the chain gang, but having him assist in advanced genetic cloning to create Nuclear Man? That's too much for me. Luthor would not let this idiot anywhere near such a delicate operation. Later, Nuclear Man used his obscure powers to spin Lenny around a million times, which Lenny thought was "cool" because he was "break dancing." OK, so maybe he wasn't as bad as half the characters in Superman III, but he definitely belonged in that movie more.
One interesting scene was when Clark was worried about Superman's role in the nuclear arms race and he decided to ask for Lois' opinion by revealing his secret identity to her. I kind of liked how he did this, by simply jumping off the roof with her and switching to his Superman outfit while keeping his glasses on. That's all he needed to do. But then he decided to fly all around the country with her and let her "fly" on her own for way too long to be physically possible. Not only was this a stupid idea, but it looked terrible, too. Then he ended the whole thing with another stupid amnesia kiss. The score is now a 2.
I'll take off another point for Nuclear Man. He is just plain dumb. He had really abstract powers, long, sharp finger nails for no reason, and didn't look anything like Superman, despite being created from Superman's DNA. He also had the annoying weakness of becoming completely powerless the second he steps into the shade. They should have used Bizarro instead.
I will add a point for an unexpectedly good character in Lacy Warfield. Her dad bought the Daily Planet and turned it into sensationalist tabloid, but Lacy eventually learns the values of honest, objective journalism. Lacy also starts as a spoiled brat who can have any man she wants, until she meets Clark Kent, who's the exact opposite of her. Trying to win him over, she falls in love with him for being Clark, not Superman. This is what Lana Lang should have been, but she spent too much time with Superman to have really demonstrated actually loving Clark. Lacy was a refreshing change of pace.
Superman and Nuclear Man engage in what should have been an exciting battle sweeping across the globe, but poor special effects and hasty editing really ruined it. Plus, some parts were kind of cheesy to begin with. Nuclear Man erupting a volcano was OK, but using the Statue of Liberty as a weapon was really lame. And then the absolute worst part of it was when he broke the Great Wall of China and Superman quickly repaired it with his mysterious "wall vision." This continues the trend of giving Superman more strange powers; earlier, we saw him stop a subway train by ... somehow absorbing the electricity in the rails? Anyway, the score's back down to a 1.
Nuclear Man scratched Superman, which poisoned him, leaving him holed up in his apartment as a sick Clark Kent. Lois comes to him, gives him Superman's cape, a pick-up talk, and strongly hinted that she knew he was Superman. I really liked this. Despite all his amnesia kisses, she had figured it out and was at peace with it. Really, I think Superman is best when he haves someone he can confide in who knows his secret, whether it be Lois or Martha Kent. We're back to a 2.
Because so much time was cut out of the movie, a lot of plot points happened very quickly, and if you weren't paying attention, you would be quite confused. The most confusing part was when Nuclear Man randomly decided that he wanted Lacy Warfield. While this was confusing in and of itself, it got even weirder when Superman also somehow knew exactly who Nuclear Man was after. Did it have something to do with her working for the Planet? I don't know. A quick one-minute scene of explanation would have been great. But since we didn't get it, I'll have to take off a point.
I'll take off another point for a really, really stupid part. Nuclear Man manages to grab Lacy and immediately heads toward outer space. He has left the earth's atmosphere with her at his side by the time Superman catches up to them. It's OK for Nuclear Man to survive in space, but Lacy should not!
This really wasn't a good movie at all. It had no budget, was hastily thrown together, and through most of it, it seemed like the actors were just going through the motions. Nobody really wanted to make this movie, but they kind of felt obligated to do it. But it did have some interesting ideas and a few nice little moments. One such moment was the very end — the same ending for all four films — Superman flying around the world and smiling at the camera. This time felt a little different, though, like Christopher Reeve truly was saying goodbye. It was his last performance of Superman, and he really did a great job with the character through all four films, despite the many problems they had. So to honor him, I will add a final bonus point.
Final score: 1
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