Monday, Atlanta, Georgia

Is it my imagination? It seems that it has been ages since there have been “must see” movies. I watch the Academy Awards every year, and I try and see the films that have received attention and are up for best picture. Usually we expect that the summer will be filled with entertaining blockbusters. But, as most observers know, an increasing number of celebrated films are small independent productions, with great writing and strong ensemble casts. But it seems that the past few years there have been very few big production, celebrated films.

This summer moviegoers are eager for the next installment of Indiana Jones. Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. has already established itself as a great entertaining extravaganza. Iron Man continues a rich tradition of bringing famous cartoon superheroes to the big screen. The premise of the film is curious partially because the idea of science creating a superhuman individual is less far-fetched than it was when the cartoon character originally debuted. In fact, a story in CNN depicts a robotics company in Colorado that is close to perfecting something like an iron man suit. Under contract for the US military, the development allows someone to slip on some metal junk to actually create a person capable of strength 20 times that of a normal individual.

This is a very intriguing notion. It means that while the early applications are for military purposes to create a combat “Iron Man” soldier capable of superhuman feats, consumer applications cannot be far behind. And what a head spinning notion this is. I think about the millions of people who struggle with physical disabilities, whether born physically challenged or injured in war or accident. The idea that each and every one of us can use the breathtaking achievements of engineering science to do things that eliminate common human limitations is pretty exciting.

As amazing as the past two decades have been with scientific advancement, it seems like we ain’t seen nothing yet. It will be fun to see what’s coming next. Provided, that is, we don’t annihilate ourselves first.

Among the fans of cartoon superheroes and how they are depicted on screen, there is always an enjoyable debate about what constitutes an actual superhero. For instance, there is an obvious distinction between two iconic heroes, Superman and Batman. The Man of Steel is a virtually invulnerable organism. In contrast, Batman is a remarkable individual who is able to do superhuman things because of technology and gadgetry. Spiderman, as a result of a freak encounter with a spider bite, has also become super human in and of himself. In contrast Iron Man is a normal human being who uses the tools of science and technology to overcome his limitations.

Whether you’re a fan of a true superhero, or an adapted superhero, all of these characters represent our deep fantasies about overcoming that which limits us. Becoming powerful, indestructible and invulnerable is a deep psychological yearning for every creature. And of course it is no accident that depictions of those who have become invulnerable always focus on what we would like to see ourselves doing: working for truth and justice, protecting the innocent and annihilating evil.