Movie Review: ****Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

 This movie poses the question, should a super being impose peace, nuclear disarmament in this case, on the world.  In this case Superman (Christopher Reeve) takes on this task.  However in this case, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) has escaped prison again, helped by his nephew, Lenny (John Cryer). Luthor is determined to clone Superman.  He does this using the sun, which gives him the power of the sun creating Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow).  

In the mean time at the Daily Planet things are not going well.  There has been a hostile takeover by David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker) who is into sensational headlines and stories even if not quite true.  Perry White (Jackie Cooper) is let go and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) eventually quits.  Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) hangs on.  Lois Lane rekindles her flame with Superman, encouraged by Superman.   Warfield's daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) ignites a flame with Clark Kent.  Clark Kent and superman go on a double date with Lois and Lacy which makes for some trickery back and forth.  However the date is interrupted when Luthor send a message to Superman on a frequency only he can hear.  He entices Superman and introduces him to Nuclear Man.  This leads to an interesting fight, and Superman being sickened, perhaps with nuclear energy from the sun.  The outcome is very much in doubt, as long as the sun shines Nuclear Man has the advantage.

In the mean time White has bought up the shares of the company, and comes back with his own take over, kicking Warfield out.  Superman concludes that peace should not be forced, but come from the people themselves.

This movie has an interesting conclusion.  The Superman movies all fall short in terms of special effects.  They did not have the computer generated features that are available now.  However within their technology limits they do pretty well.  

Movie Review: *** Superman III

 This is the only Christopher Reeve Superman movie without Lex Luthor.  Instead he goes up against Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) who is an entrepreneur.  He teams up with a computer expert, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor).  He also has a couple women helping him, Vera (Annie Ross) and Lorelei (Pamela Stephenson).  They access a satellite and with that they manipulate the weather.

There is also less Lois Lane and the newspaper characters as Clark Kent returns to Smallville for his class reunion, and rekindles a flame with Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole) and out duels Brad (Gavav O' Herlihy) for her affections.

So Gorman designs a super computer, but the three villains take it over and kick him out.  In bread into the computer is it analyzes an opponents weaknesses, and is able to counter.  When superman confronts the computer, the computer takes over one of the women and becomes self sufficient.  It is no longer dependent on electricity and becomes independent.  Superman has to trick the computer to save the world.

Movie Review: ****^Superman II (1980)

 Superman II is just as fun as Superman.  In fact in some ways it is funner.  The gag at Niagara Falls, and Clark Kent 45(Christopher Reeve) saving Lois (Margot Kidder) while bumbling around and not using super powers or so it seams.  And then the trip to Superman's residence, and his relinquishing his powers.  The bit at the diner is just as fun.  Superman without powers is beaten into the ground, but then he returns after getting his powers back.

The basic theme is three other beings (Sarah Douglas, Jack O'Halloran and Terence Stamp) from Krypton show up, after a nuclear bomb explodes in space, releasing them from their prison.  They are intent on ruling, and nothing can stop their powers; especially not Superman after relinquishing his powers.  Superman has to undo this, but he still is no match for the three.  So he has to use subterfuge, and Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).

Movie Review: ****^Superman (1978)

 Superman/Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) is sent to earth by his parents (Marlon Brando and Susannah York) as his planet, Krypton is due to explode.  They send him to earth, where differences is gravity will give him super powers.  There he is adopted by the Kents (Glen Ford and Phyllis Thaxter).  When his father dies, he moves to New York and becomes a reporter.  There he works with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), photographer Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) and his boss Perry White (Jackie Cooper).  Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) is a criminal boss and mastermind.  He is intent and igniting a nuclear bomb to create an earthquake so California with drop into the sea.  This will propel his properties in the desert to be seaside property.  

He figures out Superman.  He is from another planet, and vulnerable to kryptonite.  He uses this to incapacitate Superman and launch his two nuclear bombs.  However Luthor is betrayed by his girl (Valerie Perrine).  She released Superman, who in turn saves his friends and the world.  

Movie Review: ****^Somewhere in Time (1980)

This is one of the best romantic dramas I have ever seen.  This has a classic love story, the only problem being that our lovers are a couple generations apart.  Richard (Christopher Reeve) is a play write.  On the evening of his big opening, an older woman, Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour) meets him saying, "Come back to me." 
Eight years later he is a bit despondent about life, and takes a trip to the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Lake Michigan.  There he becomes enraptured with an old painting of an actress.  He studies this and realizes it is the same person who visited him.  He visits an old professor who believes in time travel.  He says the clue is to immerse yourself in the other time, and blocking out of your own time, and then using self hypnosis, it is possible. 
He tries this the first time, and fails.  He then looks at the old register books, and finds his own name, so he knows he will eventually succeed.  So he tries again, and wakes up in 1912.  He at first doesn't find the actress, but eventually he does.  It is with difficulty that they are able to go for a work.  McKenna's manager does everything in his power to keep them apart.  Richard attends the performance, and McKenna goes off script, and recites a love invitation to Richard.  At intermission they agree to meet, but the manager abducts Richard and leaves him tied up in the stables.  He is not able to get away until the next day, and discovers the acting company has left.  However she has left the company, and finds him for a day of bliss. 
All can not end happily which such a match.  A penny is the cuprit, a penny from 1979, not 1912.
This movie has a sad ending, as Richard starves himself to death so he can be with his love.  He does accomplish this.  Love or mental illness.  I am sure people called it illness, but it works as they meet in the after life in the last scene.
This love story is fantastic, and the resistance of the manager only makes the story more beautiful.  However the self starvation is a bit disturbing.