JC Morrows

OK… I don’t get it.

I’ve watched and listened to the newest Superman movie multiple times (I’m one of those weird writers who just listens to movies while I work sometimes) and I’m having a lot of trouble reconciling the “dark” label.

Once upon a time (under duress I might add), I sat through the first “Dark Knight” movie. Now that movie was DARK and I was thrilled to never watch it again and also to never watch any of the others in the series!

Maybe I’m just a purist because I didn’t enjoy the third or fourth Batman movies either. Nothing against Val Kilmer or George Clooney but t o me, Michael Keaton nailed it. He did it right and no one has ever been better in my opinion.

Nope. I really think it’s about the darkness in those new movies that really were dark.

But… I’m still trying to figure out where anyone gets the idea that “Man of Steel” was dark… Unless of course, they’re comparing it to the silly, hokey, Superman TV show that used to be on – because I’ve seen ALL of the movies with the incomparable Christopher Reeve and the reboot that fell flat (I’m still trying to figure out why because I thought it was really great); “Superman Returns” and I was a HUGE fan of Lois and Clark”… never missed an episode. Yup, I was right there when Lois said “Who’s asking? Clark… or Superman?” (Don’t yell at me – THAT does not count as a spoiler – the show has been off the air for years) – and I recall some pretty nasty arcs in that series… including Clark being told that he had to develop a killer instinct or Zod would most certainly kill him.

So here I sit; listening to Jor El tell Kal El “The symbol of the house of El means Hope; embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief in the potential of every person to be a force for good. That’s what you can bring them.”, and listening to a priest tell Clark “Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first… the trust part comes later.”, and listening to the same man who was ready to blow Superman out of the sky – tell his men “This man is not our enemy.”, and I’m still trying to figure out where the DARK is.

Yes, the movie has some negative. What movie doesn’t!

But the only part of it that I can think of that could be remotely considered dark would be that the storyline is much more REAL than any other Superman movie or TV show I’ve ever seen.

We get to see a very real possibility of how the people of Earth might actually react to the news that there is an alien among us who can do things that defy explanation and make us stop to think about everything we think we know as a species.

How is that dark again?

Is it just because it’s a little too real for some people?

Maybe they like their Superheroes a little hokey…

Maybe they like the storyline to be a lot more kicking the bad guys butts and a lot less heart and soul and I would gladly hand over my life for you – I love you that much!

Or maybe people are just saying it’s dark because the suit isn’t all bright, pretty colors – although I’m a huge fan of the earth-tones used.

In fact, I’m a huge fan of the whole movie. And that gets tricky for me because Henry Cavill is quickly becoming my favorite Superman of ALL time! (sorry Chris) and Amy Adams is definitely my favorite Lois Lane (sorry Teri)!

Of course the greatest irony here is that no movie or TV show could EVER be as dark as the original comics get at times… oh who are we kidding, ALL the time! YEESH!

Just my two-cents on the subject . . .

 

 

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