SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE - Awfully Good Movies (1987) Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE - Awfully Good Movies (1987) Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman
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With the JUSTICE LEAGUE making their anticipated cinematic debut, and Superman rising back from the dead to join them (SPOILER ALERT, my ass), Awfully Good Movies returns to finally tackle the movie that kicked Superman off the big screen for nearly 20 years, as Christopher Reeve stars in SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE! The year was 1987, and Alexander and Ilya Salkind have driven the SUPERMAN franchise into the ground, so they decide to sell it off to another infamous duo of foreign movie producers: Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who brought us many a DEATH WISH sequel with the Cannon Films studio. But now Golan and Globus had a million-dollar franchise on their hands that could finally make their studio legit, and they nearly got the entire SUPERMAN cast-Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder included-back on board for this sequel, with Christopher Reeve co-writing the script to have Superman battle the timely threat of nuclear weapons.
But even a fallout shelter couldn’t protect audiences from this megaton bomb of a sequel, with Golan and Globus shafting the crew with a pitifully low budget and having Superman face off with a solar-powered weightlifter named Nuclear Man...because there clearly weren’t any villains left from the Superman comics to choose from. And when audiences left this flick, they did indeed believe that a man could fly...after you attach him to some wires and put him in front of a crappy green screen. Still, there’s no drug-fueled improv from Richard Pryor in this sequel, nor are there any scary woman-to-robot transformations, so I guess that you could give SUPERMAN IV some points on that front. But then I remember Jon Cryer’s performance in this movie, and then I proceed to take those points away.
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[@PurooRoy]

"And since we have Joss Whedon coming in, he will sprinkle some Avengers magic as well." That didn't really age well.

[@MoviePolitik]

Aww man it's so tragic

[@JeonardShadby505]

Trust me, my next episode is gonna make fun of that, so stay tuned. I'm not proud of it either, lol.

[@toatakanuva4846]

JoBlo (2017) - Since Joss Whedon is on board of Justice League, it might ge good Me (2019) - Well…

[@smhino]

Lol all I could think about during that opening monologue was oh he must’ve been so disappointed.

[@davidmayberry3190]

I'm ashamed to admit that I LOVED this shit when I was a kid, I mean absolutely loved it!!!

[@MrLaneaux]

Me too. It's an amazing film.

[@isaacgomez-everythingrevie6955]

Me too!

[@germsincognito8329]

It’s best when viewed as young children’s entertainment. I still enjoy watching it. In fact, it gets more rotation in my house than the others lol.

[@Ilyathe2nd]

Same here! My dad took me to see He-Man as well, both in 1987. I lapped that shit up as a 12-year old. Both are still nostalgic treats, they will never be bad to me, though they may be bad for me.

[@sefy76]

I'm not ashamed to admit that I feel this film while having the worst S/FX then any other film, it has the most Heart put into it by all the actors, even knowing what a disaster it's gonna end up as. Not looking thru the eyes of a critic, but just watching thru the eyes of a kid, the movie is still better then ALL the new ones made by Zack "The Schmuck" Snyder who demolished any resemblance to what Superman ever was...

[@phillip_rogers]

I saw this with my dad in the theaters right after we saw Masters of the Universe. We had a Cannon double feature 😃

[@michaelbiscay9836]

I somehow both pity and envy you.

[@elpistolero9394]

You have a good dad.

[@BeeHatGuy]

How was it?

[@lssproductions3180]

I can't tell if that would make you incredibly happy or incredibly disappointed

[@ace942]

Changing the text for the Russian being saved at the beginning of the movie was funny as hell. I couldn’t stop laughing for a few minutes.

[@Mr508films]

I'm glad you mentioned the idiocy of having Muriel Hemingway in space and some how not dying.

[@KonElKent]

If you watch when Superman and Nuclear Man are flying in space, there is a whitish ring around them. It's their "power aura" holding in a little bubble of atmosphere. *Actually it's an artifact from the optical composite of the image, but at least we can now explain it away...

[@socialwarsmiejercito5608]

I know, that was pathetic

[@splawnrobert]

Thankfully, that silly scene with Mariel Hemmingway in outer space is GONE in the UItimate F@n £dit.

[@anubusx]

X-Men Apocalypse also had every nuke being shot into outer space.

[@tomlinson1710]

But that was done by the villain and was treated as being in the wrong

[@jimmcclements5229]

I actually like all four Superman movies. I would love to see them make another 80's Superman movie. I like how they make it look like a comic book including humor which is as it should be.

[@seanpatrickcain2]

Lex Luthor: Destroy Superman! Nuclear Man: First, I have fun.

[@gkroll8467]

if you do not tell me where she is I will hurt people classic line

[@iwasanangryyoungman]

Thank the gods Jon Cryer is playing Lex Luthor RIGHT in the CW's Supergirl

[@valmarsiglia]

Eckhart was also Porkins in Star Wars and the "Top men" government agent at the end of Raiders.

[@tomthomas5793]

“And over the last few years we have heard a lot about something called ‘family values’. And like many of you, I have struggled to figure out what that means. And since my accident, I've found a definition that seems to make sense. I think it means that we're all family. And that we all have value.” - Christopher Reeve, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 1996. What a Super Man.

[@indiecinemaster4699]

Jon Cryer paid his dues by being the best live-action Lex Luthor since Gene Hackman. SERIOUSLY, HE OWNS THE PART!!!

[@dominikstarck5340]

Agree 100%. Among the lesser Reeve Superman movies this is the better one because it at least tried.

[@ChanceHopper]

that intro aged beautifully

[@KonElKent]

12:22 True story: in the spring of 2006, a twenty year old me was working a double shift at a certain evil blue electronics retailer and needed a little pick me up, so I grabbed a Sobe Superman SuperPower energy drink that had been released to cash in on Superman Returns (that sure paid off). Pardon the pun, but I was flying! After I did a back flip off the sales counter, they let me go home early...

[@theoriginalThud]

Lol! This was funny and spot on. I love "them Duke Boys" and "Puma Man" references. 😄

[@ramaravindmuppavarapu8461]

Super man is a character I love And India loves it to That's why 1980 India made its own super man ( he is basically Shazam with a batman's origin) And Marvel comics gave India It's own spider-man ( Universe 50101 I think) His name is pavitr Prabhakar

[@joetwist]

Wait, you don't laugh when Lenny says "the dude of steel; boy are you gonna get it!" I actually find that funny and didn't mind how he played it haha.

[@bizarrereality8890]

I remember watching this and loving it. It was funny, a bit strange, But for a 12 yr old like me and a 10 yr old brother .at the time .. Found this movie to be very entertaining.

[@MrZedblade]

For me this movie has the "Star Trek V" affect. It's not very good, but I still watch it every now and then and enjoy it.

[@warreng675]

No

[@hopsonkim4952]

I couldn’t help but notice your pain. It runs deep. Share it with me.

[@warreng675]

@@hopsonkim4952 What does god, need with a star ship!

[@warreng675]

Like the Star Trek The Motion Picture

[@warreng675]

I don't

[@pocketheart1450]

And then Jon Cryer went on to play Lex Luthor himself, and knocked it out of the park.

[@xgray2012]

I know, right?! And yet, strangely enough...Cryer makes a much better Lex Luthor than Jesse Eisenberg.

[@damiandyer2930]

As a kid I enjoyed Superman IV, I think it was my favorite alongside Superman II back then, because he actually fought super powered villains.

[@moviereviews4life]

Man of Steel & BVS are no bad Superman films, they are the ones that understood Superman the most

[@TPG1]

Agreed. That is what would actually happen if Superman was in this world. People would go crazy, Superman would be confused. Those movies were too real for the marvel crowd that the audience has become

[@moviereviews4life]

@@TPG1 Well I'm not going to say its just the Marvel crowd, there's plenty of people who don't have any preference who saw Man of Steel and are stuck on what they grew up with as the definitive Superman. To be honest its funny how the tone of a film can warp how you perceive things. The Richard Donner films had plenty of serious moments that are even more crazy when you think about it. When he kills Zod he gives a wink first, than afterward he acts like no big deal. I would rather have a Superman who falls apart when making a decision like that (as he did in the comics when he exiled himself in one story ad in another exposes himself of Gold Kryptonite) than a Superman who acts like it was just another day

[@919ENTERTAINMENTLLC]

@@moviereviews4life Well Zod and the crew was fucking up the planet so Supes was tired of their shit.

[@deeacosta2734]

Your videos are so good. Also Man of Steel was amazing. Underrated flick. 🙏

[@-MrFozzy-]

Captain Picard I totally agree....so bummed DC couldnt show restraint and slowly build up the DCEU....It should have been glorious....I hope they have plans to reboot everything....granted hard to do when you have the success of aquaman (I don’t get it) and Wonder Woman....I don’t envy anyone tasked with this....task....more Shazam....less dawn....more cavil.....less stash....more comicy-y-y-y-y! Or give us Michael b Jordan as supes....he’s a goram golden god anyways!

[@BabyMaau]

Henry Cavill Is the Best Superman And Why is There a 1957 CAR INSIDE THIS MOVIE

[@xgray2012]

@04:40-04:46 What's weird is that now, Mr. Cryer is actually playing Lex Luthor is seasons four and five of the CW Supergirl TV series. Crazy ain't it?!

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

2010 (1984)... "What's going to happen?.... Something Wonderful!" Superman IV (1987)... "What's he going to say?.... Something Wonderful!" Me (2019)... "What am I watching?.... Something Wonderful!"

[@warreng675]

Not Superman IV

[@shawnarthur5921]

If you think Luthor didn't coat those bolt cutters in Kryptonite, well... you just haven't paid attention to Lex Luthor in the last 70+ years.

[@GribbleGob]

at this point he just coats everything in the stuff

[@shawnarthur5921]

@@GribbleGob I sure would! Your chosen nemesis is a god that could crack the planet in half.

[@adcomedyjokes]

Now Jon Cryer plays Lex Luthor on the CW series SUPERGIRL

[@timrob12]

Gene Hackman literally passed the torch as Jon Cryer is now Lex Luthor on Supergirl. And I'm quite enjoying his take, actually.

[@xgray2012]

@04:36-04:46 Strangely enough, yet ironically, 30+ years later. Jon Cryer was recently added into the cast of Supergirl (Season Four) as the man of steel's iconic arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. And he is a far-better Lex Luthor than Jesse Eisenberg.

[@alinak811]

Fun fact: Cryer would then become Lex Luthor in the supergirl tv show.

[@cityman2312]

It's as enjoyably silly as Adam West's Batman - *he phones the police* "Hello, I'm Batman. May I speak to the commissioner please?"

[@MsDezB1]

...AND you mentioned the Superman Atari game!! Haa! I LOVED that game!

[@ennbee2051]

13:49 I always thought he was looking at me when I was a kid. Yes, I too loved 'Big' Christopher Reeves's portrayal of Superman.

[@Batman88878]

Reeve, not Reeves.

[@ennbee2051]

@@Batman88878 I'll bet I like him better than you?! How much do you wanna bet?

[@epb0205]

I've read in a number of places that if you add back the 40 minutes that was cut out, Superman IV actually becomes a decent movie. Oh and by the way, a movie can be good with bad special effects. The original Clash of the Titans movie from 1981 had horrible special effects (they actually used stop-motion animation). But it was a good movie because the story was really good in my opinion. On a side note, make all the jokes you want about Mariel Hemingway, but she was smokin' hot in that movie.

[@brandonpage7087]

What's wrong with stop motion animation? It's a good practical effect that can be awesome, when used right.

[@eddieboyky]

Dammit! Now I want to see that disco tribute to Woody Guthrie.

[@Fork1]

Fun fact, the Lenny Luthor-actor would later become a great Lex Luthor in the Supergirl tv-series.

[@NeoConnor1]

Glad there is someone out there who thinks 4 is better than 3. 4 isn't good, but it is more tolerable and well meaning than that cynical joke that was 3.

[@seanpatrickcain2]

7:33 No, you have MY voice.

[@raymondhall8691]

Anybody notice the hat Lex is wearing when he steals the hair? Its the Nuclear Man logo lol

[@xgray2012]

No.

[@jamesl.anderson1384]

2:48 10:53 Superman Returns (2006)

[@bryanwirthlin4444]

This is one of those cheesy movies that I absolutely love and I make no apologies for it.

[@glenardensfinest]

A Great Breakdown of Superman 4!! Your Hilarious 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@scottyclayton5604]

You're

[@thomashaberl2858]

Nuclear Man burns a giant pile of money decades before Heath Ledger Joker.

[@OceanbornAngel]

God I had such a teen crush on Mark Pillow.

[@sulfuricdumbass389]

With hindsight that intro is hilarious

[@timfurnier7061]

I saw 1 - 3 in the theater, but after 3, I gave up. I never saw this entire movie......just bits and pieces.

[@thejoojooman6538]

I would deffo watch that Spiderman movie!

[@alancarnell2747]

The opening of this video hasn't aged well. I too had high hopes.

[@creatorsremose]

This video is 397 times better when viewed drunk.

[@Foebane72]

Superman IV is a TURD, plain and simple, I give it 1 out of 10. I LOVE Superman III as much as the first two, basically because it was the first Superman movie I ever saw, and it cemented my nascent interest in computers that started in Tron (I was born in 1972). I didn't know who Richard Pryor was at the time, but I liked his character's new-found talent for programming in the movie, I liked the different villains and love interest for a change (who wants the two double L's all the time?), Evil Superman was a hoot, and of course, I loved everything to do with the Ultimate Computer. I would rate Superman III 7 out of 10, the first two 9 out of 10 (both cuts of Superman II, that is).

[@Lion2Tiger]

I agree. Superman III is good fun, even if it isn't quite on a par with the first two films. IV is shockingly dumb, devoid of genuine humour and all round incompetent.

[@skaetur1]

Go algorithmic go!

[@Sheepy007]

Dont you think it' s ironic that now 30 years later Jon Cryer plays Lex Luthor on Supergirl?

[@JeonardShadby505]

Oh fuck, does he? I don't watch the show, but if that's true, good for him. That's awesome!

[@robertpolanco1973]

@@JeonardShadby505 - Well, I guess you're missing a lot from the "Supergirl" TV series, Shade.

[@Eric_1991]

Not really. If the Arrowverse does anything well, it’s paying homage to previous comic book movies/tv shows.

[@braddockakalatis2]

5:11 I wish someone would point out that's the ship captain from part 3. IMDB it!

[@Vaporvice84]

If your joke about Christopher Reeve writing the script and saying the best way to rid Humanity of Nuclear War is for Superman to simply throw all the missiles into the sun, and we all agree that comic books are a form of escapism for nerds to get wish fulfillment vicariously through these larger than life characters, then technically Christopher Reeve trumped them all by getting a studio to fund his wish fulfillment idea and make it into a movie, with himself in the lead as the greatest comic book character ever made. Mind blown, lol.

[@germsincognito8329]

I actually enjoy this one quite a bit. It was the first one i saw as a child, and as an adult its fun to watch on a lazy sunday afternoon to laugh at over that sticky green ill shit ;)

[@doddy_bj_miko]

Me n my brother's fav Superman film in our childhood :) :p

[@Beardedvikingweirdo]

It's that thing! I died

[@CardinalBiggles01]

04:35 That's the "School Bully" from Ripping Yarns. Well played

[@tur74d56]

I could never understand the Americans not been able to understand the Supergirl movie , in Europe it did very well and was easy to follow the plot as was Superman 3

[@rif42]

4:05 LOL, Love is a battlefield Great Pat Benetar song, and video very 1980's.

[@brianevans6423]

Hahaha using that reporter grape stomping face plant audio was fuckin genius man.

[@russellharrell2747]

Those were bolt cutters gene hackman used to cut Superman’s hair, not hedge clippers.

[@JeonardShadby505]

I know, I fucked that one up, and I sadly knew I fucked it up when I saw the rendered video, but it was too late to do anything about it.

[@ericisaac5998]

Its funny How Jon Cryer was Lex Luthor's nephew in this movie now years later Now played Lex himself in The Supergirl CW_ TV show!

[@D.Z.A.-kp8lf]

I remember sitting in the theater in 1987 watching this and thinking if you throw that many nuclear weapons at the sun aren't all of them going to explode? and if the sun explodes wouldn't that destroyed Earth somehow?even at the age of 15 I was overthinking shit... I guess

[@rgerber]

That Lex Luthor and his sons dynamic remind me of Dr Evil and his son

[@PetePuebla]

Superman IV is the worse and a real reason why we didn't see Superman again in cinemas for years.

[@fusionspace175]

I actually have an explanation for all the crazy powers. This was all before 1986 and the reboot of Superman into the version we know today spun out of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which standardized his powers and history. The old pre crisis Superman would have new powers all the time, the crazier the better. He could literally do anything the writers wanted such as tossing planets around and flying through time. I have seen his chest icon start blasting rays out of it which affect people strangely and in one issue he could fire tiny Supermen from the tips of his fingers. What's wall-rebuilding vision, a cellophane S shield, and a memory wipe kiss compared to all that?

[@JWUniverse]

The Heart Of This Film Was In The Right Place But Like You Said Cheap Producers And Some Stupid Slap Stick Shouldn't Have Made The Cut!

[@kazallroberts]

Despite Superman 4 being a terrible movie, I do agree that it at least felt like a professional Superman movie than 3.

[@warrior-prints7385]

These movies had everything they needed to be timeless except competent people in charge of making them ....

[@chuckselvage3157]

Superman ended when Richard Donner was hooked.

[@thegadflygang5381]

I am only 4 years late here but tell me I am not the only person to get the "PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE" ADR voice over joke at 7:42 ?!?

[@OctoBuddah009]

I am super down to watch a Stinky Diver solo film!

[@vampystingray7877]

9:28 this was superman 4 budget but sadly cannon fucked up

[@KenAdams426]

ever notice how superman will puff his chest and let the bullets bounce off him. but when the bad guy runs out of bullets, and they throw the gun at him, he ducks.

[@satelitemikedatapro2498]

I fuckin' loved anything Golan and Globus in the 80's. Dino de Laurentis rocked to. "The dude of steel"

[@RickardoMute]

It was nice to watch a review of this movie that wasn't just a 100% trash fest. Yes it's ridiculous, yes the plot is laughable, yes the effects are terrible... I mean it's just not good. But I loved this movie as a kid and still appreciate to this day, and it is nice to see someone else does too

[@derekyoung5941]

Jesse, have you ever considered doing a review of Con Air for this series?

[@JeonardShadby505]

Derek Young Absolutely! I love the hell out of that movie. But I don’t want to be too quick to review it, because so many bad movie critics who I love have done it already. In due time, though, I’d love to rewatch it for the show.

[@JLE8811]

Not hedge clippers but definitely bolt cutters. Big difference.

[@charlessmith7289]

Any awfully good tv shows? like sliders

[@JBTMR]

This guy is funny wish Jesse shade had a KZbin channel

[@JeonardShadby505]

I already do! Click on my thumbnail!

[@didodidrive9412]

Four is all types of fucked up. I love Richard Pryor and the junkyard fight in part 3. Those 2 scenes alone put 3 far ahead of 4. In fact, until watching this video it had never even been a thought. Too bad it didn't work out, though. It could have made a wonderful quadrilogy.

[@rxtsec1]

"Stop don't do it the people"

[@MegaALEXLOUIS]

Nice to see such a crappy mistake as "England" sitting in the United Nations assembly, not the United Kingdom.

[@alexshmalex]

MegaALEXLOUIS Plot twist: Its set in 2021 after the UK breaks up.

[@MegaALEXLOUIS]

@@alexshmalex 😂

[@peterd788]

Particularly when you take account of the fact that it was filmed in the UK.

[@chilam1926]

Superman

[@billybollockhead5628]

How does Superman cut and comb his hair?

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

Superman IV was my first theatrical experience and I love it, flaws and all.

[@eddiedutra3359]

barf

[@bb7931]

I dunno...Spider-man vs Charles Bronson would've been worth the price of admission

[@thedeekabides]

0:40 Hahahahahahaha ..,my sides

[@tonyeckman4822]

This movie rules! Too much overanalysis in regards to fantasy. Like Stephen King said "When people age the muscles of their imaginations become weak" A child would adore this movie because they aren't worried about the reality behind the scenes. They believe in the fantasy, regardless of how outlandish or unbearably unbelievable some of the ideas may be. Let your critical guard down. Have a beer (or three) and Indulge. Only fantasy is real.

[@drmotya661]

The most U N D E R R A T E D Channel I've ever seen

[@salliewagenblatt5188]

Would you consider doing the fantastic four 2015 version and daredevil movie at some point or even the more recent batman vs superman filck

[@cain666]

This guy has a very interesting voice.

[@JeonardShadby505]

I'll take that as a compliment!

[@MelissaTimea99]

Superman Peace: The Quest For Four Loko

[@fridaythe13thpartx]

Great Caesar’s Ghost...Superman IV....The Quest for a Script...

[@ChaseSchleich]

The opening of this video didn't age well....

[@WelcometoVideoCity]

2019 look back, nope.

[@JonathanRossRogers]

Love is a Warfield!

[@zitazeon]

if you teach the earth to put its faith in anyone man (jesus/god) teaching them to be betrayed. did he not see that?