{"id":2209,"date":"2006-06-13T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2006-06-13T15:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2006\/06\/let-us-now-compare-jesus-and-superman\/"},"modified":"2006-06-13T15:56:00","modified_gmt":"2006-06-13T15:56:00","slug":"let-us-now-compare-jesus-and-superman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2006\/06\/let-us-now-compare-jesus-and-superman.html","title":{"rendered":"Let us now compare Jesus and Superman …"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The Associated Press<\/a> just ran an item on the religious overtones of the Superman movies<\/a>, in anticipation of Superman Returns<\/a><\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n

The premise of the new Superman movie alone has fueled speculation that it\u2019s wearing its biblical comparisons on its long, tight sleeve. Superman, in the film, returns to Earth after a long absence, a narrative that\u2019s been likened to Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, news reports that \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d star James Caviezel was originally in the running for the lead role in \u201cSuperman Returns,\u201d which eventually went to Brandon Routh, convinced others that the film\u2019s makers were playing up the New Testament comparisons.<\/p>\n

Moviegoers who enter the theater looking for Christian imagery are unlikely to be disappointed. At one point, Superman sustains a stab wound reminiscent of the spear jabbed in Christ\u2019s side by a Roman soldier. In another scene, Routh poses with his arms outstretched as though crucified.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then again:<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperman Returns\u201d director Bryan Singer said the notion of Superman as a messianic figure is simply another case of contemporary storytelling borrowing from ancient motifs.<\/p>\n

Singer, who is Jewish, said his neighbors\u2019 Christianity played a powerful role in the community where he grew up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese allegories are part of how you\u2019re raised. They find their way into your work,\u201d he said. \u201cThey become ingrained in your storytelling, in the same way that the origin story of Superman is very much the story of Moses.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anyway, as I said a few days ago near the bottom of this post<\/a>, all I can say is, If you\u2019re going to pursue the angle that Superman is Jesus, then you have to consider that the Superman of the movies is more of a Last Temptation of Christ<\/a><\/i> style Jesus than, say, a Passion of the Christ<\/a><\/i> style Jesus. So let\u2019s not get too carried away.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Associated Press just ran an item on the religious overtones of the Superman movies, in anticipation of Superman Returns: The premise of the new Superman movie alone has fueled speculation that it\u2019s wearing its biblical comparisons on its long, tight sleeve. Superman, in the film, returns to Earth after a long absence, a narrative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nLet us now compare Jesus and Superman ...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Associated Press just ran an item on the religious overtones of the Superman movies, in anticipation of Superman Returns:The premise of the new\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2006\/06\/let-us-now-compare-jesus-and-superman.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let us now compare Jesus and Superman ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Associated Press just ran an item on the religious overtones of the Superman movies, in anticipation of Superman Returns:The premise of the new\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2006\/06\/let-us-now-compare-jesus-and-superman.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FilmChat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2006-06-13T15:56:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peter T. 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