WHY THE WORLD NEEDS A SUPERMAN MOVIE

It is an all too familiar story: a young girl takes a walk through the park at night. A construction worker slips atop some scaffolding. A gang of youths corner an old man. A child, hurrying home from school, forgets to look both ways when crossing the road. 

We've heard stories like these so often that we do not even need to be told the outcome. Most of the time, they are just background noise. We shrug and move on, defeated before the fact that we are helpless in a chaotic and violent world. 

Here's another all too familiar story: A rocket is launched from the doomed planet Krypton, carrying that world's only survivor – the infant Kal-El – towards Earth. He is taken in by a kindly Kansas couple, who name him Clark Kent. Growing up, he develops powers beyond those of mortal man and vows to use his gifts to help those in need as Superman, the Man of Steel! 

There are many who see Superman as an outdated character; unrealistic in our modern, morally grey world. I disagree with this stance.

There are a lot of movie heroes now who are textbook "bad-ass"; willing to do what is necessary to win the day, regardless of the consequences, and look cool doing it. Most of the time, these so-called heroes do not really care why they striving to overcome evil. They are just looking for a good time. Or, if they do have a purpose driving their actions, they are willing to "walk the line" between good and evil, or even cross it altogether, all in the name of this purpose. 

And there is nothing wrong with that. It's damned awesome. I love James Bond and John McClane (Mental search for more modern heroes yielded no results) just as much as anyone. But their template seems to have become the norm for movie heroes, even seeping into comic book adaptations. 

So Batman looks the other way whilst Ra's al Ghul and Two-Face fall to their deaths – they deserved it, right?

Iron Man saves an American Air Force pilot, everyone cheers. Iron Man kills a bunch of non-white guys, everyone cheers. It's all good, right? 

The characters in Watchmen and Kick-Ass… Well, you get the idea. 

To me, a superhero is someone who goes above and beyond the attempts of the average person – and the average hero – to save lives. Even the lives of the bad guys. To do less is to be less. 

Yes, John McClane had to kill all those guys in the Nakatomi Building because he was just a man, but a true superhero would have would have found a way to triumph without the cost of anyone's life. They would go the extra mile, even at the risk of their own lives. 

There are some who say that these true blue concepts of truth and justice are only upheld by the naïve and those blind to the world's true state. But Superman is neither, and yet he upholds them regardless. If anything, Superman is more aware of the state of the world than anyone, due to his super-hearing. 

He hears humanity's every cry for help. Superman does not let this pain overwhelm him to the point of inaction, unlike some recent adaptations (Bryan Singer's "Emo-man Returns"). Nor does he turn a blind eye. He acts. And that is essentially who Superman is: A man of action. 

We need someone to look up to in films who does not always take the easy road. Someone who does not ignore the evil within people, but who also does not ignore the good. We need a hero who sees the suffering and injustice in the world and who does something about it, rather than give in to it by becoming sullen or violent. Someone who will race speeding bullets aimed at the innocent; someone who will change the course of mighty rivers that would otherwise destroy homes; someone who will catch those who fall from great heights. We need somebody who not only has hope for the future but who instils hope for the future. 

But we also need someone who'll remind us, without judgement, that we are more than capable of solving some problems on our own, if only we take action. 

Plus, I really wanna see a Krypto the Super-Dog movie. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere. Up, up and AWAY!