Superman Returns Thematic Elements of SUPERMAN RETUNS (please READ)

[Robin91939]

Among others, it is a story of Superman's quest for belonging. Looking for his past, and his place in the future.

It is because this theme, that Lex Luthor's plan works better than I had originally thought it did.


Superman is an alien. He was sent to us, by loving parents he will never know. Granted he was raised by great adopted parents, he will never know what his biological parents were like, or who they were. In the case of normal adopted children, they just don't know their parents or families. With Kal-El, he doesn't know his entire heritage, culture, family, or planet. He knows nothing of what he is, besides what he sees on the Kryptonian crystals.

Lex's plan works well with this. He creates a new continent, resembling a world, the world of Krypton. Now, this world does not have the inhabitants that the older Krypton had, but it is still very much Kal-El's world. Not to mention the Kryptonian technology (the crystals) would be destroyed if he got rid of this "New Krypton". However, Superman has realized that it was THIS world that has adopted him. THIS world that has loved him, THIS world that has embraced him, and this film showed that Superman HAD NO FURTHER to look for belonging than his new home.

This film just goes to show just how noble, courageous, self-sacraficing Superman is. He gives up his own happiness, his own chance to discover his roots, and his only link to his home world and parents (the crystals) by using every ounce of his strength he has, and risked his life to lift this one last piece of his heritage and hurl it out into the abyss (metaphorically and literally). This feat takes more strength, love, and nobility than really any feat of any hero in any film that I can think of. In that moment, he has given up his Kryptonian self, and is now fully, SUPERMAN, "Earths greatest protector".

Then, after this huge act of self sacrafice, the hero is FINALLY rewarded. All too often this doesn't happen. He is rewarded with a legacy, a bloodline, a piece of his heritage to call his own....a son. This is why Jason works so well in the film.

The story is much like that in BATMAN BEGINS. In that, Batman is an orphan. He's lost his parents. He travels the world to rectify this, and to train. Along the way he finds a man, a man who teaches him, and who ultimately can become a father figure for him, Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's offers Bruce a spot beside him as his heir, his adopted son. But, Bruce Wayne is a man who has now found something he has looked for his entire life and COULD finally have his sense of belonging of family, but rejects it and sacrafices his own happiness for the good of Gotham.

I found this film's plot to work a LOT better than I orignally thought upon a second viewing of this film, and more thinking. It was VERY good.

-R

 

[kal-el2006]

ive couldnt agree more..if only people would get this..even tho its more positive than negative..it makes alot of sense..for people who didnt like it at first viewing a second viewing would ALOT. i agree robin

 

[Robin91939]

No on else?

-R

 

[kal-el2006]

proly scared the haters away from the truth..

 

[Boiiinng]

ive couldnt agree more..if only people would get this..even tho its more positive than negative..it makes alot of sense..for people who didnt like it at first viewing a second viewing would ALOT. i agree robin

Problem is, it's not very apparent in the film. If this was the director's intention for the film, he missed the mark big time.

 

[kal-el2006]

problem is u missed it..or wasnt paying attention..its there..its very apparent to see or it wasnt what you were expecting from the movie?

 

[animexcel]

makes sense, nice connection there.

 

[charl_huntress]

Dude, none of us are stupid. We all got that. LOL...you are acting like that message was so deep a sledgehammer wouldn't have reinforced the premise.

LOL....Superman the icon that is loved by millions seemed to be lost in the deep, heartfelt message Singer was trying to tell about himself...and not Superman

carry on...

 

[Spare-Flair]

Obviously, that's the problem, everything you are saying was basically HAMMERED INTO THE AUDIENCE OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Everybody got this.

Singer lacks all subtlety with sentimentality and sensitivity. He rams it down your throat like a sweet freezing slurpee until you get brain freeze and you hurt and want to stop watching the movie but it's moving too slowly and the slurpee keeps coming.

This is shill hollywood pop, the thematic elements that you describe are cliche and overdone and nauseating in this film. There are no epiphanies to be gained by either the movie or this thread.

Patrick Bateman: "I have gained no new knowledge by it's telling. All of this has meant nothing."

 

[FantasticThing]

Obviously, that's the problem, everything you are saying was basically HAMMERED INTO THE AUDIENCE OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Everybody got this.

Singer lacks all subtlety with sentimentality and sensitivity. He rams it down your throat like a sweet freezing slurpee until you get brain freeze and you hurt and want to stop watching the movie but it's moving too slowly and the slurpee keeps coming.

This is shill hollywood pop, the thematic elements that you describe are cliche and overdone and nauseating in this film. There are no epiphanies to be gained by either the movie or this thread.

Patrick Bateman: "I have gained no new knowledge by it's telling. All of this has meant nothing."

Why thank you very much American Psycho. Obviously YOU didn't get it as evidenced by your hate for this film. Otherwise you'd get off your high horse and describe to us your perfect superhero film with themes becoming an independant, Art House, and/or foriegn film. Film snobbery is something I'll never get. Means a lot to quote Patrick Batemen - a serial killer with taste.

 

[Captain Kirk]

Brillant analysis but don't get too positive now or the haters will hear, LOL...It really is getting ridiculous people! Some of you talk like SR is the worse film ever made, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. SR took its time to tell a very personal story, and had the deepest portaral of Superman as a full character than any before it. It was a very cerebral, and complex portrayal. Some I am afraid still have a very simple attention span. I loved the film, and it definitely gets better on repeat viewings. Save your hate for yourselves ,because we don't feel it!

 

[Steelsheen]

Robin, you made a good point, but here's the thing...

... NK is not exactly Krypton. its a perversion of it. if anything it is an insult to Superman and his heritage. Superman was looking around all wierded out. hence his response to Luthor "All I see is an old man's sick joke". i dont think Superman felt all sentimental for NK at all. even if Lex and his goons wasnt there i bet he wouldnt have waited too long and still chuck the continent to space.

the one thing that was of value to him, in your words--his roots, his link to his parents and his home world was the Fortress of Solitude. remember the outrage in his face when he realized that someone has been there poking around and the crystals have gone missing? its like a desecration to him, like someone pissed over your parents' grave and stole the tombstones.

if for some reason Superman had to destroy the FOS because say--- for example its emiting radiation that thins out the ozone and in turn kill everyone on Earth then that's where your argument would fit. but not NK.

btw as for BB, Ras trained and offered Bruce to be his right hand man to destroy Bruce's city, if anything Ras was using Bruce for his own selfish gain. that's what angered Bruce first of all, Bruce had trusted him, and to realize in the end that he was just a tool, a means to an end, and to be thought of as such a fool who doesnt know any better, that was the ultimate insult. he knows that Gotham was far from perfect, that's why he set out to fix it, not only make it better for its own citizens but also to keep twisted idealistic zealots like Ras Al Gul from targetting Gotham.

 

[danoyse]

That's a great analysis, Robin.

I also thought the introduction of Jason brought things full circle for Superman. He can be the presence that Clark missed when he was a child--to explain the powers he has. The Kents loved him, but they were afraid of letting do what he could do because no one understood it.

I loved how they didn't write Richard as the usual 'jerk boyfriend'. Instead, he's going to be the Jonathan Kent figure, which is equally important.

It was what I thought made the movie so great...much better than just teasing a new supervillian before the credits rolled.