Superman (played convincingly by Brandon Routh) returns to save a crime-ridden earth after a five-year futile search for his lost home planet, Krypton. While furiously battling for truth and justice everywhere (including Manila, which was cited in the film’s TV news report) Superman surprisingly suffers human heartaches when he tries to rekindle his romance with Lois Lane (played by Kate Bosworth).
Our superhero sadly discovers that Lois has already moved on, has a child and even won a Pulitzer Prize for angrily writing the piece "Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman." To add insult to emotional pathos of love lost, Superman is hurled to the depths of near-death and humiliation by his arch-nemesis, the villain Lex Luthor (played by a bald Kevin Spacey).
It is amazing to behold the genius of Hollywood filmmakers in deftly creating this latest incarnation of Superman to mirror the epic life of the world history’s No.1 favorite hero, Jesus Christ. The parallels are obvious – from the superhero’s late father Jor-El (played by the late Marlon Brando) telling him that he is his only son sent to be the savior of a troubled world, to his godlike pose in outer space, his Gethsemane-like beating by villains wielding kryptonite, his apocalyptic and heart-stopping free fall to a public park and into near-death in a hospital.
In an interview with Larry King on CNN, the Jewish family’s adopted child director Bryan Singer compared Superman to two Jewish biblical heroes who were sent to adoptive parents in order to fulfill a greater destiny – Jesus, the only Son of God coming to earth as the child of Joseph and Mary in order to save humanity from evil; and Moses, who was adopted by the ruling Egyptians but grows up not forgetting his Jewish heritage and later leading the oppressed Jewish minority into liberation.
When I saw Superman plunge into the ocean to take out a monstrous continental land mass and pushing it out towards space, I wish he’d come to the Philippines to deport into outer space all those 1,300 death convicts saved by the repealed death penalty law and also the horrific toxic garbage in the form of our many dishonest politicians.
While I watched in awe as our childhood hero valiantly thwarted the evil criminal Lex Luthor, I wished the Man of Steel would help us throw our many VIP crooks including corrupt governors, jueteng lords, pork-barrel addicted tong-gressmen and senile-tors into dungeons. Can you imagine Lex Luthor using ill-gotten wealth to run for governor or mayor? We need Superman in the Philippines, not impeachments or charter change!
Why is Superman the favorite superhero of many? Megastar Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan texted this writer: "Yes! He is my No. 1 favorite superhero since childhood! He has powers no other superhero has. He doesn’t need a batmobile – he flies! And his alter ego, Clark Kent, is shy, humble, and has a pure heart as does his "super" self! So many generations love him because apart from the abovementioned reasons, I guess deep inside each of us, we wish someone so good, powerful, and can get rid of much of what is (and all who are) bad in the world really existed."
GMA-7 chairman Atty. Felipe Gozon said: "During my younger years, I had favorite superheroes. Superman was one of them because of his superhuman powers and great feats of heroism. He was always saving somebody from evil characters. The stories woven by the author around his exploits are interesting and exciting."
Top TV newscaster Mike Enriquez replied: "Superman is my favorite superhero. I grew up with him, since he was the first superhero I became familiar with. Because he uses his superpowers to protect and serve ordinary people against evil and bad people. Superman is my favorite superhero, because in spite of my age, I still wish and aspire to be like him – strong but gentle, brave and gallant, super but human. Superman is the best symbol of good always winning over bad, because he stands for the kind of world we want to have."
Does the world still need Superman?
Mike Enriquez replied: "Instead of having just one Superman, I wish all humans would be supermen and superwomen in their own way, putting good over evil, caring for others but at the same time being simple and unassuming in their ways."
Felipe Gozon said: "Of course, the world needs a Superman to save people from disasters, accidents, evil doers, etc."
Sharon Cuneta said: "Definitely, we still need Superman, though we only have to look up to the heavens and kneel down in praise and prayer to the One who is much more super!"