“Awesome!” exclaimed Una right after we walked out of theater.

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I do not go out on Friday nights. Not in the same context as most people do. But for a story from my generation with Christopher Nolan’s touch, whose brilliance has been put through paces, I’d brave a rainy night and encourage those dear to me to take a break. Movies like this don’t come along often. I understand better than anyone the business behind entertainment. Of course! It’s not esoteric! But I doubt a lot of watchers understood what the movie truly meant.

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I love Superman. My Mom could attest I once believed myself to be him. As a purist/disciple of Detective Comics (DC), I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt with the deviation from the original storyline but I must say it was a riveting story. (Really, just who could play Superboy to free Zod? Justine Beiber? Justine Timberlake?)

Back to the point...yes it is riveting. Like The Batman Trilogy, it has all the Nolanish non-linear, gradual building up of the character. It requires empathy, intelligence, and true art appreciation to be enthralled by the plot. This is why those who watched the crap that recently preceded this shouldn’t have been allowed to set foot anywhere near it.  

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What’s special about the movie?

IV. The Acting. Russell Crowe. Kevin Costner. Ayalet Zurer (whew hot!). Michael Shannon. Diane Lane (Really HOT! I don’t know if it’s just my inclination toward older women but she gets hotter as she ages)? They gave the movie life in an otherwise badly scripted and casted movie (Really Amy Adams for Lois Lane? What moron even remotely considered someone who can’t act to save her life let alone portray Lois Lane?). 

III. The Storyline. (I won’t say anything about the deep-dyed message on the environment. I’d leave that to the common minds).  It says a lot about our reason for adulation and casting aspersions...why we call anything right, wrong, good or bad. As blatantly, it says a lot about aspirations of technology today (1) the amalgamation of software and hardware: hardware not being hard, software not being soft (2) science’s next big thing: mastery of consciousness.

II. Superman’s humanity. This was faithful to Jerry Siegel’s story. Kal-el/Clark Kent knew of and has experienced his extraterrestrial powers but he didn’t know how to fly when he attempted the first time. So initially, it wasn’t so much as flying as it was jumping/elevating. So when he finally got it, he was just thrilled.

Imagine flying? At that speed? Do you have any clue where you’d “be” now?

Me? In places I’ll never forget. Mountain View. Bern. Serengeti. ☺. Some places are just etched in your soul because they just make:  (1) you believe you can fly (2) you want to fly. The reminder of such gives wings on your feet.

I. Mother’s Love. (There’s nothing monumentally romantic here to merit my writing. None.) I was struck at how the two mothers refused to let their son go: Lara just weeks before Krypton died and Martha upon learning Clark learned of his beginnings. For all the feats Superman showed, I can think of no force greater than a Mother’s love.

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I can’t wait to watch the sequel. Or maybe the prequel. But I’d definitely watch this again.

Soon ;-)

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