So this occurred to me the other day for no good reason I can discern.
In the first Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve, (Spoiler alert!!) Lois Lane dies. Then Superman flies around the Earth until it is spinning backwards. Time then flows backwards as well and he changes the events that led to his girlfriend's death. When I saw this movie at the age of 6 I accepted this.
However, now, at 36, I realize that even if it were within Superman's powers to reverse the rotation of the Earth, such a reversal would not have the desired effect. Here's my first main point: The flow of time is not linked in any way to the direction of the rotation of the Earth. (Warning: My second main point will not be announced as such. It will sneak up on you like a tiger and pounce.)
So the question becomes: What would happen if the rotation of the Earth were reversed? Chaos. I am not a geophysicist, but I think it is safe to say that there would be scenes of innocent bystanders screaming in terror, running through the steel and glass canyons of Gotham while airborne cars and buses bounced around them, crushing the ones that had been mean, racist, Black, or smoking earlier in the movie.
Conclusion? Superman: Selfish Uber-villian.
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What the? I think there are more flaws to be discovered in the original Batman as well. What prompted this rip on the Superman? I am not a bird, I am not a plane, I am just a silly boy in a red cape.
ReplyDeleteYou're talking about two different things: reversing the earth's rotation and reversal of time. Only Superman can do both of those things. You are a fun killer.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just watched this movie again and the ending is preposterous, even with comic book rules. Watching it as an adult who has read several Superman comics only confirmed what I said above.
ReplyDeleteSpinning the world backwards would not cause time to flow backwards because the passage of time simply does not depend on the rotation of the earth, even in the DC comics universe.
And even IF we accept some explanation like "Superman's grief was so great it suspended the laws of physics, or at least the disbelief of the audience", the CA bound missile (not already blown into space like the NJ missile) would also be dragged back in time and again destroy the area where Lois, now joined by Supe and Jimmy, is standing.
Otherwise, really great movie. Now eager to watch the highly acclaimed by Netflix users Richard Donner cut of Superman II.