Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

"Nuclear Power. In the best hands, it is dangerous. In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. This is Superman's greatest battle. And it is for all of us."

1987 1h 30m EN

💀

4.6

SKIP

🥫

17%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

3.8

IMDB

★4.6TMDB · 1,467🥫17%Rotten Tomatoes●24Metacritic★3.8IMDB · 57,297

ActionAdventureScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

With global superpowers engaged in an increasingly hostile arms race, Superman leads a crusade to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But Lex Luthor, recently sprung from jail, is declaring war on the Man of Steel and his quest to save the planet. Using a strand of Superman's hair, Luthor synthesizes a powerful ally known as Nuclear Man and ignites an epic battle spanning Earth and space.

“Nuclear Power. In the best hands, it is dangerous. In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. This is Superman's greatest battle. And it is for all of us.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

HBO Max Amazon ChannelSubscription

HBO MaxSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Spectrum On DemandRent

PlexRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Christopher Reeve
Clark Kent / Superman
Margot Kidder
Lois Lane
Gene Hackman
Lex Luthor
Mariel Hemingway
Lacy Warfield
Jackie Cooper
Perry White
Marc McClure
Jimmy Olsen
Jon Cryer
Lenny
Sam Wanamaker
David Warfield

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney J. Furie
Writers: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner, Lawrence Konner
Languages: English, French, Italian, Russian
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, Italian, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Superman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sidney J. Furie, shot by Ernest Day. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexander Courage. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Shirley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney J. Furie directs. Ernest Day behind the camera. Alexander Courage scores. John Shirley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, Italian, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, Italian, Russian.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "Superman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Sidney J. Furie, shot by Ernest Day. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Alexander Courage. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor John Shirley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Nuclear Power. In the best hands, it is dangerous. In the hands of Lex Luthor, it is pure evil. This is Superman's greatest battle. And it is for all of us.".
11IMDB entry: tt0094074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "saving the world", "superhero", "mountain", "nuclear missile".
13Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Day
Original score: Alexander Courage
Editing: John Shirley
Production design: John Graysmark
Costume design: John Bloomfield
Makeup / hair: Stuart Freeborn
VFX supervisor: Harrison Ellenshaw
Stunt coordinator: Alf Joint
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,000,000
Box office: $36,700,000
Return: 216% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes: 17% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 24/100
IMDB rating: 3.8/10 · 57,297 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 wins & 6 nominations total

Part of

Superman Collection

DC Comics' Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception.

Also by

Sidney J. Furie

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Ian Beale2017-02-22
★ 10/10
Better than the tedious Superman Returns/Man Of Steel Bad effects aside, this one is definitely more fun than the tedious and dull Superman Returns and Man Of Steel stuff - an overload of special effects does not make an engaging film. The performances here are all top notch as usual and the plot moved swiftly without taking itself too seriously. The franchise has always been silly - stupid even - especially when we remember that Richard Donner's Superman had Ned Beatty as the moronic Otis. The silliness has always been integral to the Superman series.
Monoval2018-03-18
★ 1/10
Filled with cheap gags, really horrible visual effects, a lazy story, a very bad musical score by Alexander Courage, a terrible villain (Nuclear Man), and some tiresome performances by the cast (except for Christopher Reeve), Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is one of the worst films ever made, the one of the worst movie sequels of all time, and the worst Superman film of all time. It is the kryptonite nail in the coffin for the Superman films, and none of the films after this even tried to save the Man Of Steel from his own detriment.
Wuchak2021-05-11
★ 5/10
The least of the tetralogy due to a slashed budget and the corresponding cheesy F/X Superman (Christopher Reeve) destroys all nuclear warheads on Earth for the sake of world peace, but Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has discovered a way to make a nuclear-powered thrall from Supes’ DNA and the energy of the Sun. Meanwhile a tycoon & his daughter take over The Daily Planet (Sam Wanamaker & and Mariel Hemingway). “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) is the weakest of the quadrilogy because the Salkind family sold the franchise to a Grade B production company, Cannon, and so instead of the healthy $39 million budget of “Superman III” (1983) it was slashed to $17 million (although it was originally supposed to be $36 million), which is apparent in the low-rent opening credits and the non-special effects throughout. Other than that glaring flaw, the main cast returns and the story is decent, augmented by the kick-axx Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) and the continuation of Clark’s relationship with Lois (Margot Kidder). The first two movies are standout sci-fi motion pictures, despite hailing from the late ’70s, and the third one has worthy themes if you can adjust to the parody tone and cartoonish presence of Richard Pryor (at least his character has a worthy story arc). This one, by contrast, is disappointing due to the second rate vibe. While there are some entertaining elements, the drop in quality is just too noticeable. The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot entirely in England with establishing shots of New York City, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Great Wall of China, etc. GRADE: C