Superman the cosmopolitan

Half my household was involved in a multi-vehicular collision on wet West End Avenue yesterday, apparently precipitated by a texting driver. Everybody was fine, though shaken and annoyed. And the Freestyle's out of commission.

My "new philosophy," in the spirit of Sally Brown and Lake Wobegon, plugged right into the situation: "could be worse."

So, feeling the need to celebrate survival, they hauled me to the multiplex for Man of Steel. My new philosophy applied there too, though it could also have been a lot better. Easily an hour of noisome inconsequential violence could have been lopped, the morality play could have been played up more, the humorous irony of Christopher Reeve's '70s version could have been echoed. 

But Younger Daughter loved it, and her demographic is the one they're pitching to. As my friend G points out, there's always classic cable. 

I guess I haven't been to enough movies lately. I kept wondering who the old guy playing Clark's Dad, who looked so much like an over-the-hill Kevin Costner, was. Oh. Kevin Costner.

Didn't like the way young Clark was bullied while reading Plato,  later turning to a Priest to hear (surprise) that sometimes you just have to leap in faith.

Hated the way the invaders from Krypton rationalized their rapacity in Social Darwinist terms, conflating evolution with vicious parochial tribalism and speciesism. (And modeling their social organization on Plato's "republic").

But anyway, I had to love the whole "bridge between worlds" and "force for good" theme. Made Kal-el seem comparatively cosmopolitan, next to the Kryptonites and native Earthlings. A pioneer citizen of the cosmos, cum mild-mannered reporter.

Love that he was a Royals fan, too. Maybe the "S" does mean hope.