In superhero comics the heroes often do not go as hard as the villains. They can’t, because they don’t want to hurt innocents. Villains have historically understood this, and so they use innocents as shields or distractions. This is an old trope, but an effective one. It starkly illustrates the difference between the good and the bad guy and it allows the good guy’s idealism to be expressed through action. Many comic book battles end with the hero allowing the baddie to go free so he can rescue a civilian in grave danger. In fact it’s the dilemma - rescuing innocents versus stopping the baddie - that is the final moral choice Superman makes in Man of Steel. It’s a great moment, a truly hard decision that clearly impacts him immensely. Unfortunately it’s a hollow decision because Superman just saved four people after letting hundreds of thousands die. ... Unlike The Avengers, Man of Steel doesn’t want to examine what that means, even in a quick montage. Which is weird in a movie where half the expository speeches are telling Clark Kent to be mindful of how his presence will change the world. It’s as if Goyer and Nolan got to the end and realized the way his presence would change THIS world is that everybody would hate him and he would be seen as a mass murderer. We’re supposed to cheer at the end when Superman brings a destroyed spy drone back to the military, but after his recklessness in Metropolis why would any government trust him?
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:53:41 +0000
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