Superman IV Isn't So Bad

Was Batman V. Superman too much for you? Too gritty? Too violent?

Were you expecting a Superman who believes in people and does good for the sake of doing it?

Well, that Superman can be found in the old Superman flicks. I showed my son Superman IV: The Quest For Peace the other day and he loved it. He's only fifteen months old, and was glued to it.  I can remember being seven years old in the 80s and just loving this movie.  As I got older, jaded, and far more cynical that I started to believe all the negativity about The Quest For Peace.  But seven year old me, and 15 month old Grayson love this movie.  Maybe Superman IV ain't so bad after all.

Okay, yes Superman IV is pretty bad. And here's why most people say so:

• The visual effects are total bullshit 
• There are numerous plot holes
• People breathe in space without dying
• Nuclear Man looks ridiculous 

But, and remember this is from a kid's point of view, there are some great things about Superman IV.

"Ladies and gentlemen... the ladies of GLOW Wrestling!"

Christopher Reeve still owns the role
One of the best things about Reeve's performance as the Man of Steel is that he's simply a gentleman and a friend.  He doesn't overly dissect the character to make him cool or trendy.  He's just a super guy.

me in the 80s

The music is fantastic 
John Williams wrote some new music for this movie and it was adapted by Alexander Courage.  While not as good as the original Superman movie score, it's still awesome to hear that theme play when Superman is doing something super.  It brings you into the movie and along for the action.

The movie is visually bright and colorful 
Even compared to the first three installments of the series, Superman IV is the one that looks most like a comic book.  It's bright, kind of campy, and sometimes over-the-top looking.  Just look at Nuclear Man's awful costume.  Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous, but so were super heroes and villains in the 80s.

We actually see Superman fight somebody 
Sure, the actual fighting sequences between Superman and Nuclear Man are pretty shoddily choreographed, and the visual effects certainly don't help, BUT we actually see Superman in a fight all over the world and on the moon.  With a better budget, script, dialogue, and effects, this could have been a pretty cool slug-fest to see on the big screen.  

Luthor is a mad genius trying to destroy Superman

Luthor's appearances in Superman and Superman II mostly show him as being obsessed with owning land.  But if you look back at many of the comics over the years, Luthor was an evil genius always coming up with new ways to try and destroy the Man of Steel.  The idea of Luthor sending Superman's DNA into the sun with a bullshit computer program isn't as far-fetched as you may have believed.  Nor are the notions of him shrinking Superman with a shrink-ray gun or swapping his mind with Superman's.

"My eyes are up here, Luthor."

Mariel Hemingway is pretty fun

Okay, Margot Kidder was definitely past her prime for this movie which is probably why sexy Mariel Hemingway was brought in as a love interest for Clark.  Back then they knew you don't mess with the Superman/Lois relationship... but Clark was technically considered a different person back then.  Hemingway's character (Lacy Warfield) was actually lots of fun.  The only thing she was missing was a set of L.L. initials.  

This movie features Superman more than any other Superman movie.

Say what?  You heard me.  In the original Superman movie  we don't even see Superman on screen until about the 45-minute mark.  Then, in Superman II, he spends a good portion of the movie powerless and out of the costume.  Superman III?  The less said about it the better, but again, Superman takes a backseat to Clark Kent and Richard Pryor.  Superman IV actually has more scenes involving Superman (by percentage of the movie) than any other in the series.  Heck, let's even throw Superman Returns in there for good measure.  So here, you can see why kids really like Superman IV - they aren't focusing so much on the quality and little details, they're just excited to see Superman being Superman.

So there you have it.
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace ain't so bad because kids like it.  And their opinion about a Superman movie is what should be important.

Thanks for reading!
- ryan

a picture in picture of my little guy watching Superman IV and loving it.