SUPERMAN RETURNS
US, 2006, 154 minutes, Colour.
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Frank Langella, Sam Huntington, Eva Marie Saint, James Marsden, Kal Penn, Parker Posey.
Directed by Bryan Singer.
For many of us, when we think of Superman on the screen, we remember the late Christopher Reeve. But it is 28 years since he appeared in Superman: the Movie and 18 years since he starred in Superman IV. The powers that be have decided that it is his time again (just as last year we saw Batman Begins). The X Men have been with us three times in six years and next year we expect another visit from Spiderman.
There’s an old Tina Turner song which proclaims ‘we don’t need another hero…’. It looks as though she is wrong. In fact, early in this film, we see that in Superman’s five year absence from Metropolis (when he went in search of his roots and visited the collapsed planet, Krypton), Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) won a Pulitzer prize for an article. The title: ‘The world does not need a saviour’. She soon finds out that she too was wrong.
It is interesting for Christians to note how often the word ‘saviour’ is mentioned in this film. After all, it was one of the big features of the first film with Christopher Reeve. It was Mario Puzo, the author of The Godfather, who wrote the screenplay for the first 40 minutes or more (before it became a big visual comic strip). Puzo drew on his knowledge of the New Testament, the Gospel of John and a number of theological ideas about the person of Jesus. He put into the mouth of Jor-El?, Superman’s father, echoes of the Gospel where the father and the son are seen as one. These words, again spoken by Marlon Brando, are used several times in the new film.
Clearly, Superman is being presented as in the pattern of the Gospel Jesus. He comes down to earth, lives a hidden life at home (and here Eva Marie Saint appears as his mother) until it was time for him to go out and achieve his mission: to save people, and to save them from themselves.
In Superman Returns he combats the evil-figure, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey at his most nasty) who is a Lucifer, trying to upstage God in creating a new world and being Satanic in his hostility towards Superman and his attempts to destroy him. Superman’s power is emptied out of him, his side is pierced and he seems to die and rise again. It is amazing still how many film-makers, even if they are not Christians or believers, see the Gospel pattern and the Jesus saviour and redeemer story as a metaphor for people’s desire for salvation.
However, when it comes to Superman going into action, he is a Christ-figure in his principles and genial helping of people. But when he goes into action, as in the previous films, he actually seems more like a super guardian angel, watching over people, listening to their anguish, and immediately saving them from peril. He is almost like how many people would want God to be, intervening as soon as there is a natural or human-made threat and getting them out of trouble. A trouble-free life is not at the core of faith and, after all, Superman is a comic-strip fairytale of how we would like the world to be.
Superman/Clark Kent is played by little known actor, Brandon Routh. He is a credible Christopher Reeve look-alike and the actor has obviously been studying Reeve’s style in the films: his reassuring but modest smile, his self-deprecating manner, the intonations of his voice both as Superman and as Clark. He is a satisfying successor. And the producers have happily used John Williams’ familiar theme music from the earlier films whenever there is action – and that is pleasantly reassuring.
A sequel will be welcome.
1.The popularity of the Superman comic strip over many decades? The comic books? The changing perspectives? Yet Superman remaining the same? Audience knowledge of his origins on Krypton? The films of the 30s and 40s, George Reeves? Christopher Reeve and the 70s? The sequels in the 80s? 2006 and the time for Superman to return? Why?
2.Superman himself, from an alien planet, yet benign, his full knowledge and power, ability to fly, like a guardian angel for humans, the injunctions of his father to care for humans but not change their history? His doing good, a saviour figure? Principles? The conflict between good and evil?
3.The film and the religious and archetypal symbols? The origins in Krypton, Jor-El? like God the Father? The references to St John’s Gospel and the union of father and son? The father sending his son to Earth? Superman’s hidden life as Clark Kent? His foster parents? His public life, confrontation with evil, his enemies, his suffering, passion, his side being pierced? A dying and rising? His promise that he would always be present and around?
4.Clark Kent as a character, meek and mild, the mask for Superman? Who was real? Superman and his manifestations, his genial smile, his courtesy? The contrast with Clark, nice, bumbling, being taken for granted in the background?
5.The history of Superman and his coming to Earth, the film presupposing audience knowledge? Recognition of all the information? The background of Krypton, its collapse, Superman’s mission, this film incorporating the image of Marlon Brando and the words of Jor-El? The crystals? Superman’s power, the threat of Krypton? His return after visiting Krypton? Crashing to earth, Superman and his manner, his relationship with his mother, her coming to the crash site, the bonds at home, her love for him, his memories of his leaping in the cornfields? Her knowing that he had to go on his mission again?
6.Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, audience knowledge of Luthor, his being in prison, megalomaniac, his getting out on a technicality because Superman could not come as a witness? Kitty as his companion? His information about Krypton, the crystals, wanting to get the crystals to destroy Superman’s power? His own energy, his expertise? His scientists? His yacht, luxury? His books, the Prometheus myth – and Kitty not understanding? The reasons for his having Kitty around, love, support, his ridiculing of her? His causing the blackouts and wanting to see the consequences? His robbing the museum, causing the blackout, using Kitty as a decoy with the crash for Superman to rescue her and not catch him?
7.The flight, Lois as a reporter on the experimental flight, the journalist on the plane, the official and her explanations? Everything on television? Lois and the interviews, the growing danger? The visuals of the plane out of control? Superman saving it? Landing in the baseball stadium? Everybody knowing that Superman was back?
8.Lois and the discussions with Superman, with Clark, her being hurt that Superman did not say goodbye? Her having a son? Her relationship with Richard? Meeting with Superman, on the roof, the interview, flying with him? Her reliance on Clark? At work, Perry and the meeting with all the reporters, Superman being the main story, her being allotted to this, the interview?
9.Lois and the relationship with Richard, Richard as a good man, pilot, nephew of Perry? Perry, the running of the Daily Planet, his ruthlessness? His plans?
10.Audiences familiar with Jimmy Olsen, his work at the paper, reporter, his incessant talking, his welcoming Clark back?
11.Superman’s son, the affinity with his son? The reality of Superman and the relationship with Lois, having a child?
12.Superman and his helping people, the collage of his rescuing and saving people? Kitty and the car out of control, helping her? The consequences for Kitty, her reaction to Luthor tormenting him? Her finally throwing the crystals out?
13.Lois, her going to get her reward, with her son, getting the information, the follow-up, the address for the causing of the blackouts, going to the boat, encounter with Lex Luthor, the interrogation, the boy and his unlocking the door, showing Superman powers? Luthor and his new land, created from the sea, wanting to sell real estate and get his cut? Superman to the rescue, Luthor and the crystals, confronting Superman, his loss of power, falling over the cliff, in the water, Lois and her going to rescue him? Richard and the helicopter, the flight, saving Superman?
14.Superman in hospital, Lois’s visit, his leaving the hospital?
15.Lex and Kitty, the escape, her throwing away the crystals, landing on the desert island – and his anger with the coconuts?
16.Lois and Superman, the farewell, his promise always to be around?
17.A satisfying 21st century representation of Superman as a person, the persona of Clark Kent, the world’s need for a saviour, Superman acting like God in one sense, a guardian angel in another, fighting the Lucifer-satanic Lex Luthor?
