PICK ME UP

There's a small musical motif in the soundtrack score to Superman 2 (Thorne/Williams) that whenever I hear it returns a smile to my face. It's the audio equivalent of a 'nod and a wink' to the audience, breaking the fourth wall but as a music cue not a visual one. 'Clark Exposed As Superman' has one of my favourite melodies, an inverted recall of the film's main theme (01:20) that is a perfect metaphor for the flimsy, bespectacled human disguise of Clark Kent, known more famously as Superman. As Lois Lane gets closer to revealing her Daily Planet co-worker's masquerade, which the audience has always known about, the music becomes ingeniously insinuating of her finally uncovering Metropolis's worst kept secret.

There was a profound optimism to the movie scores of the John Williams-influenced late 70's/early 80's era that reminds me, sadly, that the age of kind and noble hearted super heroes appears to be well and truly over having been replaced instead with meta, post modern, angst-ridden Marvel bores instead.

But then again, whenever I hear that cheeky 'recall' motif, I think maybe not.

The Superman of my childhood will be back again one day I'm sure of it, and, I hope, will be finally free of the post Nolan/Synder earnestness that weighs audiences down like kryptonite.

Until then, like Lois Lane, I'll be waiting in keen anticipation of the caped crusader's triumphant return.