--- title: "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace" critics_score: 22 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987): what the critics said Critics' score 22 from 8 reviews: 0 positive, 0 mixed, 8 negative. The consensus is firmly negative: all eight reviews find Superman IV: The Quest for Peace a weak sequel, with cheap-looking effects, sluggish storytelling and little of the earlier films’ humour. Praise is sparse and centres on the performers, particularly Christopher Reeve and Hackman’s occasional laughs. Even sympathetic notices find those contributions overwhelmed by weak plotting and poor production values. The anti-nuclear message offers little compensation, coming across as either buried or heavy-handed. The differences concern what remains worth defending, rather than whether the film succeeds. The Hollywood Reporter finds some spectacular action amid the flatness, while most critics treat the effects as a central failing. The Los Angeles Times credits the cast with retaining a playful grip on their roles; Variety finds most of them going through the motions. The spread is narrow, with even the less hostile reviews offering scant encouragement. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Paul Mungo Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 1987. The critic notes some spectacular action sequences but finds the film turgid, flat, and unmemorable overall, with the villains providing the only relief. The excess of effects looks stale, and it skimps on ingredients while following the standard formula. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/superman-iv-review-movie-1987-christopher-reeve-1236308915/) ## Time Out — BC Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the film as dreary as a summit conference in Belgium, with a story that lacks momentum and half-hearted special effects. A weedy romantic subplot involving quick costume changes is singled out as tiresome. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 1 January 1987. The film sorely lacks the flair and agreeable humor of earlier entries in the series, with Hackman getting a few laughs but everyone else going through the motions with less fun. It features Superman addressing nuclear disarmament and battling an evil clone on the moon. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace-1200427105/) ## Los Angeles Times — Michael Wilmington Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 1987. The critic finds the film a ragingly dull thud with cheap-looking effects and a skimped extravaganza that submerges its idealistic anti-war core. The cast retains a playful grip on their roles, but the movie lacks the magic of its predecessors. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-27-ca-4091-story.html) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 2008. The review details how budget cuts and poor production turned a promising sequel into a cheap, incoherent mess with bad effects, destroying the franchise's dignity. It singles out the deteriorated flying effects and the desperate anti-nuclear message as complaints. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-a-franchise-killing-case-f-1798215561) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2007. The critic deems it a dreadful fourth installment that ruins the Superman series, singling out the low budget effects, ridiculous plot elements like Nuclear Man, and poor production values for criticism. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/superman-iv-quest-peace-review/) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2009. The critic calls the film a surprisingly poor outing that marks the death of the Superman series, attributing its failures to severe budget cuts that resulted in cheap effects, reused shots, and a small-scale production compared to earlier entries. Some positive notes on Christopher Reeve's performance and a few scenes are overshadowed by weak plotting, illogical elements, and underwhelming new cast members. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace-film-review-by-stephen-carty) ## Collider Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 8 June 2011. The film is an undeniable low point, sickening and worse than Superman III, with a reduced budget, poor continuity, and everyone going through the motions. Reeve's well-meaning anti-nuclear message feels heavy-handed and phony, while Lenny Luthor is among the most annoying characters ever. [Read the review](https://collider.com/superman-motion-picture-anthology-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/superman-iv-the-quest-for-peace.md