Man of Steel: Christian, Feminist and Gay - June 18, 2013

Looks like the Philippines badly needs a superhero. Based on its five-day box-office gross, the superhero film “Man of Steel” has earned a record-breaking P247-M -- making it the biggest June opening ever and surpassing “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” which held the title  in 2011.

As the Philippine Star reported, Francis Soliven, general manager of movie distributor Warner Bros. (F.E.), Inc., announced that the Superman reboot’s first-day gross of P69.52-M on June 12 was the biggest in its class. And  it seems  the movie’s earnings  will exceed its $225-M budget.
Some reviews point out that the Henry Cavill-starrer’s smashing success lies in its ability to please a wide range of people-- Christians, feminists and gays included.
References to Christianity
Fox News’ Justin Craig observed, “Man of Steel” may have been blessed for its reference to Jesus and Christianity.”
For example, unlike other Krypton children who are genetically engineered for a pre-determined purpose (thus, artificially inseminated), Kal-El was conceived through natural birth—a first of its kind in centuries.
Clark Kent also claims that he’s 33, Jesus Christ’s age when he was crucified.
Kal-El also follows Christ’s path when he turned himself over to the Krypton insurgent to save Earth from great destruction.
For another, Clark sought a priest’s advice.
‘Feminist action movie of the year’
While some may say a movie with tons of exploding buildings, oversized flying objects and endless fight scenes is far from feminist, Slate’s Alyssa Rosenberg says otherwise.
“Striking for its absence of naked ladies, it also features a badass Amy Adams performance as Lois Lane and women all over newsrooms and the military, not just in the bedroom.”
The villain in the movie also didn’t skip Rosenberg’s eyes: “There’s even a ridiculously enjoyable feminist supervillian in this battle between Superman (Cavill) on behalf of humanity and General Zod (Michael Shannon), a Kryptonian criminal who wants to rid Earth of its inhabitants to resurrect his destroyed planet. Zod’s right-hand man is actually a woman: Kryptonian baddie Faora (Antje Traue).”
‘Gay’ Clark Kent?
Advocate’s Jase Peeples believes the new Superman movie could be the “gay allegory of our time.”
Frightened and confused with his developing super-hearing, young Clark ran out of the classroom and locked himself in a broom closet.
“This scene from director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is one of many that will resonate with LGBT viewers, and highlights why the latest Superman reboot may have more LGBT appeal than any other iteration of the story based on Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton,” Peeples wrote.
“From characters who struggle with secret identities to mutants who are despised by society because they are born different, the genre is practically overflowing with queer metaphors,” he continued.