Latest news with #Boravia
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Superman Handles a Lois Lane Interview
In 'Anatomy of a Scene,' we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel. A budding relationship gets in the way of dogged journalism in this scene from 'Superman.' The film's screenwriter and director, James Gunn, narrates the sequence in the above video, which involves a conversation between Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman, a.k.a. Clark Kent (David Corenswet) in Lois's apartment. The two are dating, and Clark agrees to be interviewed as Superman by Lois. She asks him about a recent incident in which he prevented one fictional country in the DC universe, Boravia, from invading another, Jarhanpur. 'I think the fun thing about the scene, what I really love about it, is that it addresses so many different things in so many ways,' Gunn said during an interview in New York. 'We're talking about Lois and Clark's relationship in a way that we've never seen it. But we're also getting to know them as human beings more and seeing what their belief systems are, which is important for a movie like this. And also, we're saying, if somebody like Superman did exist, how he could affect world politics in such an incredible and strange way.' 'I just wanted to keep things simultaneously grounded, but also fast paced,' Gunn said. 'There is a little bit of 'His Girl Friday,' 'It Happened One Night' in the dialogue, but also keep everything as real as we possibly can and make it a surprise for 'Superman' viewers.' Read the 'Superman' review. Sign up for the Movies Update newsletter and get a roundup of reviews, news, Critics' Picks and more.
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
Superman: Palestinians are not waiting for a white superhero saviour
James Gunn's new Superman has sparked a lot of excitement and criticism since its release last week. The controversy is about the movie plot that appears to upend the typical superhero formula, with a new geopolitical framing. Gunn has brought a fresh take to the tired old America-is-best cliche of US blockbusters, although he is not the first to explore the dangers of military-technological capitalism. Some viewers are reading Superman as a not-so-subtle attack on Israel, with the US-allied white European regime of Boravia, led by a David Ben Gurion lookalike, attacking its poor, non-white neighbour Jarhanpur. (Spoiler alert) The visual symbolism of key scenes - with a heavily armed army confronting unarmed protestors at a security fence - speaks strongly of Israel's border fence with Gaza and its repeated invasions of the Palestinian territory. For right-wing commentators, this is a step too far, with conservatives accusing the film of "going woke" with its politics. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Gunn began working on the film in 2022, so its germination predates the Hamas attack of October 2023 and subsequent Israeli onslaught against Gaza. The chief villain of the movie, Lex Luthor, is portrayed as an Elon Musk-type billionaire who has designs of carving up Jarhanpur with Boravia, and is supplying it with billions in weapons. So far, so 2020s Middle East geopolitics. Superman is a naive good guy who loves his super-dog Crypto and saves squirrels from giant city-destroying monsters. Gunn has denied the film is about the Middle East, and in the original comic, the conflict was actually set in Europe. There are strong shades of Russian accents and Putin-style dictatorship in Boravia, which blurs the case that it is supposed to be a Jewish state (although the east European origins of many Israelis fuels the idea of this being an Israel-Palestine plot). Superman the peacemaker Superman's girlfriend-reporter Lois Lane interviews him for the Daily Planet about his intervention to stop a Boravian invasion of Jarhanpur. She points to the repressive nature of the regime there, and Superman immediately responds that this is not an excuse to invade the country. This interchange is where the real contemporary political arguments are laid out against US intervention and regime change wars. Superman confronts the more serious problem of how he can save the world when the enemy of world peace is a rogue USA and its aggressive ally A later scene of Boravia's invasion of Jarhanpur is what most viewers have focused on, with a young boy hoisting the national flag as tanks and heavily armed troops advance menacingly and unarmed protesters flee under fire. The scene speaks to the Gaza Great March of Return protests along the Israeli border fence in 2018 and 2019, when more than 200 Palestinians were killed and over 8,000 injured by Israeli sniper fire. Superman was created as a symbol of American power in the run-up to World War Two. While superheroes are not all direct cyphers of US imperialism, the idea of a 'superpower' that enables a character to defeat its opponents through prolonged bouts of combat is the essence of the American way. Superheroes are F-35s in human form. Compared to the slacker comedy vibes of Gunn's breakout Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, this Superman is your typical wholesome all-American hero, and there are even jokes at his expense when he claims to like lame pop bands that he thinks are punk. And yet, here Superman confronts the more serious problem of how he can save the world when the enemy of world peace is a rogue USA and its aggressive ally. His intervention to save a poor Global South country from invasion is seen as unwarranted intervention against a US enemy. He is demonised as a dangerous alien (by an army of literal Twitter monkeys controlled by Luthor), accused of having a harem of wives to take over the planet and turn humans into slaves. Shades of the great replacement theory. Once the story breaks, the people of Metropolis turn against him and he is arrested and imprisoned. Superman hits the limit of geopolitical critique Hollywood style: the whole thing must be neatly wrapped up, with baddies defeated at the end of the last reel The film also takes a swipe at the military-industrial complex and its links to settler colonialism, with Lex Luthor arming Boravia in order to get his hands on a chunk of territory, like Trump's dream of owning a "Riviera of the Middle East" on the rubble of Gaza. The heroes of the film, aside from Superman, are the Justice Gang trio of corporate-backed superheroes, who reluctantly join the fray against Boravia and the billionaire, and the plucky editorial team of the Daily Planet. And this is where Hollywood reaches the limit of blockbuster geopolitical commentary. Rather than portray the military-technology complex as part of a larger imperial-political-media complex, in the film, the evil enterprise to seize a colonised territory is the work of some bad players. Once their scheme is exposed, the media and the corporate superheroes do the right thing and move to end the dastardly plot. The US government is almost a passive bystander being played by Luthor. Ordinary heroes To be fair to Gunn's script, in the film, a South Asian man in Metropolis comes to the rescue of Superman when one of Luthor's clone super soldiers injures him. The man is immediately profiled by Luthor's operation room surveillance system, and is later captured and used as a hostage to get Superman to reveal the location of his lair. His fate is the fate of all ordinary super humans who lay down their lives for others in the face of a brutal imperial machine. This is probably the most truthful moment in the movie. No wonder that Israel and its backers have taken a strong dislike to the film. Arch Israel propagandist Ben Shapiro merely wrote: 'Not Good.' How the New York Times enabled genocide 'more than Starbucks' | Mona Chalabi Read More » Yet if the movie was going to make more than a nod toward the themes that it has used as a backdrop for the usual explosions, monster fights and midair punch-ups, it would need to go deeper. The idea that a New York Times-style paper of record, and a mainstream TV broadcaster would turn around and expose plans to invade and annexe territory by a US-backed settler regime is wholly incredible. Instead, they would conceal the truth by portraying the victims as terrorists and describe Boravia as merely 'defending itself'. Superman hits the limit of geopolitical critique Hollywood style: the whole thing must be neatly wrapped up, with baddies defeated and the people saved at the end of the last reel. The idea of a US team of crack superheroes casually destroying a US allied army in the Middle East to save the indigenous people from invasion is, of course, for the birds. And for that reason, it doesn't really land dramatically. Palestinians are not waiting for any western superheroes to save them. Their allies are the hundreds of millions of people around the world who demand their liberation and an end to genocide. The superheroes are the people risking their lives on aid convoys, and the Palestinian medical and aid staff trying to save lives under Israeli siege. Perhaps this goes without saying, but one day, we might actually see these heroes in a Hollywood movie. I won't hold my breath. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why some think the new ‘Superman' movie is about the war in Gaza
Critics have claimed that the new "Superman" film is a direct allegory for the Israel-Hamas War, drawing ire from Israel supporters. An amateur film critic named Evan gave the new 'Superman' movie five out of five stars. Writing on the Letterboxd platform, they praised the film's 'unique visual identity' and called director and screenwriter James Gunn 'the best comic director.' And they added, 'Very anti-Israel, which is awesome to see from a major studio blockbuster.' When Evan's capsule review was shared by at least one user on X, it garnered more than 11 million views and 36,000 likes. Evan isn't the only one to suggest that the new blockbuster carries an implicit — or even explicit — anti-Israel message. Social media has been buzzing with theories that one of the film's major plot points — Superman's mission to stop an invasion of a fictional impoverished country named Jahranpur by the US-backed 'Boravia' — is an allegory for the Israel-Hamas War. 'Feels like a major cultural moment that Israel is quite clearly the bad guy villain country in a big budget Hollywood movie,' wrote the political commentator and frequent Israel critic Krystal Ball on X. 'Going in, I thought it was subtle, but it was not subtle at all.' Such messages were amplified in Arab and progressive media. On Reddit, some supporters of Israel are critical of Gunn and DC Studios for seeding the film with an anti-Israel message. 'I find it so disrespectful and distressing that a superhero created by two Jewish artists, is now being used to promote anti-Israeli messages to the world,' wrote a poster on r/Israel, a 'subreddit' for supporters of Israel. What followed was a lengthy discussion of Gunn's intentions and whether the film's alleged pro-Palestinian bias is only in the eyes of the beholder. Gunn has flatly denied that the film is a commentary on Israel or the Palestinians. 'When I wrote this, the Middle Eastern conflict wasn't happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Middle East,' Gunn told Gunn said the movie depicts an 'invasion by a much more powerful country run by a despot into a country that's problematic in terms of its political history, but has totally no defense against the other country. It really is fictional.' Of course, no audience member needs a director's, or anyone else's, permission to interpret a film as they choose. And while the film is hardly a political screed, it has enough politics to keep such debates going. The villain, Lex Luthor, is an Elon Musk-style billionaire and military contractor who hopes to create a sort of technological paradise on the rubble of Jahranpur. Superman, who famously arrived on Earth as a child from the planet Krypton, speaks up for immigrants of all types, including a falafel vendor named Malik Ali who helps Superman during his duel with a pro-Boravian supervillain, which has also been seized upon as evidence that the film is pro-Palestinian. Boravia itself is clearly depicted as a Slavic country, with its wild-haired leader and his minions speaking in Russian. That might invite comparisons to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, except for reports suggesting that the producers sought to cast 'Middle Easterners' and Southeast Asians as the Jahranpurians. The clash between the two countries — the invaders armed to the teeth, the defenders wielding pitchforks and shovels — is unmistakably a war between a Caucasian West and a brown-skinned East. That suggests to some that the Israeli-Palestinian comparison was intentional, although you could also see a director thinking a clash between white and brown worlds might have more emotional resonance and on-screen coherence than a battle between similar-looking Slavs, and would certainly be more relevant during the George Floyd era in which the script was apparently written. The climactic battle, when Boravian tanks and troops smash through a fence into a huge crowd of Jahranpurians, does not look like the Israel-Hamas War — or at least the urban war of the past two years. Instead, I was reminded of the 2018–2019 Gaza border protests, when Gazans held weekly demonstrations at the no-man's-land between Israel and Gaza. Those clashes often turned violent; Israel responded with force, claiming that Hamas was using the demonstrations as a cover for attacks on Israel. 'Superman' wouldn't be the first film to provoke outrage — and glee — over what may be unintentional messages. A number of films in recent years have used what many viewers saw as antisemitic tropes, for example: the goblin bankers in the 'Harry Potter' movies, the villain in the Smurfs movies who torments the blue-skinned protagonists, Danny DeVito's Penguin character in 1992's 'Batman Returns.' There was no evidence that the creators of these movies intended such echoes, but that doesn't mean they don't exist: Pop culture is a constant churn of tropes and archetypes, often drawn from familiar narratives — biblical themes, Homeric epics, Arthurian legend. Superman himself, the creation of Jewish partners Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, is a recapitulation of the Moses story: a gifted child sent by his parents to safety in an alien land, where he becomes a hero. The creators even gave him a Kryptonian name — Kal-El — that not only sounds Hebrew but could be translated as 'God's voice.' 'Superman' the movie leans heavily into the idea, as old as David and Goliath, of a weaker neighbor fending off a powerful foe. If it were made 50 years ago, audiences would no doubt have seen parallels with the Vietnam War, or any of a number of post-colonial struggles. And it is not as if the United States hasn't backed despots, from El Salvador to Nicaragua to the Philippines. For many viewers, the Israel-Hamas War fits neatly into that paradigm, even as Israel's supporters fiercely deny it. Israel, after all, was invaded by Hamas, not the other way around, while it is Israel that stands isolated among countries that have longed for its destruction. In 'Superman,' the United States appears to back Boravia in part to sell and test sophisticated weapons devised by Luthor, a stand-in for the military-industrial complex; in real life, say Israel's supporters, the United States is Israel's closest friend out of shared democratic values. 'Superman' has gotten mostly positive reviews, in part because it weds the sensibility of Saturday-morning cartoons to some bigger ideas about power and populist politics. I understand why supporters of the Palestinians have enlisted the movie in their cause, and why supporters of Israel resent the comparison or even having to think about the war while watching an escapist summer blockbuster. But if it is any consolation — and I am not sure it is — the real-life war won't be settled in social media threads or by men in tights, but through the actions and decisions of soldiers, politicians, and the people they represent. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
UAE Moments
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
Is the New Superman Movie Criticizing Israel?
James Gunn's 2025 Superman film has fueled controversy over whether its fictional conflict is a pointed commentary on the Israel–Palestine war. The movie opens with Superman stopping Boravia, an ally backed by the U.S., from invading its neighboring nation, Jarhanpur. Boravia's technologically advanced military attacks unarmed civilians across a fortified border, while Jarhanpuris—often portrayed as non-white and vulnerable- suffer intense casualties. Audience Interpretations Audiences quickly drew parallels: on social media, posts claiming the film is 'very anti‑Israel' gained millions of views, arguing that the Boravia–Jarhanpur storyline serves as an allegory for Israel's actions in Gaza. One user wrote on X: 'Y'all were not kidding about how anti‑Israel and pro‑Palestine that Superman movie was… they were not slick with it AT ALL'. Others on Reddit echoed similar sentiments about the film's depiction of imperialist aggression and the imbalance of power. Director's Perspective Despite the interpretations, Gunn and his team have never officially linked the film to the Israel–Palestine conflict. Gunn described Superman as 'about politics' and 'morality,' highlighting its immigrant narrative and broader themes of social justice and due process. In interviews, he said the film encourages empathy and human kindness, values he feels are eroding in today's polarized world. Criticism and Defense Some conservative critics dismissed symbolic readings of the film as overblown. Commentator Ben Shapiro argued that supposed political messaging is 'really weak' and that viewers may be projecting political interpretations into a blockbuster meant primarily as entertainment. Others praised the film's willingness to explore moral complexity and global themes through superhero storytelling. Superman does not explicitly name any real-world countries or conflicts. Yet the Boravia–Jarhanpur scenario—with Western-backed military aggression against a disenfranchised, largely non-white population—has led many to perceive thinly veiled parallels to the Israel–Palestine conflict. While Gunn has not confirmed intentional allegory, the film invites interpretations that resonate with ongoing geopolitical tensions and broader questions of power, identity, and empathy.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Blockbuster 'Superman' Sparks Another ‘Woke' Debate—Between Ben Shapiro, Hasan Piker, Others
Whether 'Superman,' DC's new blockbuster that made a splash at the box office this weekend, serves as a metaphor for Middle East unrest has animated political figures on the right and left—from Ben Shapiro to Hasan Piker—despite the director denying any direct reference. Director James Gunn denied the movie is a metaphor for conflicts in the Middle East. (Photo by Samir ... More Hussein/WireImage) Samir Hussein/WireImage Left- and right-wing 'Superman' viewers have debated whether the conflict between fictional nations Boravia and Jarhanpur, in which Superman stops the more powerful Boravia from invading the poorer and largely defenseless Jarhanpur, is a metaphor for Israel and Gaza. Hasan Piker, a left-wing Twitch streamer and YouTuber some tout as the left's answer to Joe Rogan, suggested Sunday night that Boravia could be an analogue for Israel, noting the fictional country is depicted as a military power and ally of the United States, while comparing its attempted takeover of Jarhanpur to Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Piker objected to an earlier video by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who said the conflict portrayed in the movie does not compare to Israel and Gaza because it 'does not match up to the facts' and can only be seen that way by those with 'left-wing brain.' Shapiro said he does not think the movie has a political agenda, denying other theories the movie is pro-immigration, or offers commentary on Russia and Ukraine, saying these interpretations are caused by 'politics on the brain.' Conservative YouTuber Tim Pool also disagreed that the movie was a metaphor for the conflict in Gaza, pointing out the two countries are portrayed in the movie as a wealthier Eastern European nation and a poorer South Asian nation. Writer-director James Gunn has denied the movie is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, though he has admitted it has political undertones. 'When I wrote this the Middle Eastern conflict wasn't happening. So I tried to do little things to move it away from that, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Middle East,' Gunn told Gunn said the movie depicts an 'invasion by a much more powerful country run by a despot into a country that's problematic in terms of its political history, but has totally no defense against the other country,' which he said 'really is fictional.' Gunn admitted the movie is 'about politics,' but said the movie is largely about morality and kindness. Gunn told previously sparked controversy after telling The Sunday Times Superman is an 'immigrant that came from other places,' stating 'Superman is the story of America.' What Have Critics Said About The Politics Of 'superman?' Film critic G. Allen Johnson wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle it is 'chilling how many scenes reflect current reality,' calling the Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict 'very reminiscent of the Israel-Hamas conflict.' William Bibbiani, a critic for The Wrap, said Gunn may have written a fictional conflict between made-up nations for the film, but 'but we know he's talking about' the war in Gaza. Mashable critic Siddhant Adlakha said the movie has 'unavoidable parallels' to Israel-Hamas. 'Superman' has been branded as 'woke' by some conservative critics over Gunn's immigration comments. A Fox News chyron that aired last week called the movie 'Superwoke,' as guest Kellyanne Conway said people 'don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us.' Superman, however, has long been described by fans and critics as an immigrant. Central to his story is his birth on the dying planet Krypton and his arrival as an outsider to Kansas, and the creators of the comic, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, are children of European Jewish immigrants. Frank Miller, a comic book artist who has written Superman comics, said in 2019 he aimed to 'portray Superman as the ultimate immigrant' in his comic series, 'Superman: Year One.' How Is 'superman' Faring At The Box Office? 'Superman' had a big opening weekend, grossing $122 million at the domestic box office and $217 million worldwide. The movie's success is a win for DC Studios, which has not had a box office hit in years. The studio faced back-to-back flops with 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods,' 'The Flash' and 'Blue Beetle,' as well as the critically panned 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,' which had a moderate box office performance. 'Superman' received positive reviews, scoring an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of DC's better-reviewed films in recent years. 'Superman' continues a hot streak for the summer box office, which has seen consecutive hits including 'Jurassic World: Rebirth,' 'F1' and 'How To Train Your Dragon.' Further Reading Superman's An Immigrant? Director James Gunn Faces Right-Wing Backlash For Claim (Forbes) 'Superman' Makes Huge $22.5 Million Debut—Can It Revive The DC Film Franchise? (Forbes)
