I was never really a fan of Superman. Nope. Not ever. And it goes beyond the garish tights.
And no it's not a typical girl aversion toward comic book characters! I never really read the comics themselves but I watched the shows...which is almost the same thing. Haha. Ok apologies to purists who may be gasping in horror now. But in any case, Xmen was firmly established in my canon of favourite childhood tv shows. And I caught it every week on a near religious basis. I also adored the Batman series and the dark cityscape of Gotham; my first email address paid homage to my favourite Batman villain! And my brother and I remain to this day, curious about the fate of Peter Parker after the final episode of what appeared to be the last season of Spiderman was screened on Premier 12 (or whatever that channel used to be called)...you know, when Mary Jane was killed but Peter Parker realized that she wasn't the real Mary Jane and she was instead a clone, so he ran off with some fortune teller woman into a parallel universe to look for the real MJ. So see? I like comic book stories even if I'm too lazy and cheap to read them. (Hehe)
But I never got Superman. Just as I never got Captain America. I could never reconcile myself to:
1. The fact that Superman has possibly one of the WORST and functionally POINTLESS disguises amongst all the superheroes. He just whips out contact lenses and styling gel. I mean, c'mon. For someone hailing from a futuristic planet I'm quite sure he can do better than that. And I always wondered why Lois Lane was dumb/blind enough to never recognize him.
2. The fact that Superman is pretty boring compared to the more angsty anti-Heroes like Batman or Wolverine. I mean, I have never personally liked Wolverine either, but I can concede how claws, amnesia, freaky Nazi operation and primal rage make for a more nuanced, intriguing character than some bland farm boy/alien who can fly.
3. Superman has almost every power in the book it's unfair. He's so powerful, he's omnipotent. And that's also kinda boring after a while. Plus he never had a cartoon series. Or if he did I wasn't aware/didn't care.
So I was a bit reluctant to go watch the movie when it came out but I thought I'd just go to see what the hype was all about.
...
Hah no this isn't going to be one of those gushing 'Oh it totally changed my mind about _____(insert), it really brought a new perspective to everything!' movie review.
I still don't like Superman. Still don't see what the big deal is about some guy who has abs of steel. Still don't understand why Lois Lane continuously gets on my nerves by her stubborn non-recognition of Clarke Kent through that FUNCTIONALLY POINTLESS disguise. Still think Superman is terribly boring and too good for his own...well, good. But I'll have to say the movie deserves praise for how it wisely played up the ...shall we say...epic side of Superman (because honestly. What else could they do?) and truly made it a movie of breath-taking proportions. Some spectacular, poignant, even beautiful images, like when Superman wistfully watches Lois Lane gracefully ascend up the elevator.
Pity the later half of the movie became a little anti-climatic.
But I was just struck and mildly surprised by how insistent the movie's portrayal of Superman in almost Christ-like fashion was. Maybe it's just me imposing my own assumptions on the movie but the allusions seemed pretty glaring; All the references to Prometheus and God by Lex Luther...and more indirectly, to Atlas (various scenes of Superman lifting up ...erh...spherical structures...quite literally, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders). And of course the inherently virtuous, self-sacrificial acts he performs...ridding the Atlantic Ocean of a threatening crystal outgrowth, nearly killing himself in the process (and not to mention, a rather miraculous 'resurrection' in the hospital!). All the Father-Son voice overs by Joel ('Through the Father comes the Son blah blah and I send you my Only Son to Earth") - all suspiciously John-ian in nature. Superman rising up above Earth, patiently listening to the cries of the down-trodden and persecuted. His deep intonations to Lois Lane, assuring her that he's 'always around', along with the now-familiar 'Everyday I hear the world calling for a Saviour' line. And the ultimate? Lex Luther and his thugs beating up a powerless Superman (now where have we seen that before?) whilst Lex's girlfriend weeps. It's so starkly obvious that by the time Lex Luther raises a Kryptonite sphere and stabs it into Superman's side, you're all like "OK! We get it already!". Yes yes, Superman is the epitome of Virtue and Goodness and Perfection. Whew! Subtlety anyone?
But in any case it was a pretty good show as far as action movies go. I just don't like Superman.
Anyway, I caught 'Thank you for Smoking' today. As the Media Authorities have kindly pointed out, its a 'social satire' not a message for impressionable young minds to go ahead and light up. Its about spin doctors and how people basically can get through any situation with lots of hot air and BS. A strange topic but deftly executed with a very very witty script. When watching, I was strongly reminded of what Melanie told me once 'Exams are always about fooling the examiner to think that you know more than what you really know'.
How true. Sometimes a little expediency goes a long way.
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