I left a recent viewing of the new SUPERMAN movie more than a little confused. Superman was nothing like what I had expected. I had read reviews which stated the super hero would retain all of the qualities that I, and most people, would associate with the Man of Steel such as goodness, virtue, knowing right from wrong, strong, etc. Some Christian reviews even used the word messianic in their description.

Wrong! Things started badly and went downhill from there. Perry White, editor of the Daily Planet newspaper, questioned whether Superman still stood for “truth, justice, and…..all that stuff.” Notice anything missing there? It seems the writers just could not bring themselves to associate the “American way” with this new version of Superman. It is easy to draw the obvious conclusion that Hollywood no longer connects America with truth and justice. This is no surprise since Hollywood almost always promotes anti-American sentiments, but it is extremely disappointing because Superman most assuredly was, and should be, tied to the qualities that America proudly stands for and promotes.

From there I discovered Superman had been gone for five years on a quest to more or less get in touch with his inner self while leaving planet Earth defenseless. In my naiveté I had always appreciated the fact that Superman knew who he was, what he stood for, and accepted and lived up to his responsibilities. Someone I could look up to and admire, and possibly try to emulate. Wrong again. Superman was really starting to be a disappointment. Unfortunately it got worse.

Evidently before Superman left town he and Lois had gotten to “know” each other in the biblical sense of the word. He returns from his journey to discover he has a son, and his girlfriend Lois is living with another man. Not married to another guy, but cohabitating with him. The other man, Richard White, also works for the Daily Planet and is seen doing most of the caretaking of the house and child. There is no mention of marriage because Lois is not into the whole commitment thing according to Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen. After all, her career is important to her. You are probably thinking that Superman does the right thing and offers to marry Lois or at least offers to support his son and be a presence in his life. Nope. Too busy saving the world and fighting for “truth, justice, and……all that stuff” I suppose.

I was really puzzled at this point. The man in the movie version of the Man of Steel wasn’t a superman. He was just a dead beat dad and someone who exercised no control over his passions and desires. Superman was acting just like the so called men of today. He was involved with a woman he had no business being in a relationship with, there was no commitment in the relationship-only sex, and he was too busy with his own pursuits to take care of the more important responsibilities in his life. Superman seemed much more about promoting the feminist agenda and the continuing effort to devalue and marginalize men. I wanted a movie about someone I could look up to and admire. Someone who demonstrated the qualities that I need to emulate in my own life. Not a movie about a twerp in a costume who is only marginally different than most men in the world today.

Superman……..Not Hardly.