The Death of, "The American Way?"

What is to become of Superman? The first comic book superhero, and often considered to be the most dated. When Superman was first introduced in the late '30s, he was a socialist crusader, but when World War II came around, he became the figure of democracy that we know today, standing for, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." Superman has been a believer in freedom and America since those days, and the cynical times we live in just don't see how any literary character could be so blind to the true nature of politics and America. However, I'd like to argue the true meaning of, "The American Way," in Superman's catchphrase, and hopefully point to the direction in which the Man of Steel should go.

In the 900th issue of Action Comics, writer David Goyer penned a story in which Superman renounces his U.S. citizenship after a fallout with the U.S. government. The intentions of Goyer were to present Superman as a World hero and not simply an American one. However, the backlash to this story shows that Superman renouncing his American citizenship was not the way to go about presenting this idea (as is evidenced by the fact that DC Comics backpedaled saying that this event would not be considered part of the official canon of Superman's saga and just simply be an unrelated short story, showing a huge lack of editorial care on DC's behalf). This is concerning for two reasons. First, this type of thinking changes the character and his outlook that made him famous, and second, because Goyer is the writer of the upcoming Superman movie titled, The Man of Steel.

There have been many critics of Superman's catchphrase over the past few years, one of the biggest examples of these critics' power is when the filmmakers of Superman Returns in 2006 chose not to even say, "The American Way," in the catchphrase, leaving it simply at, "Truth," and, "Justice." There is a cynicism that most Americans harbor towards the United States nowadays (as well as most foreign countries with their anti-American views), and unfortunately our own U.S. History is to blame for this loss of innocence. I mean, no longer do Americans live in Cleaver-bliss, but in post-Vietnam, post-Watergate, post-political scandal after political scandal. Many Americans find it hard to trust in their own government nowadays, but is the government and the policies they enact what makes up, "The American Way?" No.

Back when Superman first started using this catchphrase in World War II, it was seen more as a sign of freedom and an ideal to aspire to, and not a reflection of the U.S. government or their policies. If, "The American Way," is a reflection of the U.S. government, then almost every American would flee America and renounce their citizenship, and no immigrants would be wanting to come here, from their own countries, looking for a better life. To be honest, no American is always 100% in compliance with governmental policy, but if we renounced our citizenship because we didn't trust in our government, we'd all be long gone. Get the picture. "The American Way," has nothing to do with government, but a personal ideology that people still wish to attain.

America was founded based entirely upon the ideas of freedom, the ability to let one's voice be heard, to practice whatever religion they so choose, and the ability to live their life as one wishes. This is, "The American Way." It's an ideal that almost every human being strives for. The fact that it just so happens to be deemed, "The American Way," does not mean it has anything to do with American policy, but the values upon which our country has been known for since its inception. That is what Superman stands for, he stands for the freedom and equality of all people, and if that doesn't make him an American, I don't know what does. So no, Superman should have not renounced his U.S. citizenship, but this still does not solve the problem as to how Superman can be seen as relevant in a World where the majority of the World's countries hate America.

After 9/11, America actually wanted to believe in such a thing as, "The American Way," this idea is not gone, however it has been a decade since and almost completely buried once more. What can the future be for the Big Blue Boy Scout? Relevance is not defined by the tone of the story, realism vs. fantasticism, nor is it defined by where Superman comes from. Superman was raised in America, with American values, that can never change, just how someone from Africa cannot change the fact that they grew up indoctrinated in African culture. Superman will always believe in America, but how he can be seen as a World crusader I think can be found in how the T.V. Show, Smallville portrayed the character of Clark Kent and Superman.

In Smallville, Clark Kent is an American, he believes in American ideology, but he most importantly believes in people above anything else. You see this in real life after a disaster. You see how the World truly stands as one. Whether it be the Japanese earthquake/tsunami, or the tornadoes in the South-Eastern United States, or even 9/11, it is in those times that you see the World as it should be, and as it can be. This is how Superman always sees the World. Yes, he is a U.S. citizen, and there will always be those in the World who resent him for that, but this is also what makes Superman strong. Were he raised somewhere else in the world, would Superman still believe in people above all else? I think he still would, but the fact of the matter is, he wasn't. So, does this mean the phrase, "The American Way," should be obsolete? No.

Superman will always believe in, "The American Way," because if anything, Superman is the greatest optimist the World has ever known. Smallville showed in their tenth and final season, even when the government tried to force the superheroes to register, Clark and the other members of the Justice League put their faith in the people, and the Vigilante Registration Bill was voted down by the people. That freedom and belief in people is, "The American Way." Superman's a patriot, allow him to be, but also allow him to see matters not just through an American lens, but through a Universal lens that wants the betterment for all people. If, "The American Way," gets him into trouble, tough. Superman is the strongest man alive, he can take whatever comes his way, but Superman would never forsake what he believes in, so neither should any of us.

Movie Review: "Thor"

The God of Thunder storms into theaters, starting off the 2011 Summer with some action, but not very much substance. In Thor, up and coming star, Chris Hemsworth portrays the title character as an arrogant young man, who still has much to learn before he can become king of Asgard (the realm of the Gods, where his father Odin, resides over the throne). When Thor decides to fight the evil Frost Giants, against his father's wishes, Thor is banished to Earth, and he must embark upon a quest to reclaim his mystical hammer in order to return to Asgard and stop his evil brother, Loki, who manipulated all of the events so that he could take Thor's place and become the next king of Asgard.

Hemsworth is charming in the role, and really shines in the Earthbound sequences when he plays everything straight while still acting as if he is a God amongst Men, even though he is just flesh-and-blood. However, Thor lacks any real substance. The characters are never given time to fully develop, and it is partly because the movie is constantly switching back and forth between Earth, and what is happening on Asgard.

We spend the first thirty minutes in Asgard, then Thor spends about thirty minutes on Earth with Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman), and then about thirty minutes dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D., then he returns to Asgard for the finale to fight with Loki. The movie just had too many irons in the fire for any single character to be developed, so when director Kenneth Branagh tries to cash in and show a romance between Foster and Thor, it just does not ring true, seeing as how Thor acted like a psycho for most of the time they were together, which was ultimately just one Earth day! Not enough time to develop a star-crossed romance.

Regardless, the actors do their best and give it their all. Anthony Hopkins adds a sheen of sophistication as Odin, and Tom Hiddleston knocks Loki out of the park (even if his character is never given the time to develop fully, as it should). As well, the movie is full of Marvel Easter Eggs, such as the Cosmic Cube, and an early appearance of Hawkeye in an action sequence near the middle of the movie. Speaking of which, the action is extremely well done, and definitely scratches that itch that only a Summer movie can, but what previous Summers have proven, is that a Summer movie nowadays cannot rely on action alone and must also have a fantastic story to go along with it, and Thor often slips in that area.

It feels like a sculpture that has rough edges and still needs to be smoothed out. The story does not flow as freely as it should, with myself wondering if the story would have been better served if the entirety of the film had taken place on Earth and save Asgard for a sequel, or perhaps simply save Asgard for the finale, rather than jumping back and forth as they do. The film lacks character development and relationship development, but it manages to still tell a story that makes sense, though it doesn't necessarily feel like a smooth ride.

I give Thor a D!

"Smallvile" Top 10 - Number 1

****

"Reckoning" from Season 5

Smallville's 100th episode is not just the finest hour the show has ever produced, but is the finest hour of television ever produced. All of Season 5, we knew that someone close to Clark was going to have to die when he returned from the dead, via Jor-El. When the episode first aired, fans were teased with the death of a major character, and what this episode gave us was two deaths!

When Clark proposes to Lana and tells her his secret, everything seems as if it will be perfect for Clark, especially when his father wins the state senate race against Lex Luthor, but tragedy strikes soon after with Lana dying in a car wreck, and Clark not being fast enough to save her. With the help of Jor-El, Clark goes back in time to relive the day leading up to her death to save her, only to have Lana break up with him when Clark doesn't tell her his secret this time around, with the end resulting in Jonathan Kent winning the senate race and informed by Lionel Luthor shortly afterwards that Lionel knows Clark's secret. Jonathan fights Lionel, and his heart gives out, with Jonathan dying in Clark's arms. There are no third chances with Jor-El, and Jonathan is gone, forever....

This is such a powerful episode, on the levels of great Greek tragedy. No matter what Clark does, someone he loves will die; no matter if he corrects the fate of one person, fate will balance itself out. This is quite possibly the toughest lesson for our Superman to be to learn, and it hits him hard. Tom Welling delivers his best performance as Clark Kent out of the entire series in this one episode. When he sees Lana's lifeless body, the moment sends shivers down my spine, only to be consoled by John Schneider's Jonathan Kent, creating a sense of foreshadowing for the events later in the episode.

The Smallville staff just pulled out all of the stops for this one episode, and it shows each time I re-watch it. The story is tightly woven, each character serving a greater purpose than just showing up to throw in their token line of dialogue. There is a genuine sense that this was where this story, and these characters, needed to go, and perhaps it was because they had been building up this moment the entire season, as to why this moment ultimately did not feel as if it came out of left field and managed to have so much impact.

Whether you're a Smallville fan or not, I think if you watch "Reckoning" you will be moved by the sheer tour de force of the production as I am each time I watch it. The episode connects into the deeper human emotions of loss and grief, something that everyone can connect to.

****

So that's it! Tune in next Friday for Part 1 of my Overall Smallville Retrospective!

"Smallvile" Top 10 - Number 2

Just one more to go, but before we reach number one, how about my second favorite episode of Smallville of All-Time!

****

"Lexmas" from Season 5

Smallville's grand Christmas episode is everything that a great Christmas special should be. It is heartwarming (evidenced when Clark plays Santa trying to deliver toys to underprivileged children, only to run into the real Santa Claus), and it is also a meditation on life and death, like all of the great Christmas stories of past (i.e., A Christmas Carol).

The episode gives Lex an Ebenezer Scrooge moment when he is shot and goes into a coma, having a near death experience, seeing what his life would be like if he does not decide to go down the dark path. The otherworld Lex shows the Smallville characters all smiles, best friends, and in love, with Lex married to Lana, lower middle class, but perfectly happy and content. Of course, things dip into tragedy when Lana dies in childbirth and Lex doesn't have the money to pay for the medical surgery to save her. Of course, when Lex finally awakes in reality, he chooses to go down the dark path, but it was nice to see what Lex could have been had he not become Clark's arch enemy and remained his best friend.

Of course, not only is this a great fluff episode, but it plays into the overall season arc of Lex running against Jonathan for state senate. Lex is contemplating throughout the entire episode about a decision to either drop out of the race or have a PI investigate Jonathan Kent to find a story that will ruin him in the public eye. When Lex decides at the end to try and ruin Jonathan so he can become senator, we see the evil glean in his eye, with his face half clouded in shadow.

****

Tomorrow, it is here! My favorite episode of Smallville!

"Smallvile" Top 10 - Number 3

So when I first started this series revealing my 10 favorite episodes of Smallville, one a week till the Finale aired, at the time the Finale was scheduled for May the 20th. But now that it is a 2-hour-finale airing on the 13th, I've been spending the past few weeks working on how I was gonna finish this series out, and I came up with a solution. I'm gonna reveal today, my number 3 favorite episode, then tomorrow, my number 2 favorite episode, and on Friday the 6th my number 1 favorite episode, followed by part 1 of my overall series retrospective on Smallville on the 13th, then a few days after that, part 2 will follow to wrap up this 10 year journey. So without further ado, my third favorite episode of Smallville of all-time!

****

"Hereafter" from Season 3

"Hereafter" is an episode that is Smallville at its best. A kid named Jordan Cross starts at Smallville High, but he soon starts setting off Clark's weirdar when Jordan rescues a Coach before he is hit by a car. Clark thought that Jordan reacted as if he knew it was going to happen, later learning that Jordan has the meteor power to know when people die by merely touching them.

This episode is a clever episode that shows Clark Kent as the Big Blue Boy Scout to be, being the only person who doesn't see Jordan as a freak and takes the time to befriend him, so at the end of the episode the friendship pays off and Clark manages to save Lana and a cheerleader from certain doom, with surprising help from Jordan, who learns a thing or two about courage and heroism from Clark.

So the episode is not the deepest episode in the Smallville canon, but as far as a freak of the week episode goes, this may just be Smallville's finest hour. Not to mention, when Jordan touches Clark, he sees no end to Clark's life, just an ongoing red cape fluttering in the wind. Sheer awesomeness!

****

Tune in tomorrow for my second favorite episode of Smallville of All-Time!