Why the world needs Superman

[trinityvixen]

Siiiiiiiigh.

I'm majorly in love with Superman Returns, I realize. Not necessarily with Supes himself, but definitely the movie. I wish I could just figure out a clear reason why it haunts me so.

And it is love. It's not obsession--it kind of actually hurts to see the movie (I flinch at the ending bits where Luthor's thugs are beating Superman up because he's Superman and they're nobodies). I don't want to write fic about it--couldn't even if I did want to. It's got some dense noodly threads of character that aren't easy to wind about, less so for all the fanbrats trying (and failing spectacularly). I can't even sit still long enough to read fic about it so far either. The exception has been a cute short story written from the POV of Jason White, which, save for the angsty ending, is very sweet and lighthearted enough not to make me want to cry thinking about it (like the movie does). That story is here by the way.

It's love. It's admiration. It's respect. I respect the ability of the film to move me to care about such flawed people. To actually pity the Man of Steel despite some superdickery on his part (okay, a lot of superdickery). The closet romantic in me loves a good thwarted romance, too, and this movie has two such affairs. Oh, my poor heart strings. I enjoy the appeal of the sensual and practical love in the film more than I can say. You have the desperately romantic, meant-to-be, OTP type of love that screws people over so bad. Then there's the mutual comfort, strengthening through sharing, giving and nurturing of others type love which is steady but so dull in comparison. It plays on my sense of doing what's healthy versus my romantic side. I wuv it.

There's also a bit of sympathetic horror in some of the situations that make me shudder and hug my poor woobies so tightly. I cringe when Richard, Jason, and Lois are stuck on the sinking ship--being trapped under water to die slowly like that is one of my huge paranoid fears. The challenge to do better is pretty scary in and of itself--what do you do when there are no heroes? Become a hero yourself or cringe and back down? I liked that bit in Superman II where the president backs down but only does so because being a hero would get more people killed than giving up his pride. That's the question here--does the world need the hero? Or does it just foster our dependence and limit the scope of our own heroism? Whoa, heavy dude.

I repeat: siiiiiigh.

Comments

[equustel.livejournal.com]

I, too, have come to terms with my unchecked adoration of Returns. Even after seeing Pirates and enjoying it quite a bit, I find myself paying more thought and attention to the former, which is bizarre and most certainly unexpected. I've seen it three times already and am contemplating going for a fourth. And it's... Superman.

DC finally starts making some classy movies again and Ali falls for them hook line and sinker. Ack.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel. I feel almost like a traitor, loving these two DC movies so very much when I was always a Marvel girl. But Marvel's done its good and its hurt me so badly of late, I need someone to do it better, and DC's come through.

More than that, what the F? Why am I crushing on a Superman movie? I like Batman, damn it! I wuvvy wuv Batman! Or, maybe, it's more than everything Batman does is more amazing than anything Superman can do because he does it without the benefit of superpowers...but Superman is still so wubby...gah! I have no idea why I am in love with this movie at all!!!!

If I were Warner Brothers, I'd be kissing Bryan Singer's feet right about now. I do not see as many or even any could have rescued a franchise so deep in development hell and done as well as he did with it.

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

I think it was the recent History Channel show about Superman where I saw an interviewee say something like, "Batman is the one you want to date, but Superman is the one you take home."

As a guy, of course, I'm more interested in the fact that Superman is less likely to steal your woman...even if that woman is Lois Lane, it seems! (Also, for any definition of "steal". I'm sorry, but Batman is NUTS, so if you do date him, as that interviewee suggests, and we don't see you for six months, we'll know you're strung up by steel cable in a cave somewhere.)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think it's sorta like that, but different. I wouldn't want to date Batman. It's like dating John Constantine--you are most definitely going to end up in pain or dead (or both). He's a bit...cursed. Superman would be a great date up until the like eighth month of dating without getting laid, then it would start to strain on any normal woman (maybe he needs a fundie Christian).

Really? I think people would want to be Batman but would like to have Superman's powers (not be Superman, because they don't want to be an alien, but just be like him). Batman is smart, strong, handsome, rich, powerful, and he always figures shit out. He has cool gadgets, people respect and fear him, and he manages to stay out of straight jackets despite being unquestionably off. He's this loner-type who seems mostly content with that, but he can call up the company of these also incredibly smart, strong, beautiful people as his allies, and he has never had a girlfriend who wasn't his intellectual and physical match ever.

Superman has Lois. And Lana, sometimes. That's reeeeeeeeal romantic, don't get me wrong, but it's not exactly fanboy satisfying. Plus, Supes is kinda boring a lot of the time. It's just not been the case with Superman Returns which I can't figure out how come...

[slackwench.livejournal.com]

Yay for superdickery!