Poster art by Matt Ferguson
With the unfortunate and untimely passing of legendary director Richard Donner (RIP), it seemed like the perfect time to share my thoughts and feelings on one of my all-time favorite superhero films, Superman: The Movie.
I should preface this particular review with an important statement: I love Superman! For as long as I have enjoyed superhero media and content, Superman remains one of my greatest inspirations. When I was a child, my mother would make all of my Halloween costumes, and my favorite was always the Superman costume. I wore it everywhere for quite a while.
Now that I've established my level of Superman fandom let's get on with the review.
This will be a bit of a departure from my typical retro review, or any review for that matter. Because of the history, accomplishments, and continued praise this movie gets (well deserved, I might add), it has been reviewed, discussed, analyzed, and deconstructed practically to death. Most people have observed the spectacular special effects, the superb casting of Christopher Reeve, the level of verisimilitude perpetrated by director Richard Donner, and even the unusual ideas offered by Marlon Brando, who played Superman's father, Jor-El. These points, among many others, are well documented and continue to be discussed with enthusiasm in many circles to this day, and I could not be happier for that.
Instead, what I would like to explore and discuss is a small & seemingly insignificant element of the film that, in my opinion, not only exemplifies Superman (as a character and a symbol as a whole) but also shows why Superman: The Movie remains, to this very day, the greatest and only (so far) perfect live-action presentation of Superman. While there have been a few animated incarnations of Superman that capture his essence and nature incredibly well (Superman Vs. The Elite and Superman: Man of Tomorrow come to mind), no other live-action presentation has ever come close to matching the dedicated level of understanding of Superman's nature as well as the Richard Donner film. More amazing, the film accomplishes this herculean feat in only two words of dialogue.
You see, what many people forget about Superman is, as a character, he's not meant to be as "relatible" as most modern audiences want him to be. I mean, he's an alien being from another long-dead planet with god-like capabilities; how can any of us relate to that? Even so, what does make him relatable is his appreciation for humanity. Superman represents the idealistic and optimistic side of humanity that is, sadly, more often than not, forgotten or tossed aside in favor of a misguided desire for something more "realistic."
Here's the thing, folks: when I hear someone say they want something to be more "realistic," what I'm hearing is this: "I want something that is just as cynical, angry, and helpless as I feel right now!" To me, being "realistic" is code for "giving up." Choosing to quit believing that things can get better through simple acts of kindness when they genuinely can. For all of the theories and examinations as to why Superman does what he does, it all boils down to one simple reason: because he can. That's it! He does good things simply because he can, and so can you. You don't need powers to be a helpful or kind force in the world.
Page from All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly, and Jamie Grant.
This is perfectly demonstrated in both the comic panel above the two lines of dialogue I alluded to earlier.
About an hour into Superman: The Movie, our hero has learned of his heritage, realized his full capabilities, and sets out to fulfill his calling. We first see him in his full glory as he rescues his eventual love interest, Lois Lane, from a helicopter falling from a nearby skyscraper.
After returning both the helicopter and Lois to the roof of the building, Superman informs Lois how he hopes this experience hasn't turned her away from flying in the future. I mean, it is one of the safer ways to travel, statistically speaking. Anyway, just before Superman flies away to find more people to help, Lois cries out to him, simply asking, "Who are you?" Then, without hesitation and with genuine conviction, Superman replies with two simple words:
"A friend!"
At that moment, the film solidifies the real and relatable nature of Superman as a character and as a symbol. Superman represents our innate ability to do good simply because we can. He is the embodiment of full human potential in empathy and compassion through courageous action and kind words when they are needed. In that way, he is, despite what Zack Snyder would have you believe, more human than we may have thought.
We may not come from another planet, the sun may not be able to endow us with superhuman abilities, and we may not live in an ideal world. What we do have is the ability to recognize our own humanity in ourselves and in others. We all have the ability to be Superman; we're just looking for it in all the wrong places.
Superman: The Movie remains the only live-action Superman film to recognize, embrace, and advocate this very notion. Until we stop demanding that Superman conform to a misguided perspective on humanity, we will never see another live-action film that does him justice.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Verisimilitude!
No comments:
Post a Comment