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ALPERN AT LARGE - There are no major spoilers to be had here--except that the characters, visuals, and music of this movie are just plain fun, and that the messages of this “origin movie” is more in what is NOT said so much as it is taken for granted. This is a movie which hints of a broken nation and world, one that needs kindness and character to heal it.
As both the Hollywood elites and conservative elites accuse each other of elitism, and while law enforcement and opposing mobs accuse each other of uncivilized cruelty, and with the Left and Right accusing each other of fascism and destroying America, this is a summer movie that is a healing balm for our current political sunburn.
Ironically and unfortunately, James Gunn (the creator and director of this movie) actually undercut his own movie’s message when he stated his movie was both pro-immigrant and pro-human kindness ...
…which led to a lot of “oh, not another in-your-face fingerwagging by the Left to the rest of America!” response by the Right.
It also led to both an annoying and/or funny meme of Donald Trump as Superman , which some probably felt was either over the top and/or downright inappropriate, while others probably felt was very typical and consistent with the persona of the current President’s notoriously-inflated ego (it’s either tongue-in-cheek humor or offensive, depending on where you stand):
But to be honest and fair, one could be an anti-Trump moviegoer sitting next to a pro-MAGA moviegoer, and both laugh at and love this movie. There are nuances in the storylines of both Clark Kent and Lois Lane, as well as both Superman’s famous birth parents and adoptive parents, that are irrefutably different from all previous versions.
Anyone who’s seen the trailers know that the movie’s other superheroes, as well as this movie’s supervillains, are both colorful and are rather different (yet similar enough) compared to previous Superman movies to capture the interest of the diverse American audiences to whom James Gunn reached out to.
As with James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies when he worked in the Marvel Comic Universe, Gunn’s new DC foray with Superman satirizes--yet also honors (if not lionizes)--the sensitivity and caring that emanates from Gunn’s most beloved heroes.
Kindness and an inability to ignore the plight of the weak are both their greatest weaknesses, and their greatest strengths, of Gunn’s Marvel and DC heroes alike.
The story of Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lara, is well-known to most Americans, but Kal-El is MORE than his parent’s son, and even MORE than his adoptive parents (Ma and Pa Kent of the American Midwest). This movie’s Kal-El story is quite nuanced, and perhaps even more “realistic” than with other movies…but it’s new and entrancing.
The pre-immigration past becomes irrelevant in Superman’s life, as it does for us all who live here, and this new movie’s Superman is as much into the American melting pot culture as any—he is totally a supporter of what we want our nation to stand for. The melting pot of James Gunn’s movie is there, but NOT “in your face”.
Ditto for the ideal American citizen of today, who strives to be MORE than his/her lineage, and to be his/her own person in the hopes that maybe they left the nation and world better than they found it. Actions remain way, way louder than words, as well as with heart and brains to power us to our vital goals and necessary answers.
Hence our nation collectively related well to the Superman portrayed so iconically by the late Christopher Reeves, and we’ll probably also relate to David Corenswet’s new Superman. Any naivete or trusting on the part of Reeves’ or Corenswet’s characters are meant to be both funny and lovable.
We need this message more than ever. Both anti-Trump and pro-MAGA Americans alike are pro-immigrant and pro-kindness (if you get to know them, and if you ever let them explain why their support of views and actions are both bold and necessary), and they all hate the behind-the-scenes elites who threaten to divide and subjugate us.
This movie is definitely a timely piece of a very fictional story we could all use, and arguably it’s a lot more fun (if not obviously more simple) than the world we live in today.
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father. He was active for 20 years on the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) as a Board Member focused on Planning and Transportation, and helped lead the grassroots efforts of the Expo Line as well as connecting LAX to MetroRail. His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth, and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
