Superheroes!

So, yeah. I am a bit of a superhero geek. And it isn't all because of the influence of my husband and son. I can tell you how Wolverine got his adamantium (and why he doesn't remember), and I know Superman's real name (*and his dad's, too).

This is a good week for a superhero geek. "Man of Steel," the Superman reboot, came out on video this week, and "Thor: The Dark World" is out in theaters.

 

It's also a great week for the ladies, 'cause Henry Cavill and Chris Hemsworth are mighty nice to look at.  See photos.

 

While I love Superman, and he's my all-time favorite superhero, I don't generally approve of remakes.  I mean, Henry Cavill is gorgeous, and I enjoyed this retelling of the Superman origin story (including its lean toward a darker, angstier Superman), but I will always love Christopher Reeve in the role.  I have great affection for the old, campy Superman films, and Margot Kidder's Lois Lane was one of the first, actually gutsy heroines I can remember from my youth (the other being Princess Leia).  I could never stomach the heroine who stood in the corner screaming and cringing while the hero did all the butt-kicking.  A really good hero-heroine duo should do it together!  We'll see how Amy Adams' Lois Lane does as the series progresses with the forthcoming "Batman vs. Superman."

 

That said, "Man of Steel" is a great Saturday film if you plan to be a couch potato.  Plus, Russell Crowe as Jor-El*.  Did I mention this film has Russell Crowe?  Oh, yeah, and Russell Crowe's in it, too.  I might be a little drooly right now.  Sorry.  Ahem.

For those of you ladies who like them tall, blond, and thundery, we have Chris Hemsworth in "Thor: The Dark World," currently in theaters.  We debated a bit about bringing our six-year old son to this film, since it's PG-13, but he has seen the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and the first "Thor," as well as "The Avengers," and he knows to steer clear of naughty language - so we took him.  He enjoyed himself thoroughly, and I'm not sure he even noticed the cussing.

This is a good, old-fashioned, really action-y superhero flick.  It has great characters and a good storyline, and lots of funny moments.  As usual in a Marvel superhero film, there's even a cameo by the great Stan Lee.  You'll find nods to other Marvel superheroes you know, too.  Don't look for deep introspection, but the shining star of this film is the relationship between Thor and Loki.  As far as I'm concerned, Tom Hiddleston is the current "it" guy of screen villains.  He's crafty, he's charismatic, and his sparring with Hemsworth's Thor has a terrific irresistible-force-immovable-mountain aspect that makes me want more, more, more.

There is a scene with Hemsworth sans shirt, too, ladies - obviously planted in for our benefit, but who can argue?  Have you seen him shirtless?  His wife is one lucky woman.  Be sure to stay through the entire run of credits, too. There are a couple of inserted clips that you may want to see.

"Thor: The Dark World" cleaned up at theaters this weekend.  It was the top-grossing film, which goes to show that the public wants more of either Hemsworth or superheroes in general.  If it's Hemsworth, I heartily concur.

I find it amazing that not only have they made individual films (and sequels) for Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Captain America, but that they are tying them together via "The Avengers" and weaving the individual storylines throughout.  That's a tall order, and one I hope they continue to manage well.

Keep those superheroes coming, Hollywood!