Man of Steel

More so than most anything, I have a bit of a Superman fetish.  Maybe it is the dream of being swept off my feet by a strong, handsome man, but it probably has more to do with the fact that the actors who play Superman in TV and movies are consistently some of the hottest men in Hollywood. Superman is not just a superhero. He’s the superhero. He created the very concept of the superhero, and everything that’s touched on that concept for the past 75 years — we are talking vast swaths of popular culture — exists because of him. Regardless of how you feel about Superman and superheroes, you can’t deny the cultural impact the character has made.  Superman is an ideal. He represents our best self. That’s what he’s for.

Well, of course, I went this weekend to see Man of Steel.  Not only am I a Superman fan, but I have a celebrity crush on Henry Cavill, who I fell in love with when I fist saw how beautiful behind in the first episode of The Tudors.  And boy is he buffed up and beautiful in this new movie.

Man of Steel is so explosively loud and full of light speed action sequences, it might be the film that allows the blind to see and the deaf to hear again. It’s apt then that Superman, reborn in 2013 by director Zack Snyder and co-writers Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, is presented as a Christ-like figure sent down from the heavens with the promise of saving every last one of us. The ambitious question the story poses is: How would Superman be received on Earth today? Would he be feared, loved, revered? The answer, according to Man of Steel, is all of the above.

This movie is a retelling of Superman, not really what I expected, but it is action packed.  I won’t go into some of the differences, but if you are a Superman fan like I am, there is no way you can miss this on the big screen.

About Joe

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I began my life in the South and for five years lived as a closeted teacher, but am now making a new life for myself as an oral historian in New England. I think my life will work out the way it was always meant to be. That doesn't mean there won't be ups and downs; that's all part of life. It means I just have to be patient. I feel like October 7, 2015 is my new birthday. It's a beginning filled with great hope. It's a second chance to live my life…not anyone else's. My profile picture is "David and Me," 2001 painting by artist Steve Walker. It happens to be one of my favorite modern gay art pieces. View all posts by Joe

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