Everyone's A Critic...

I have never made a pretense about my comic book loyalties.  I am first and foremost a Marvel fan.  However, I have to say that I am very impressed with the new efforts of DC's newest super hero movie Man of Steel.  But the critics don't agree.  In fact,  Entertainment Weekly gave it a C rating.  The number one complaint I’ve heard is that this movie is not Batman.

What does the Ticket Traveler say to that? Thank heavens it's not Batman!!! People today have an entirely different definition of "superhero".  During the Golden Age of comics, people looked for a hero who could handle any of their problems.  During and post World War II the catastrophic losses on all sides caused worry and panic that - what if another war of that scale ever happened again?  Not to worry! (At least in fiction.)  There was always a superhero to help the helpless.  

But with the rampant skepticism of the twenty first century, many people can't accept the fiction of a superhero who who is simply that.  They have to have their limits.  They have to be human and they have to identify with a them.  Using the terms be "edgier" and "grittier," they define these "human super heroes" with limitations.  They aren't supposed to protect all of humanity from the problems of the world.  They have their limits.  They are fallible to the point of being tragic (alla Nolan's Batman).

The problem of Superman is that he's an alien, so making him human has been a problem.  He's been a figure who has been above brooding and sulking.  He's invincible to "normal" problems here on earth with the exception to a rather dumb and often annoying Lois Lane always seems to be getting in the way.  Superman has never been able to meet the twenty-first century movie-goers' needs... until now that is.

This particular Superman impressed me as accessible to a modern audience.  He has problems.  He is vulnerable - more so than we've ever seen Superman before.  He's more identifiable, perhaps even more human, with struggles to find himself.  I'm not sure why critics have given the movie much worse ratings than it deserves, but you can't make every movie a Batman movie.  The individualism that that movie claims would be defeated should every successive DC flick turn into it.

Even as an Avengers fan, this movie gives me renewed hope that DC might be able to pull off a legitimate Justice League film.  It's definitely worth the price of admission to travel, although I can't attest to the 3D experience.  So go watch Man of Steel in theaters.  After all, everyone's a critic anyway so just check it out for yourself.