6. Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
It’s a shame Christopher Reeve’s last turn as the Man of Steel had to be the worst Superman movie. Reeve has to shoulder some of the blame as it was his idea for the plotline of Superman taking away nuclear weapons, which went against the character. Gene Hackman did his best to entertain as Lex Luthor but Nuclear Man was a lame villain.
The bigger problem was that this was made by Golan-Globus for the cheap, and it showed. The locations are too small, the special effects are horrendous and it’s obvious this was chopped up in editing. The story and performances are lousy, even from Reeve and what had been one of the best superhero franchises ever sputtered to a sad and nearly final end.
5. Supergirl
Poor as the last two Superman movies were, they look great compared to this woeful spinoff. To try and boost the franchise, the producers attempted to give Supergirl her own film. The good part is that Helen Slater was a decent choice for the role, looking like the character and strong in the costume. Sadly, it was another case of a good casting wasted in an awful film.
The movie’s plot doesn’t make an impact, and Faye Dunaway’s performance makes her Mommie Dearest role look restrained. It looks like it was made on the cheap, and while Slater had a fun turn in the later Supergirl TV show, her solo run as the character failed to fly.
4. Suicide Squad
Watching this movie is like seeing two completely different films slammed together. This was famously recut by the studio to get rid of the darker tone and attempt to replicate Marvel’s humor-branded take on superheroes. That was a bad idea and David Ayer has been open on how his original cut was better. It’s hard to believe it could be any worse as aside from Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller and Margot Robbie’s delightful Harley Quinn, nothing in this movie worked.
The various characters fail to connect with Will Smith looking downright bored as Deadshot. Then there’s Jared Leto’s Joker, a way too bizarre take barely in the movie. The 2021 sequel was a far better take on the property, and fans can hope that one day, the “Ayer Cut” will give us the movie we wanted in the first place.