Continuity mistake: Superman's X-ray vision cooks the raw turkey and then the shot cuts to Superman's face, when it returns to the turkey is perfectly cook and now has a skinny leg on the right side.
Continuity mistake: When Superman lifts Lenny and Lex's car up in the air, Lenny's hand is inside the vehicle, but a frame later it's outside and further back.
Continuity mistake: Nuclear Man breaks through the Daily Planet ceilings but his hair doesn't ruffle, instead it looks much better than when he entered the building. Superman's hair does ruffle and get messy and dirty.
Continuity mistake: The Russian cosmonaut who says, "Sing at home, Sinatra.", is floating relaxed inside the spaceship, a frame later he is crouched fixing some bolts.
Continuity mistake: When Lenny and Lex do the genetic experiment, the stuff on the table comes much closer together between the first and second shot.
Continuity mistake: In the barn Carl looks ahead to see through the walls to check who's coming. His POV shows a cart wheel, but when the angle changes it's been replaced by 4 stables. The wheel is on the far right hand side.
Continuity mistake: When the volcano erupts, the village's main tower keeps swapping form lit to unlit between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Superman is being buried in the moon, the flag pole behind disappears between shots.
Continuity mistake: At the hotel room, Clark and Lois are watching the city skyline. From their POV the city is New York/Metropolis, but behind them is a glass door which reflects the real city, which is completely different.
Continuity mistake: When Superman flies to save the cosmonaut, the spaceship behind turns pink.
Continuity mistake: Before rampaging Metropolis, Nuclear Man elevates himself in Luthor's apartment and smoke comes out of his arms. For the rest of the movie this feature doesn't happen.
Continuity mistake: In the barn, the vest is folded in such a way that the sleeve-hole is hidden. However, in the close-up of Carl hiding the glass the hole is perfectly visible. Then it swaps to the previous angle.
Continuity mistake: Before Lacy enters the elevator at the hotel lobby an old man walks behind Clark, but suddenly disappears when the angle changes.
Continuity mistake: In the hotel room, the swimming pool's waters are flat, then when Superman arrives at the terrace behind they are very rippled, then a frame later it cuts to Lois greeting Super and they are totally flat again.
Continuity mistake: When the movie starts, the cosmonaut is standing up straight on the spaceship. A frame later he is laying horizontally plus he is suddenly attached to some sort of tube.
Continuity mistake: When Lois drives to the UN Lacy is not in the car. Half a second later she appears inside.
Continuity mistake: When Superman flies to save the girl inside the tornado and the family exits the basement there's a truck by the entrance door filled with hay. Half a second later the truck is gone and reappears behind the family, but now it's empty. (Laserdisc and international extended editions).
Continuity mistake: When the movie begins, the cosmonaut has some sort of big compass attached to his legs that disappears in the wide shots.
Continuity mistake: Lex is a bald man, except for this movie where he has very obviously natural hair.
Continuity mistake: After Superman ducks the moon rock, there's a close-up of Nuclear Man's black boot stepping on Superman's boot, yet in the next angle, it's Nuclear Man who's yelling in pain. It should be Superman instead.
Answer: It was made on a very low budget. Golen - Golbus productions bought the rights to Superman. They were mostly known for B-Movies with not so big name stars. It was there attempt to play with the big studios. Plus at least 45 minutes of scenes were cut out, with major subplots.
In addition to budget cuts, they kept shortening the runtime, meaning scenes needed to be cut. The comic book adaptation has the uncut scenes and makes much more sense.