So tonight I decided I was in a movie mood. Being in this state of mind, I began to rummage around through what movies we had to watch, and I found Superman Returns. Great movie! I had seen it about twice before, but I was kind of in a superhero-movie mood, and so I thought that would do. So I put it in and plopped down on the beanbag with the nice little blanket I use when I watch movies.
As the beginning credits were rolling, I remembered something I had heard my neighbor say about when he and his wife went to see this movie while it was in theaters. He said that when the movie ended, he came out like a typical guy does out of a superhero movie. "Yeah that was a sweet movie! Action was awesome, great ending, I wish I was Superman!" (Not his exact words, but you get the general idea) Whereas his wife had a totally different view on the movie. While driving home from the theater, they talked about what they liked about the movie and such, and he was amazed to hear his wife's comments. His wife said that throughout the entire movie, she found references to the Savior. The whole movie there were symbols and connections referring to Jesus, whereas the husband was just enjoying the fight scenes and the plot line. So remembering this, I decided I would look for those symbols in the movie.
And let me just say I was amazed at what I found. There were tons! I will try to name as many as I can here, but I probably will forget a few. After each reference, I'll give a little commentary on my thoughts.
- In the beginning of the movie, Superman hears his father talking (in his memory). I believe they were lines from the first movie, but this is what his father said, "You will travel far my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you . . .You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the - The son" Commentary: I believe this is, obviously, symbolic of Heavenly Father speaking to Jesus before he goes down to earth. I also think that it is symbolic of what a lot of Christian churches believe - the Trinity. Because they don't see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (and the Holy Ghost) as 3 separate beings, but all as one. Many of them can't really explain this, it's just what they believe.
- Superman again hears his father's voice in memory a little more into the movie. Again, I have the quote, "Live as one of them, Kal-El . . . Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. 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" Commentary: This is symbolic of Heavenly Father actually sending Jesus to earth. He knows that the people need light, and help. This quote is really self explanatory, in symbolic terms. The world needed a Savior. Which brings me to my next observation.
- After being gone for 5 years, Superman returns to Earth, only to find that Lois Lane has fallen in love with another man. Of course, being devastated, he then learns that during those 5 years, Lois had written an article entitled "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman." A little later in the movie, he confronts her as Superman and gently questions why. She gives some sappy movie answer, but I thought that the whole dialogue was really enlightening.
- Superman: Why did you write it, Lois?
- Lois: How could you leave us like that? I moved on. So did the rest of us. That's why I wrote it. The world doesn't need a savior. And neither do I.
- Superman: Gently takes her up into the sky, and pauses for a minute. Then says: Listen; what do you hear?
- Lois: Nothing.
- Superman: Pauses again. I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear people crying for one.
- (Twice during the movie Superman is referred to as a "savior")
- Near the climax of the movie, right as Lex Luther is making his diabolical plan come to life, Superman comes to stop him. Unfortunately, the giant land mass that is being created by Lex contains kryptonite (of course). So the moment that Superman lands on this crystal-like island, he becomes weak. He starts to talk to Lex, but, being the villan, he just starts punching and kicking the no longer invincible Superman. Then Lex's goons come out and start doing the same. They kick him around, they push him down, they grab his hair, etc. Then Lex Luther comes over again, stabs him in the side with a piece of kryptonite, and pushes him off a cliff into the ocean. Commentary: This was symbolic of the persecution Jesus went through during his life. After Jesus was sentenced by Pilot (and even before), the people spat on him. They jeered and laughed and mocked. They put a crown of thorns on his head and made him carry his own cross. I felt like this part of the movie was representing that very well, because Superman didn't fight back. And neither did Jesus.
- After being pushed off a cliff, he is eventually rescued by Lois and Richard in his plane. After Lois takes out the broken piece of kryptonite in his side, Superman recovers, and then tells them that he has to go back. (My work is not yet finished). So he says goodbye to Lois, then flies out of the plane. Using his laser vision, he melts the earth beneath the rapidly-growing crystal island and flies underneath it. Then the scene goes to on top of the island where Lex Luther and his gang of thugs are playing poker and smoking, when suddenly the ground begins to shake, and then things start to crumble. Lex rapidly gets out of the way, but his thugs aren't so lucky and they are smashed by a falling pillar. Lex escapes in a helicopter, but that's not important. After showing these scenes, it cuts to a wide view of the entire island, which is gradually, but surely raising out of the ocean. Soon you see that it's Superman underneath it lifting it up, and he slowly flies it up all the way to space. The strain is evident on his face, and you can see the kryptonite in the island weakening him. But he completes his task, and throws the island into space. Then probably the most symbolic thing in the movie happens: he forms a cross with his body. He then plummets back to Earth and is declared dead by the doctors. Commentary: Wow. This whole series of events was probably the biggest symbol of Jesus' life in the whole movie. I'll take it piece by piece. First off, he goes back to the island after being rescued, because he hadn't finished his work, just like Jesus did. He needed to atone before he died. Secondly, he flies underneath the island to raise it out of the ground: Jesus descended beneath all things. Next, after the ground starts to shake, the wicked are destroyed, just like what happened after Jesus' death (this whole series of events aren't exactly chronological, but you get the picture). After that you see Superman raise the entire land mass out of the ocean, and you can see the strain on his face and the kryptonite making it extremely difficult. Just like Jesus carried the world's burdens, the world's sins, the world's heartaches, the world's losses, the world's disappointments, the world's feelings, it wasn't easy. And this was the symbol of the great and infinite Atonement. Then, after completing his task, Superman makes a cross with his body and plummets back to earth and declared dead. Obviously, this is symbolic of Jesus dying.
- After being declared dead by the doctors, a doctor comes in to his room to find him gone. There isn't a body in the bed he was in, and the window is open. Of course, he went to Lois first, but the point was that he came back to life. Commentary: I hope you can see the symbolism in that. Jesus was resurrected.
- This is the final one I can think of at the moment, but after coming back to life, Superman goes to speak with what we found out in the movie to be his son. (Jesus NEVER broke the law of chastity, but movies have never been perfect, have they?) He talks to him while he's sleeping and this is what he says, "You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine." Commentary: We are all children of our Heavenly Father, and knowing that when so much of the world doesn't can make you feel like an outcast sometimes. Just having different beliefs, or different standards can make you feel unwanted; but we are never alone. Heavenly Father is always with us, and he can give us strength if we ask for it. We see Jesus' life through our eyes - symbolically saying that we witnessed everything Jesus did for us by reading the scriptures, and how he wants us to act. And He will always be watching us.
Oh and one more thing. You may or may not have noticed in the first two quotes by Superman's father, he called him Kal-El. El, in Hebrew, means "God." Kal means "simple" or "light." So put them together and you get "The Light of God." I just thought that was kind of neat as well.
So why does the world need Superman?
"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
- John 3:17
That was profound! Thanks Trev!
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