Superman: Super woke? Or is Hollywood finally done preaching to us?

Another Hollywood woke joke? See for yourself...

There was major buzz surrounding the release of the highly-anticipated summer blockbuster Superman, though many have expressed fear that the movie’s kryptonite could be the usual Hollywood woke preaching that has ruined so many films recently.

The movie, directed by James Gunn, most known for his work on films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Scooby-Doo, came under fire after he told The Sunday Times, “I mean, Superman is the story of America…An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”

Gunn also said, “Yes, it’s about politics,” when talking about the film, but said so in relation to a specific scene where two characters discuss Superman’s actions in terms of the fictional plot.

Gunn’s “immigrant” comment (despite it being true) and past history of anti-Trump sentiments sparked concern among conservatives - of another modern classic being utterly eviscerated by Hollywood’s seemingly endless woke patronization and overly preachy politics that tarnish countless films and television today.

This has been an ongoing phenomenon in Hollywood for some time. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a downward spiral of movie attendance globally, with theatrical revenue dropping from 43% to 15% in 2020. Producing perpetual “woke” releases, Hollywood has struggled to put out films that have managed to yield high-grossing profits while not pissing off middle America by talking down to them and scolding them for their values. Besides some exceptions like the epic summer of Top Gun 2, or movies with innovative marketing campaigns, like Barbie and Oppenheimer, much of the Hollywood landscape has been riddled with preachy flops like Disney’s Snow White remake, for example, that received pre-release hate after painful interviews with its lead bashing her own character, ultimately losing Disney about $115 million.

Thus, Gunn’s comments garnered so much attention, even President Donald Trump himself weighed in:

Others also took to social media, saying that the plot involving two fictional countries at war, Boravia and Jarhanpur, were blatant statements about either Israel and Palestine (the statement being pro-Palestine), or Russia and Ukraine (pro-Ukraine).

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However, after the movie’s release, it is clear the interpretation of Gunn’s comments were not really representative of the film at all, meaning it is not, by popular definition “woke,” and maybe, just maybe, symbolizes a shift from the political treachery that has been suffocating Hollywood for too long.

The overarching theme of the film truly is one thing: human kindness; and Gunn’s approach is to incorporate his jaunty, sometimes quirky style to create a Superman that exudes the best parts of being human, all with an optimistic, Superman eye on the prevailing goodness of humanity, and Earth. At one moment, Superman literally saves a squirrel.

If the film were to be a truly woke disaster, it would most definitely not be receiving 83% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% audience approval rate, considering right-wing ideologies are currently in the majority.

Of course the plot involved international conflict, was rooted in modern day social media culture, and centered around a main character who is famously known as being an alien and immigrant, which, let’s be absolutely clear, is not bad, and is actually foundational to the America we know today. Joe Biden’s disintegration of structured immigration policy, or lack of consideration for Americans and immigrants alike in terms of long-term propriety, done so seemingly for the Left’s political gain *ahem, Gavin Newsom’s recent “look like him” comments *ahem*, is the issue. But we digress. However, none of these factors supersede the real takeaway from the film, which is what a summer blockbuster is supposed to be: fun.

This is not a conversation about whether or not Gunn’s adaptation bested Christopher Reeve in 1978, or if the zany side-characters in this latest installment proved too distracting. This is one based on the claims that Superman is all about making statements on American politics. Which, according to even Ben Shapiro, who vocalizes his disdain for James Gunn, does not meaningfully take a political position or depict seriously a real world conflict on which it aims to make a commentary.

Really, Superman has always been representative, in a paradoxical way, of the everyman, highlighting how we each are super in our own right. This backs Shapiro’s argument in the sense that perhaps there are all these interpretations of what Superman “meant” when really, these interpretations are just the personal reflections of a certain person’s beliefs and experiences.

So to all those who hesitated to get tickets for the Superman film based only on the fear that it would be yet another slop from the slew of Hollywood’s supercilious politics, fear not. It really is just a superhero movie - nay, a hero movie about family, adventure, and goodness - something we all need more of.

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