From genre-defining blockbuster to tossed-off B-Movie in nine years. We're gonna take a look at the movie that killed the Superman film series for NINETEEN YEARS! You've most likely seen me rant about this movie all the time, so here's another rant. Only this time, it has extreme detail.

First, the story. When I first heard about the story of this film, I thought it would be the best thing ever. Superman interfering with NUCLEAR WAR! How could you go wrong?! *silence*. Well here's how you go wrong. Have Superman get rid of ALL nuclear missiles in ONE SCENE! ONE FUCKING SCENE!!! On top of that, it's hardly focused on nuclear warfare. Instead, we have a shit load of subplots that take up the entire movie.

Subplot #1: Clark Kent sells off the Kent family farm

Subplot #2: The Daily Planet is turned into a trashy tabloid

Subplot #3: Lex Luthor breaks out of prison

Subplot #4: Some little kid gives Superman the idea of getting rid of all nukes

Subplot #5: Clark Kent has a girlfriend

THEN, the movie decides to rip off the scene from the first Superman film where Superman flys with Lois. Yep, the movie resorts to straling the best moment from the best movie. Where's the nuclear war?!?! And it doesn't help that there's A LOT of plotholes. Oh yeah, and a lot of scenes that were actually relevant to the story were cut from the movie, reducing the run time by 40 minutes! But you just hold on, this absolute mess of a screenplay is just the icing on the shit-cake.

The next biggest problem with this movie is the special effects........Where do I begin? The special effects are dead upon arrival. Seriously, the effects are already shit from the opening credits onwards. Don't believe me? Well take a gander at these LOVELY (not) opening credits.

(FUN FACT: These opening credits cost $1.98 to make. The effort shows)

We have horrific Blue-Screen effects, fake miniatures and the same shot of Superman flying towards the camera used over and over and over again! Not to mention that the one flying shot they used looks like it was done using Photoshop! Here's some more WTF-ery. There are scenes where you can see THE F***ING WIRES that are suspending the actors. Then there's a scene on the Moon where you can actually see THE BLACK CURTAINS which are supposed to be Outer Space. This is like an Ed Wood movie! Although there are a handful of scenes where the effects are pretty good, the bad visual effects outweigh the good ones. In Superman IV, it's not the lead that we can't see through, but them big bulging wires.

Hey, what do you do if you're too poor to film in New York? Film in England! Yep, they actually did that. There's a scene on the Metropolis subway, and you can clearly tell that they filmed the London Underground instead of the New York subway. AND for all the scenes in the city, they filmed in MILTON KEYNES! They even used Milton Keynes train station as the entrance for the United Nation building! God damn!

Now, onto the cast. My opinions on the cast and how they perform is generally positive. Christopher Reeve plays Superman one last time and makes a top-notch performance. Gene Hackman returns as Lex Luthor and also does a really good job. Same goes for Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield. The only performance I can pick on is Jon Cryer as Lex's nephew, Lenny Luthor. He talks like an 80's hipster, and that ain't good at all.

The action scenes....Well....Just watch this scene....

I should also mention that this movie has one of the worst villains ever. Nuclear Man.

Look at him... just.... look at him. Have you seen anything more ridiculous than that? That costume looks like something you'd see in a Gay pride parade (no hate intended).

Then there's the soundtrack, which is the one saving grace of this movie. John Williams wrote the original themes and they were adapted and composed by Alexander Courage, who does an outstanding job. Despite the shittyness of the opening credits, I think it has the best version of the opening score. If you can get your hands on the soundtrack of this movie seperately, then I highly recommend picking it up.

Every time I watch this film, I get a bittersweet feeling. I say this because it's the last time Christopher Reeve plays Superman before he was paralysed in a horse-riding incident. And that pretty much makes me very sad

This movie gets a 3/10. The acting, the soundtrack and the ideas are all very good, but they can't save this trainwreck of a movie. It is the "Dutch-Elm disease" (One of Lex's quotes) of the Superman series.

(FUN FACT: They had plans for Superman V is this travesty was successful! *facehoof*)