- Actors: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Jon Cryer
- Directors: Sidney J. Furie
- Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language English, French
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: 1 May 2001
- Run Time: 90 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000059XUK
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 43,918 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
For all those familliar with the quality of the 3 previous movies then this film will become a bit of a shock.
From the moment the beginning credits start to roll, you sense that there is something badly wrong. The credits try mimic the title sequence of the preceding movies but in a less effective and evidently cheaper fashion, this sadly foreshadows what is to come.
Everything about this film, apart from the performers, reek of bargain basement.
For a movie that is just turning 20 years old, the special effects are awful. Long gone are the cutting edge effects of the previous movies. When Superman is in flight it is either an extremely poorly matted Christopher Reeve nearly static flying through badly shot background footage. Or we have him flying with painfully obvious wire showing. Worst still, an obvious doll is substituted in some scenes.
Although it's meant to be set in America it's obviously been filmed in the UK. Tight close up shots and a scattering of American cars and signs attempt to disguise this without success.
I am a huge fan of Christopher Reeve's performance as Clark Kent and Superman and it is sad to know that this was his swansong in the part. He and the rest of the cast deserved better.
From the moment the beginning credits start to roll, you sense that there is something badly wrong. The credits try mimic the title sequence of the preceding movies but in a less effective and evidently cheaper fashion, this sadly foreshadows what is to come.
Everything about this film, apart from the performers, reek of bargain basement.
For a movie that is just turning 20 years old, the special effects are awful. Long gone are the cutting edge effects of the previous movies. When Superman is in flight it is either an extremely poorly matted Christopher Reeve nearly static flying through badly shot background footage. Or we have him flying with painfully obvious wire showing. Worst still, an obvious doll is substituted in some scenes.
Although it's meant to be set in America it's obviously been filmed in the UK. Tight close up shots and a scattering of American cars and signs attempt to disguise this without success.
I am a huge fan of Christopher Reeve's performance as Clark Kent and Superman and it is sad to know that this was his swansong in the part. He and the rest of the cast deserved better.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The first 3 Superman movies starring Christopher Reeves are all Good!
Yes, I know, even the third one. The 3rd Superman movie with Richard Pryor had a great story, humour, and special effects way ahead of their time.....It's box office suffered because of peaking VHS copying and piracy at the time....
This film is what happens when you give the actor too much free reign on the direction and script of the movie. The screenplay, acting and special effects are all awful. There is no redeeming factor here.
It will take at least 20 more years before we can recover from the damage done by this movie to the Superman Franchise.........
Perhaps we can pretend that this movie never happened?....and leave the Reeves movies as a trilogy?
Yes, I know, even the third one. The 3rd Superman movie with Richard Pryor had a great story, humour, and special effects way ahead of their time.....It's box office suffered because of peaking VHS copying and piracy at the time....
This film is what happens when you give the actor too much free reign on the direction and script of the movie. The screenplay, acting and special effects are all awful. There is no redeeming factor here.
It will take at least 20 more years before we can recover from the damage done by this movie to the Superman Franchise.........
Perhaps we can pretend that this movie never happened?....and leave the Reeves movies as a trilogy?
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
With new producers, the director of the Ipcress File, all the principal players back and the leading man co-writing the script here was an opportunity to erase the terrible memories of the third film and come up with a return-to-form.
What a waste. The rumour is that only half the budget Cannon Films/Golan/Globus were given to make this fourth instalment was actually used. So instead of a big epic Donner-like revival of the Superman franchise, you get a film which feels like an above-average tv movie.
There are pluses. Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman make the film come alive when they are on screen and Margot Kidder's Lois Lane is as gorgeous as ever. Also the attempt to make the film relevant to what was still a very real concern regarding the arms race is a brave one.
And that is it as far as the pluses go. Jon Cryer as Lex Luther's dimwitted nephew is annoying, Mark Pillow's Nuclear Man is a cardboard cut-out and Metropolis has been reduced to stock footage of New York and actual footage of an industrial estate in Milton Keynes.
The one major set piece on a Metropolis street is ok but not thrilling and the special effects just don't match up to the original film which was filmed nearly a decade earlier.
A film with a big heart is destroyed by plastic effects and poor editing, knocking the franchise back twenty years in the process. If there is such a thing as the fabled Superman `curse' than it had a field day with this movie.
What a waste. The rumour is that only half the budget Cannon Films/Golan/Globus were given to make this fourth instalment was actually used. So instead of a big epic Donner-like revival of the Superman franchise, you get a film which feels like an above-average tv movie.
There are pluses. Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman make the film come alive when they are on screen and Margot Kidder's Lois Lane is as gorgeous as ever. Also the attempt to make the film relevant to what was still a very real concern regarding the arms race is a brave one.
And that is it as far as the pluses go. Jon Cryer as Lex Luther's dimwitted nephew is annoying, Mark Pillow's Nuclear Man is a cardboard cut-out and Metropolis has been reduced to stock footage of New York and actual footage of an industrial estate in Milton Keynes.
The one major set piece on a Metropolis street is ok but not thrilling and the special effects just don't match up to the original film which was filmed nearly a decade earlier.
A film with a big heart is destroyed by plastic effects and poor editing, knocking the franchise back twenty years in the process. If there is such a thing as the fabled Superman `curse' than it had a field day with this movie.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
superduff, supernaff
well superman 4 what can i say even when i was seven i didnt really enjoy it, its not the worse movie made christopher reeve & gene hackmen are good in there scenes together. Read more
Published 20 months ago by mr mark mooney
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I know there have been cuttings of the film thrown onto the floor and lost forever ... thanks to the budget issues with the Salkinds. However, this is STILL Superman! Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2007 by M. Sidhu
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Appalling
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