People these days are too fast to disregard Superman as a boring Superhero with no "real" problems. The most common argument being that his powers are simply unstoppable causing him to be a one sided character. This is usually why he loses when people have the great Batman/Superman debate, trying to argue why the other is better. Well, I am not writing this today to try and convince you that Superman is better than Batman. Personally I don't see why that is even a debate due to the fact that they are both so different and unique in their own way. They should just Not be compared. I want to restore Superman to his former cultural greatness, which I have no doubt the new Superman movie will do. But before it does, I want to be able to say, "I told ya so!"
Before we get too far into this, I want all of you comic book geniuses out there to know that I am looking at this topic at a purely cinematic viewpoint. I am not an expert in comic books like my brother is. I never delved into them like many people do. I am not writing this to get die hard comic book fans angry and throw a hissy fit about why my opinions are wrong because I haven't read the comics.
Superman is tremendously more interesting than people give him credit. Superman has always been what the world needs. An unrelenting force for what is moral and right. For a hero to be the symbol of what is good, obviously he will need to be equipped with the greatest powers imaginable to hold the evil at bay. Superman was sent to Earth by his father Jor-el not only to save his son from the Armageddon of Krypton, but to protect the human race. Superman has more responsibility than any other superhero because of how powerful he is.
Let's talk a little bit about the past Superman movies. I loved the 1978 Christopher Reeves Superman movie. Reeves was a perfect example for how future actors should portray Superman. People are too quick to judge this movie because of how poor the special effects are. What makes this a fantastic movie is Reeves, the score, and the simply excellent story. The relationship between Superman and his earthly father is touching and realistic. After he loses his earthly father, Superman goes through a transition and understands his purpose on planet earth. Another complaint I hear about this movie a lot, is about the fact that Superman turns back time to save Lois by flying so fast around the earth that he makes it rotate west instead of east long enough for Lois to be alive again, and then her simply flies in the other direction around the earth so that all is back to normal. Yes yes, Harty har har. We get it, so ridiculous right? Well, try looking at it this way and it won't seem so ridiculous. This is the hard part, pretend for a minute that if the earth were to rotate in the opposite direction, we would go back in time. Now, love is one of the most powerful forces in the world. A mother can lift a a 4,000 lb car to save her child's life out of love. Can you imagine what Superman could do for Love? If a mother can perform an almost super human act of strength, imagine what Superman could do. Yes the effects are crappy...But, no matter how silly it seems, I think that this ridiculous display of power was perfect for the Superman movie.
The next Superman movie I want to address is Superman Returns. This movie came out in 2006 and is still being scrutinized for what many consider to be a failed attempt at a more modern Superman movie. I think it was a mistake for the movie to be a continuation of the old superman movies, but their hearts were in the right place. One of the biggest complaints was that this movie had an overwhelming amount of plot and character development, and no action, with below par acting. Although these things may be correct, people fail to see all of the things this movie did right. They really pushed for the movie to be true to the old Christopher Reeve's Superman. They cast someone who looked like Reeves, and they had several shout outs in the movie referencing to the original. The score to Superman Returns is amazing. They kept the original John Williams score, but enhanced it and added some other themes composed by John Ottman. The music was true to a Superman movie, and worked wonderfully with each scene. This movie excellently captures who Superman is as a person. In this movie, Superman has returned to earth after being gone some years to search for the planet Krypton, or at least, what was left of it. Because he had left without saying goodbye, Lois Lane is scorned, and has found a new boyfriend along with writing a newspaper article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Basically because he left her, she is going to pretend he's an awful person. Superman also finds out later that she has a son. Anyways, there is a superb scene in the movie where Superman is talking to a very uptight Lois Lane and convinces her to go flying with him...not that it takes much convincing for a woman to go flying with Superman. In this scene they fly above the city and this is the dialogue that takes place. Superman: What do you hear? Lois: Nothing Superman: I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but ever day I hear people crying for one....I'm sorry I left you Lois.------Now, trust me this scene has a more powerful effect when you see it in the movie. This scene shows how human Superman really is, and how he never asked to have responsibility for the entire world. If Superman Returns had too much plot and characterization...that's because the story of Superman DOES need a lot of that. It's imperative to the story that is Superman. Superman can't have normal relationships because he has the whole world to care for.
The story of Superman is like the story of Jesus. God (Jor-el) sent his only son(Superman) to save the people. Jor-el: "You will carry me inside you, all the days of your life. You will make
my strength your own, and see my life through your eyes, as your life
will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father
the son. This is all I... all I can send you, Kal-El." That is one of the reasons why Superman is such a fascinating character in literature. Now I hope the next time you consider whining about how dull Superman is, you will consider some of these aspects. I'm sure the new Superman movie will deliver new-found love of Superman across the country. If it doesn't, it probably means they have failed and I will be incredibly disappointed. Saying all of that, I would like to end on this song, for I feel is sums up Superman very well.So go ahead, copy and paste, and enjoy---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q896lBPRC60
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