Townhall's Kevin McCullough says that the filthy critics who've given Man of Steel negative or mixed reviews don't like it because they hate God and fatherhood:
We could point to any number of reasons why this film works, but perhaps one of the most offensive things to critics, but by far is of singular importance to the film in ways that few will dispute, is Clark's two dads.So the critics may think they don't like it because "Every opportunity for humor, compassion or plausible responses to otherworldly phenomena is buried beneath product placements and CGI special effects," or because "There's very little humor or joy in this Superman story," or because "this reboot skimps on fun and romance" -- but they really hate it because they're instruments of Satan.
Clark Kent/Kal-El a.k.a. Superman, has not one but two men of distinct honor, fidelity, integrity, and moral uprightness that speak into his life in the narrative.... the father figures in the film portray far more than what the American entertainment complex usually allows men--especially fathers--to exhibit.
These men are pillars in their families. They both make decisions that consistently demonstrate provision and protection for those in their care, and unapologetically they lead their families--with humility--to make decisions that are not emotionally easy, but that at their core are truly just, good, and right.
These men are pillars in their communities. They both demonstrate the character-birthed foresight to speak truth to those who need it, regardless of how unpopular it may be....
These men are pillars to a watching society. Both men sacrifice their own welfare for the good of the greater world, their families, and even for Clark/Cal....
One gives up Clark, knowing he is the only hope of salvation for the universe, thus he sends him to earth. And it is there where the other adopts Clark as his own flesh, teaches him all that he is capable of and lives faithfully before him, to give Clark the foundation he will need to be the saving force of all mankind.
But wait, this sounds vaguely familiar.
Of course it does.
The narrative of the Biblical text claims that God the Father -- who in many places throughout scripture takes the name of "El" (the name of Superman's Krypton family) -- sent His Son, who would also have questions about His role in the world as a child, grow up as an alien to those around Him, see the evils and injustice of the world--and work miracles to correct them, and eventually be the literal salvation of humanity through His ultimate miracle of defeating death.
Yes I suspect one of the reasons some entertainment critics have been so unfair to the legitimate greatness of this epic masterpiece is that they are too overcome by an allegory of another story that they have not settled in their own belief system yet....
It's not just McCullough who's trying to get cultural traditionalists into the theaters to see Man of Steel. Here's a FoxNews.com story aimed at the Christian crowd:
[Director Zack] Snyder and his "Steel" co-creators Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer have layered this latest incarnation with quite a few allusions to Jesus Christ. Here are a few:Did an eagle-eyed Fox scribe just happen to spot all that? Or did Warner Bros. spoon-feed this list to the Fox writer? My money's on the latter -- Hollywood knows that a movie secular audiences read as secular can make a lot of extra cash if Jesusy audiences can be persuaded to see it as Jesusy. (See, e.g., The Blind Side, which was carefully marketed to Christians and became a surprise smash.)
While there isn't a miraculous birth per se, Kal-El's (Henry Cavill) father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) claims that his son is the first "natural" birth in centuries. All children on Krypton are genetically engineered to a pre-determined purpose and thus artificially inseminated. Not Kal-El.....
There is some Christ-like imagery planted throughout "Man of Steel." One blaring symbol occurs during a climactic battle: Superman jumps from General Zod's (Michael Shannon) ship and hovers in the sky with his arms out-stretched like the crucifix. Freeze-frame it and you can have your own Superman prayer card.
Kal-El says he is 33, a not-too-subtle reference to the same age as Jesus Christ when he was crucified.
The Passion of Superman. Kal-El is more than willing to sacrifice himself to save the people of Earth. Originally reluctant to reveal his identity and powers to the world, Supes decides to turn himself over to Zod to save humanity from annihilation.
When things get tough, Clark Kent seeks advice from a priest. Visible in the background is a large painting of Jesus so you can see Supes and Christ side-by-side.
Superman is a non-violent being. Even though people everywhere seem to want to beat up on Clark Kent, he never returns the favor, always opting to keep the peace....
I wonder if McCullough also got a call from the Christian-marketing folks at Warners, and if that inspired his Townhall column. He sure wrote Man of Steel up as if he was trying to please the studio ("The film is without question the greatest Super Hero film of the modern era, maybe of all time.... 'Man Of Steel' without question will be the number one money maker at the box office for the year").
They say you can't serve both God and Mammon. Hollywood, I guess, would beg to differ.
(And um, didn't we all know this about Superman already?)
*****
UPDATE: More articles on Man of Steel's Superman as Christ at Christian Post, Breitbart, the CNN Belief Blog, and The New American. Yeah, Warners is working this hard.
