“You wrote that the world doesn’t need a saviour, but everyday I hear people crying for one.”
— Superman, Superman returns
Neither adopting a colourful portrayal in Christopher Reeve’s “Superman”, nor the gloomy overtone in “Man of Steel”, Superman return takes on a poignant note, allowing lyrical reflection on whether there’s a need for a saviour.
The movie picks up from Superman II, and starts off with Superman having returned to earth after a 5 year search of his home planet krypton that ended up in vain. It seems the world has moved on without him, his stepmother found another companion, his lover (Lois lane) got engaged and even wrote an Pulitzer-wining article titled “Why the world doesn’t need superman”.
As the movie goes on, crises break out and superman comes to save the day. People once again cheered for the red-caped saviour. It seems everything is pointing towards the need for such saviour.
Yet, the crowd-cheering scenes were immediately followed by scenes where the caped figure was seen flying through the night sky, alone, with sounds of chaos, sirens, screams and shouts, flooding his ears. Instead of emphasizing superman’s well-known strength and powers , the movie seems to highlight the limitation he faces. He isn’t omnipotent. Even if he’s working around the clock, there are still disasters that he can’t prevent, victims that he can’t save. And in spite of all this, the cape-donning hero is bearing the brunt of the burden in saving the world.
Though it may not be an action-packed movie, Superman Returns offers a thoughtful analysis of the superhero himself and what position he can possibly take up in the world.
Sanguine Contemplation 豔陽下的夢囈 