"The Man of Steel"
written by David.
I watched the late show that started at 10 p.m. on Tuesday the 27th a day before the official release of Superman Returns. Being a Smallville fan I was skeptical about this new addition to the Superman legacy. I was shocked when the new Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) emerged and was the spitting image of Christopher Reeve.
He had all the geeky qualities of Clark Kent, always pushing up his glasses and saying things like "Swell." Brian Singer (producer/director) and his crew did their homework and made a classic in which I believe they will be able to build off of. Routh's character as Superman, at times, lacks depth with his many one liners but all is made up for by the powerful imagery used to describe who Superman is. It is in the realm of images and metaphor that we get pumped up, choked up, and encouraged to be more than ourselves more than this world offers.
Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) writes a Pulitzer Prize winning article during the man of steel's hiatus called "Why We Dont Need Superman." Crushed by our heroe's need to find out the truth of his home planet she echoes Nietzsches "God is dead" theme by writing why Superman, one who stands for justice, goodness, and self-sacrifice is no longer wanted or needed.
Her article is hailed as the height of journalistic thought. Then there is a moment when Superman lifts Lois up into the sky high above all the nations of the world and asks her "What do you hear?" She says she hears nothing but he replies "I hear everyone." The world she believed didn't need a rescuer was calling out for one all along. Her Pulitzer Prize, thought by many to be enlightening, immediately became nothing in light of the truth. People cannot save themselves they need a rescuer because they will never be better than the gods they worship and no matter what anyone says everyone whorships something. The only hope for us is to believe in a perfect loving God that invites us to be like him. If our gods are arbitrary than we will be no better.
There are three types of people portrayed in this film. The first is those that believe in and live truth (Superman), the second is those that see the truth and are changed by it (Lois, Jimmy, Lois's husband ect), and thirdly those that see the truth and reject it for selfish reasons (Lex Luther).
Everyone has a chance when they see a movie like this one to take a step towards truth and turn away from whatever darkness consumes their heart. You may think "It's only a movie" but it has been the storytellers of history and myth that have let us known who we are and that has shaped our future. Although, many of us are confused because we have traded the true stories for ones of lies that make us our own gods. The reason why Superman, as an icon, is so powerful is that he represents something that we all can identify with, the true story. There is a deep understanding among the human race that there is something terribly wrong with the world we live in and no matter how hard we try to TEVO out the evil, we need a rescuer. Many of us aren't good enough to shed a tear for the hungry let alone die for our enemies. Our standards are too low because we have bought into the wrong story.
I thought the film was really great. It made me want to be a hero. It was powerful because it showed us again the greatest theme known to man, the greatest story ever told: A father who sacrifices his son to save the world.