Calling for Superman

I've been a fan of Kal-El for as long as I can remember, when I first saw Richard Donner's interpretation of the Kryptonian's self-discovery and maturation on a foreign planet I found myself smitten with the idea of the super-hero. Like Marvel Comic's Steve Rogers, Clark Kent, is the hero all the others wishes he/she could be; he's the selfless, appreciative, loving, dependable icon that Batman or Tony Stark could never be. His Daily Planet persona isn't so much a secret identity rather a hope that he can fit in within our world; he was brought up here, taught how to be a real gentleman here and has known this planet like he shall never know his own. Clark Kent isn't a suit to be thrown on like Bruce Wayne's womanizing ways, but a part of Kal-El's insecurities: Kent is a clumsy but well-loved oaf who always means to do well, he sits a step further within society than Superman but still a hairbreadth away from everyone else. Fitting in, is all Clark has ever wanted to do, but something he shall never be able to do so long as he moonlights as America's greatest hero, so he counteracts this with the only way he can: he comes clean with those closest to him. Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lois, Bruce and the majority of the Justice League are his closest and most estranged acquaintances; they know more than most but only what Clark's willing to divulge.

Superman will never trouble those with knowledge that may endanger them, and that includes his own social, cultural or biological problems; his conscience is his greatest enemy, forget Luthor. Even the most super of super-men can have super insecurities.

So, when I heard Chris Nolan of The Dark Knight fame, would be shepherding Zack Snyder's vision of our most beloved of heroes, I found myself feeling giddy with excitement. Snyder gets a lot of criticism, some of it founded, some of it not, but the man's done a great service to the comic-book movie genre with his work on the love-it or hate-it 300 and the 'unfilmable' Watchmen. Don't get me wrong, both films have significant flaws, but both have captured something all those who can remember reading a comic before the Fantastic Four, X-Men or Iron Man movies were released, have longed to see.
Who would have ever believed Alan Moore's Watchmen would be a mainstream film fifteen years ago?
Snyder did as good as one could have hoped with the material, save for one laughably composed scene featuring Nite Owl and Silk Spectre aboard the Archie (the less we say, the better), and so I eagerly await his interpretation of the Man of Steel and hope it can blend The Dark Knight's storytelling with Donner's romanticism.

Having watched the below trailer a great many times, getting the same Terrence Malick feel that almost everyone is receiving, I continue to feel I can stand by Snyder in this endeavour. Superman, is a hard nut to crack but my early impressions from the Man of Steel trailer is that the filmmakers seem to get Superman and that by placing him away from society, in what looks like to be a solitary career, they are able to play up that key sense of isolation that is paramount to his psyche. Clark having a beard is also a welcome sight, although I can already hear the inquisitive roars of fans asking; 'But...but how does he shave?'
That aside, the Malick feel associated with the peaceful music and nature-focused shots helps depict this film as a personal journey for our hero. A thought than bloomed while rewatching this recently is how Superman is willing to go the extra mile to protect not just humans but every living creature, like butterflies for instance and this ties into Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (sorry) where Superman decides to rid the world of nuclear weapons for our own good. He has to make the hard choices that nobody else can, his responsibility is to keep Earth safe no matter what.

Kal-El is a character dear to a lot of hearts and no doubt has a lot of different meanings for each and every individual, so please if this contrasts with your own feelings on the matter do not ridicule or harshly criticise but please offer your own interpretations in the comment section.

I'll end the post with the beautifully shot but hardly revealing trailer for Man of Steel (2013):

 

Have anything to say on the matter? Drop a comment and I'll do my best to reply!

Ashley Bullen-Cutting

Films mentioned in this post:

• Superman
• The Dark Knight
• 300
• Watchmen
• Fantastic Four
• X-Men
• Iron Man
• Man of Steel 
• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Key names mentioned in this post:

• Richard Donner
• Chris Nolan
• Zack Snyder
• Alan Moore 
• Terrence Malick