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A very British tale that sees the last son of Krypton's rocketship
crash-lands in an English town even smaller than Smallville.
Here the infant Kal-El is taken in by adoptive parents - the
Clarks - who raise their son Colin to hide his powers, because
the worst thing anyone can do is stand out from the crowd.
But when Colin grows up to become a mild-mannered reporter
working for the Daily Smear, a powerful tabloid newspaper
dedicated to uncovering the biggest story of the century,
he finds that the key to his success may actually be to go
public...
True
Brit
is a brilliantly funny take on the Superman universe.
What if Kal-El's rocket had landed in the United Kingdom instead
of the USA? Would his parents have been so keen to see him
use his powers for the good of mankind? Or would they have
hidden him away for being a freak? Well, what would the neighbours
think?
Apart
from the fact that Kal-El has landed in good olde Eng-er-lund,
there are similarities between the original character. Clark
Kent has been changed to Colin Clark. And our hero still becomes
a reporter on the local rag. However, Superman's exploits
are more in line with those of Spider-Man's. He has an editor
who hates Superman and wants him ruined. And no matter what
Superman does, he ends up being portrayed as more of an anti-hero
rather than a hero.
He
also (accidentally) discovers his "fortress of solitude",
but why is it that Colin can never quite remember his parents
telling them they are moving - which they seem to do quite
frequently. It's all a mystery to the poor naive lad.
John
Cleese, of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers fame,
lends Ken "Howard" Johnson a hand with the
script. And there are several references Cleese's fans will
find amusing. These include a few nods to Monty Python:
fish slapping dance and bicycle repairman. And there is
even a Fatty Owls hotel (a nod to the opening sequence of
one of the Fawlty Towers episodes) situated in the
Torquay area on the map of the UK. And there is also a nod
to fellow Python Michael Palin, who is name checked.
Is
there something of John Cleese's real character here? Colin
Clark ends up not being able to do anything right in the UK.
In fact he is not really allowed to be a celebrity in the
UK and ends up moving to the greater US to ensure that his
talents are appreciated... not unlike our very own Mr Cleese.
Is he having a rather subtle dig at his roots?
Superman
also comes into contact with the UK's very own Batman. I should
have spotted this rather obvious joke coming from a mile away,
but it managed to slap me in the face like a wet fish.
Superman
fans and anyone with a sense of humour will appreciate this
very British offering.
Darren
Rea
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