Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel (2013)

MOVIE SUMMARY

A baby born on the planet Krypton is sent to Earth. He grows up with special abilities. People from the planet Krypton come to destroy this Superman.

MOVIE THEMES

Superman as Christ-Figure

This movie makes a deliberate attempt to compare the life of Superman (also known as Kal-El) to Jesus Christ. Both come from another world. Both are raised by Earthly parents (Joseph is Clark Kent‘s father just as he is Jesus’ earthly father). The movie presents a boy who grows to be a man with a secret that he can’t reveal until the right time. Both go on a quest as an adult. They are both discovered at age 30.

In this movie, there are deliberate parallels hinted between Superman and Jesus Christ. For example, the “S” on his suit means hope in his native language. When Superman leaves to save the world, there is a shot of him dropping to Earth. He spreads his arms and has the same look as Jesus on the cross. One could say that by spreading His arms as Superman flies down, he is showing how he will save the world – through self sacrifice.

There are even some fascinating parallels to another movie about Jesus Christ (The Passion of the Christ). You can see those parallels in this video.

Justice

The other main theme that comes through clearly is the question of justice. Jor-El and his wife produce a child. Jor-El hides the genetic code of all Kryptonians in order to preserve their people through one man – his son. General Zod disagrees with Jor-El and wants to get that genetic code to terraform another world. Each are wanting justice for having destroyed their world. The reason these are matters of justice is because both see that what happened to their world was caused by poor behavior on the part of the Kryptonian government.

When Clark Kent starts to grow up, his parents set out to teach him a moral code that includes the idea of justice. Joseph tries to teach his son that he needs to care for other people, even when they are not nice to Clark. Joseph teaches Clark a very Christ-like sense of justice. While it may seem like it American, it clearly comes from teachings from the Bible.

Finally, the United States military leadership question Superman’s authority and his potential to avoid justice. At the end of the movie, Superman destroys a drone satellite designed to spy on him. In the ensuing conversation, the General is concerned that they may not be able to trust how Superman handles crime. His sense of justice is questioned and the General wants to keep Superman in check. It is significant that the sequel to this movie is entitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

QUESTIONS:

1. How does the character of Superman show the power of Jesus Christ??

2. What Christ-like characteristics does Superman emulate? Are these characteristics we should emulate as Christ-followers?

3. How is justice played out in this film? Based on Romans 12:19 and Who has the better sense of justice? How does Amos 5:7 and Amos 5:24 played out in this film and which is the better form of justice?

4. How does this film compare or contrast with the moral code found in Mark 12:30-31, John 13:34, 1 John 4:7-10?