”In my movie, Superman doesn’t care about humanity, Batman can’t get it up, and the bad guy wants world peace.”
– Zack Snyder, discussing his adaptation ofWatchmen
Tag Archives: superheroes
Jumper: One Paragraph Review
Since Zoe was born, Annie and I don’t get out to see movies together as often as we’d like, so when we do manage to swing it, we feel the need to pick something that demands the big screen. Last time, we sawCloverfield, which was an easy decision. This time, we decided thatJumper seemed like the one that most needed the big screen. The good news is that the effects are fantastic, and the fight scenes are a lot of fun. The bad news is that there is no plot to speak of. Anakin is the main character, who discovers that he has the ability to teleport, and immediately runs away from home to lead a glamorous but morally bankrupt life. He robs banks, eat lunch on top of the Sphinx, and picks up women in a bar in London. All of this ends when he is attacked by men with cattle prods in the Colosseum. Long story short, another teleporter reveals to him that there is an ancient war between “Jumpers” and “Paladins,” a religious group who are determined to exterminate all Jumpers. The Paladins are led by a distractingly white-haired Samuel Jackson, but while they are armed with all sorts of advanced technology, they don’t seem to have any training whatsoever, because Anakin and his buddy proceed to beat the snot out of them. By the end of the movie, nothing is resolved, but you don’t really care, because you’re not invested in any of the characters. Still, the special effects are pretty, and if your primary goal is to spend some time with your wife away from the baby,Jumper is not half-bad.
Bill’s Superman Speech from Kill Bill
As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.
Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology… The mythology is not only great, it’s unique.
Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.
Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S” – that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us.
Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak… He’s unsure of himself… He’s a coward.
Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.
– Bill’s Superman speech fromKill Bill
