Superman Returns!

What can I say, I have always loved Superman, I am his biggest fan. He will destroy any Marvel or DC character hands down. He is the strongest hero, He is almost near invincible. He can fly, He can shoot lasers out of his eyes, and he can blow Ice from his mouth and hear amazing things. His only weakness is the rarest mineral in the galaxy, which Lex Luther always seems to know how to get. I don’t care what you Marvel fan boy’s say, Superman is the greatest. Yea DC might not have a lot of Superheroes, but when you got them all in one person, who needs a bunch of weak Xmen.

So we haven’t had a Superman movie in well over 15 years and what do you know, Bryan Singer gets to direct it. For those of you that do not know, Bryan Singer is a Christian. I have a quote from him that I love to read over and over and over again.

“God has given me the ability to create good movies, and I want to do it for his glory� – Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is known for hiding biblical themes in his Movies. So I anxiously awaited Superman so I could try and figure out what themes he would reveal.

I knew the obvious parallel of Superman, Father sends son to earth, Son raised by poor parents as own, Son saves the world.

So when I went into Superman Returns my main objective was to find a connection to Jesus that wasn’t of the old Superman Cliché. I couldn’t do it. The only biblical connection of Superman I could find was that of the obvious, Superman is the Savior of the World.

But I was blown away, by the truth that Bryan Singer captured. There is one scene in the movie without giving anything away that shows Superman above the world. This is beautiful and portrays God looking down on his creation; however that on its own is not enough for me to get the Holy goose bumps. It’s what Bryan Singer added, to that scene, what Superman Heard. Superman sitting on top of the world looking down in sadn+ess hears all of the pain and suffering of the entire world at once. A giant melody of screaming, suffering and pain.

It reminded me of this church I went to while at bible camp two summers ago. When the deacons prayed over someone they all said their own individual prayer out loud at the same time. Its sounds like mumblings and unrecognizable it reminded me of how God can hear and know everything all at once, and how we have no idea of his capabilities.

1^st Corinthians 2:9(MSG)
No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,
never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him.

I didn’t just enjoy this movie because I was overwhelmed with biblical metaphors. I enjoyed it because it’s everything summer movies are supposed to be. It’s the first truly amazing breathtaking movie of the summer. The action scenes are amazing, and although the special effects are not the most realistic, Special effects don’t make a movie good or bad anyway.

Kevin Spacey did such a wonderful job as Lex Luthor, it was so what Lex Luthor is and was. Lex Luthor is jealous of Superman’s powers just as Satan is jealous of God. In one instance one of Lex’s minions calls Lex Luthor a God, he shouts back and says “I am not a God, God’s run around in tights and a red cape refusing to share their powers with the rest of the world.� Remind you of someone?

This movie was the only movie I have seen where people applause scene after scene a full theater shouted and yelled with victory, It could be because we were at the early 10pm showing on Tuesday night with a bunch of Superman Fan boy’s but I am pretty sure that it was just because some scenes were so exciting you couldn’t help but applaud.

Thank you Bryan Singer for not slipping into the Christian Entertainment category of films, you have given me a goal to work for as I start out in the entertainment indusry and you pretty much gave me enough Sunday School lessons for a whole year. Oh and if your ever in Newport News, VA give me a call I know a great place for coffee.

I end with this, a line form the original Superman that is also used in the new.

Jor-El: Even though you've been raised as a human being you're not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. 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

---Marcus
---John 3:16

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Just a side note I was reading on IMDB.com a fact about Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in The Passion…

“James Caviezel expressed great interest in the role of Superman, but director Bryan Singer refused to cast him because he felt that Caviezel was "too famous" after starring in The Passion of the Christ (2004).�

I think the truth here Is that it would be to weird to see Jesus twice. Bryan Singer makes such a great resemblance of Superman to Jesus. I think that was an excellent decision and I am not sure that Jim has that Superman kind of look anyway.