"No. It's the same as it's always been, Luthor. On the brink. With good fighting evil."
-Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve
Superman: The Movie and Superman II were decent (if not a little dated and cheesy) adaptations of the classic comic-book hero. Then, Superman III came along, with so much absurdity and camp; I didn't think it could get any sillier or dumber than that. Then I saw Superman IV.
Suffering from massive budget cuts, this film was cut down to a short, cheap, silly affair. Given the story, I doubt this movie would have been that much better with a bigger budget anyway. The film starts off with a few pointless character-building points and bits of Daily Planet drama (a subplot that ultimately could have been cut out completely without sacrificing much). For the last half or so, however, the film's real meat is in a long, epic, and rather silly clash between Superman and Nuclear Man. Oh, it's pretty cool to see a guy with claws shooting red lightning bolts everywhere, but all the encounters between this villain and the hero are made pretty short and stupidly. Among the absurdities in the film, one of the most defining testaments to this film's weaknesses has to be the scene where Superman rebuilds the Great Wall of China simply by staring at it.
The best that can be said is that the film skirts along the "so bad it's good" threshold. It's not terribly boring or dull, just poorly executed. It is to Superman what Batman and Robin is to Batman (although I always found B&R a little more endearing).
The plot for Superman IV gets a little pushy (and rather one-sided) with its themes of nuclear disarmament. It is ultimately a weak plot, with barely any characterization involved. As daft as most scenes are, it all comes off as shallow and forgettable.
This film has its share of okay photography and editing. Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, and Jackie Cooper all reprise their roles admirably; Mark Pillow is deliciously over-the-top as the villain. Writing is not terribly great. This production has a rather weak array of sets, props, and costumes. Special effects vary from scene to scene; some look cool, others look terrible. The music score continues to repeat the themes already established by John Williams.
Fun, maybe, but definitely the weakest and silliest film in the Superman franchise. Unless you're looking for something to make fun of, you best avoid.
2/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Awful | Film: Poor)
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