Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Superman Returns / USA / 2006

My problem with Superman is this: he’s tough on crime, not on the causes of crime. He stops people from robbing banks or mugging old ladies, but he does nothing about the crushing poverty, social deprivation, world hunger or general human misery that would have driven them to commit these terrible acts. I want to see him transporting icebergs to irrigate the Sahara, or using his super- strength to prevent the massacre of innocent civilians in Lebanon. I hate to get political, but it all feels very American- moral superiority and overwhelming power, but no real interest in solving the world’s problems.

by Tom Huddleston | Source: 35mm Print
22 Jul 2006 6:29 AM | Comments (3)

Comments / 3 total / Submit Comment

1. strjh02@moravian.com / 22 July 2006 / 7:48 AM / URL

   I love it, but watch out – the fanboys’ll jump all over you just for suggesting that their beloved creation could possibly have any real-world ties whatsoever. As if making any greater statements about the world in which we live somehow robs something of it’s entertainment values.

2. Clay / 31 July 2006 / 1:00 PM

   What’s worse is the film touches on the current political turmoils as the audience can see the turmoil play out on the televisions of Metropolis, ignored and (mostly) unheard.

3. Chiranjit / 1 August 2006 / 9:51 AM / URL

   Interestingly enough (and this is going to get embarrassingly geeky fast), a few years ago Jim Lee and Brian Azzarello had Superman attempt to stop military violence in a small African country without much success, because the political aspects of the skirmish were too complicated for him to navigate. While I do agree that Superman probably doesn’t do enough to address the causes of the world’s problems given his immense power, I also think having one man responsible for these massive solutions would probably cause more long-term problems due to his inability to grasp the big picture. Dropping an iceberg in Africa makes sense in one’s mind, until it causes weather patterns to shift a few months later and cause widespread hurricanes in Portugal and famine in South America.