‘Superman’: saving summer moviegoers

By Rebecca Bostic
The Catholic Sun

Superman is back, and this time he didn’t just come to defeat villains and save the girl. In “Superman Returns” he is part of a deeper allegory that moves beyond the plotline involving Lex Luthor and Lois Lane.

Clark Kent, a supernatural hero sent to Earth by his father to save humanity, mirrors elements of Jesus Christ’s life in the clever and exciting action flick.

The film begins with Superman’s father reminding him, in a voice booming through outer space, that although Superman will live his life among humans, saving them from evildoers, he has powers and an inherent goodness that make him much more than human. Humanity can be great “if they wish to be,” his father tells him. “They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son.”

Sound familiar?

Superman — played by newcomer Brandon Routh — returns to Earth after a five-year trip to his home planet Krypton, which he found in ruins. He has missed Lex Luthor’s court appeal, causing the villain — played magnificently by Kevin Spacey — to be released from prison.

Lois Lane, his longtime love interest played by Kate Bosworth, has moved on from their relationship. When Kent returns to work at The Daily Planet he finds she has started a family and is winning a Pulitzer for an article entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”

Lane’s award winning article begins “The world doesn’t need a savior. And neither do I.”

To the shock of no one, the film proves otherwise — for Lane and humanity.

The Christological references in the film are overt. At one point, after nearly dying at the hand of the evil Luthor, Superman rises into the sky with his arms extended perpendicularly to his body, forming a cross, above clouds that are reflecting golden sunlight. He later risks his life to save the world.

The inclusion of a theme that taps into the deep truths of the battle of good vs. evil adds a depth to the film that many summer blockbusters lack. However, this addition does not protect the film from all weaknesses.

Running a bit long, “Superman Returns” (Warner Bros.) makes most of its time interesting, filled with fast paced action sequences and impressive special effects. The acting is consistently strong — Routh nails the larger-than-life role of Superman — but the chemistry between Lane and Superman is strained.

Yet, the movie hardly suffers from this deficiency precisely because the love interest sub-plot is only that: a sub-plot in a film that is about much more than a hero that falls in love with a girl who has a knack for getting captured by evil villains.

The film’s strengths, particularly in cinematography and acting, especially by Spacey, Routh and Parker Posey, who plays Luthor’s quirky girlfriend, greatly outweigh the short list of flaws.

The difference between the scenes featuring Clark Kent and those showing him as Superman are subtle, yet polished. Appropriately for the comic book based superhero, the scenes featuring Superman look almost illustrated at times, with stronger colors and more dramatic acting. Yet Routh avoids playing a cheesy superhero role. He acts the part so well it becomes easy to believe in Superman by the end of the film.

Peppered with comic relief and some clever references to Superman clichés, “Superman Returns” emerges in the summer movie line-up as a great film with surprisingly strong Christian messages.

That said, the film is hardly a standard for moral behavior — it includes the acceptance of pre-marital encounters, family living outside of marriage and some intense fight scenes — but for an older audience that will understand the allegorical elements, “Superman Returns” illustrates at least a piece of Christ’s love for His people.

In Phoenix, Metropolis and throughout the world, everyone needs a savior. When was the last time someone learned that from an action film?

Bostic is a staff writer with The Catholic Sun. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.