The Wilful Sunflower

Watching Superman was nostalgic. I still remember they used to show the old Superman movies on tv every year. This was back in the late 1980s, when the law prohibiting cigarette company advertisements wasn't so strict yet, so once a year Dunhill would sponsor a bunch of movies and we'd get a season of "Dunhill Double" films on Thursday & Friday nights.

"Gaya. Mutu. Keunggulan." Or, "Style. Quality. Excellence." -- the Dunhill motto. Sticks in your brain. You never saw the cigarettes in any of the ads, but from what I remember there were a lot of gold-plated fountain pens, elegant male models standing around in three-piece-suits, gleaming mahogany furniture, shiny silver cufflinks, and so on. I knew the ads were about the cigarettes but I could never see the connection, myself.

Anyway, Superman. I've always thought him the handsomest superhero, but it's Batman who has my heart. Why? Coz Superman isn't believable; Batman is. Superman goes about saving the world; Batman just helps out in Gotham City. Superman is... not one of us; Batman is an ordinary guy trying to do the best he can. Superman is too darned noble and perfect; Batman wrestles with private demons and yearns to avenge his parents' deaths. I could go on and on.

Plus, Superman puts on glasses and ordinary clothes, and becomes instantly unrecognisable. Does this make sense? Is this logical? I DON'T THINK SO. Sure, superpowers aren't logical in the first place, but there is a difference between the fantastic and the just plain dumb. Don't try to stretch my imagination too far. It isn't made of rubber, you know.

As I was watching the movie last night, two things occurred to me [no spoilers, don't worry]:

• Superman's "new" boots are awfully ugly. My housemate said they look like Phua Chu Kang's construction boots -- except they're black rather than bright yellow! And there are so many close-up shots of them boots. Every time I see them, I flinch because they outrage my artistic sensibilities! Arrrgh!
• Superman must go through lots and lots and LOTS of clothes at the rate he keeps tearing them off. How does he, a mere reporter, manage to support his lifestyle? (When I went into journalism, I was told that nobody goes into it for the money. Trust me, we get lots of perks, but the pay is so-so.) Spiderman, at least, takes his clothes off and bundles them somewhere. Superman just rips his off his body and leaves them lying around.

My housemate Sock Hui thought it was boring and draggy. I didn't think it was that bad, but yes, there was nothing really new in it. It comes off as a movie with no feeling -- doesn't engage the viewers' emotions. And why does Superman look so plastic? It's harder to relate to a plastic Superman coz he doesn't even look real!

Gimme Batman any day. He has fascinating gadgets and uses his mind. Brains over brawn, I say ;)