“Peter Pan flew with children, Lois...in a fairy tale.” So
spoke Christopher Reeve, who made us believe a man (not an actress portraying a
male youth) could fly. That poignant scene between two consenting adults is why
I got problems with Steven Spielberg's Hook.
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| Robin V Superman |
Sure, Robin Williams was a brilliant actor working alongside one of cinema’s
most talented, the director of Jaws, E.T.,
Indian Jones and The Shia LaBeouf Abortion
that Never Happened. No one’s perfect. Hook’s
insurmountable hurdle was having a cinematic adult Peter Pan in a time after
1938. Superman isn’t Peter Pan for adults. Superman is almost the Anti-Pan. The
character’s story is mostly about growing up, not with reluctance, but on
a cosmic folk tale level of adventure, which Smallville failed at showing for 10 long years. From a baby on
Krypton to stumbling awkward blue collar young man in a big city, to romance
with Lois, Superman reflects the experience of becoming and steadily continuing
life in the daily grind of adulthood with super heroics as set dressing, much
in the same way how those great early Spider-Man comics dealt with adolescence.
Superman is an aspiration, not in regards to biceps, but for morality,
humility, and conduct. The only documented case I’m aware of a grown man who
wished he was Peter Pan was a so called king of Pop. I’m sure he was never
associated with accusations of child abuse, right?
Just saying, Peter Pan is messed up!
So what does Peter Pan have to do with incest and Twin Peaks? If
you type in a search for TP and PP together you’ll mostly just get links
about Johnny Thorne’s favorite book. Johnny was a mentally handicapped man
tutored by Laura Palmer. It seems to be Lynch showing his hand, but being very
coy about doing a modern reinterpretation of the children’s classic tale. One
could argue that is a little too vague for the director when compared to Wild at Heart’s strong connection to The Wizard of Oz, but does Marilyn
Monroe’s life immediately jump to mind after watching Mulholland Drive? Regardless, let us strap on our Alan Moore
goggles and slit the tender throat of innocence.
