Torn

Superman has always troubled me. It's not that I don't like him; I understand why his character is important to the Justice League and I get why his story is attractive. We've all had instances where we've wanted to find out that the people we live with weren't our real family and that we were placed with them in order to protect us until we were old enough to do whatever it is our real family thinks we should.

That was a really long sentence. 

What I struggle with  in this particular case is the sense of wrongness of the character. He's too strong. Like when Kyle Rayner  became Ion and took care of universe- and galaxy-wide conflict and injustice merely by thinking about it and the rest of the heroes sat back and twiddled their thumbs. Too much power in one character is, to me, boring. 

If I feel this way, then why did I like the movie so damn much? I'll tell you.

The 'Man of Steel' movie didn't delve into the whole 'falling from the stars' crap. It immediately went into the present and used flashbacks to show the audience the types of things young Clark dealt with growing up. It focused on him being taught the basics of human behaviour while ensuring his safety until the world was ready for him.

Yes, he slipped a few times. Yes, people thought he was a little strange. But he managed to hold all of that in until he was ready to face who he was. Watching his first foray into flight was both touching and a little sad. It was then that you could see he would always be alone, that there was no one who could ever come close to doing what he can do.

That kind of character breeds resentment and loneliness, which is why they introduce Lois into his life as a partner. She is the one who can help him figure out the rest of his destiny. Although she doesn't have any superpowers, she is fierce and dedicated to truth, which is not unlike other members of the Justice League. As an award-winning reporter she puts herself in harm's way in order to find out the real story so that she can bring it to the rest of the world.

I still don't like Superman very much but I will say this: I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. I am not rushing out to buy Superman comics, but I am interested to see if they progress his character in future films.