"Superman Returns" comes out in theatres this week, I guess. Apparently, this resurrected hero has some new life in this flick. After two lousy Superman movies and the paralysis of Chris Reeve, it seemed that the caped one was dead. Had we lost hope? The genre itself had been reborn with the X-Men, Spiderman, and "Batman Begins" blockbusters of recent years. I think people like to see an action film in which a seemingly ordinary person is somehow transformed, reborn, and enhanced with some powers and capacities rendering him or her extraordinarily useful to humanity. Why? How else will we get out of the mess we're in, the mess we've made. How else will evil be combated and justice restored? It will take the extraordinary gifts of an ordinary person to get it done. Superman is a caricature of our greatest hope. A Christ figure, prepared to suffer for the sake of humanity. One who is prepared to use his power for the common good. Ah, in today's American political climate, wouldn't such a one be a breath of fresh air?