As I noted in a Paste blurb a couple years ago, I soon relegated the sole survivor of Krypton to my personal past. Oh, I enjoyed watching Superman II (1980) repeatedly on VHS during middle school (Star Trek II was another oft-viewed sequel), but I never collected the comics, played with the figures, or became addicted to the Super Friends cartoon like some of my peers.

Despite his accepted iconic status in American culture, Superman has been disregarded by many adults for being too far-fetched because too multi-powered, too invulnerable, and just too darn virtuous. Over the last couple decades, Batman comics have made much of the great temperamental difference separating these sometime colleagues, and much of comicdom has followed suit. If we’re going to imaginatively walk alongside a superhero, we’d prefer a dark, haunted man in tights to one who represents “truth, justice, and all that stuff.”

While watching Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006) on the IMAX screen, however, I realized that Superman remains a powerful symbol for the lovers of this genre not because we can relate to him but precisely because we cannot. Unlike most other superheroes in the DC and Marvel universes, this God-like champion may dodge our sympathy, but he never eludes our respect. His active devotion to justice for everyone is more than human, his courage unwavering, and his willingness to sacrifice himself to save the world echoes that of Christ.

Of the various elements culled from the first two films, Singer does the most with this last one. He does recreate the traditional character and costume, faithfully adopt the original set designs of the Fortress of Solitude and Daily Planet, insert many dialogic and narratological nods to the first couple flicks, and encourage his composer to employ John William’s amazing score from the 70’s. But what I most enjoyed was this film’s suggestion that humanity is in deep need of help—that we don’t possess the tools and virtues to perfect our own lives, let alone anyone else’s.

Richard Donner’s first Superman film purposefully employed a lot of Biblical language in setting up the relationship between the father “Jor-El,” his only son “Kal-El,” and those on Earth who would benefit from the son’s presence. (Watch Act 1 of the film again—you may be surprised at the sheer abundance of examples.) Singer’s film makes the Christological allusions still more unavoidable. In a moment captured nicely by the trailer, Lois Lane tells her former lover that the world does not need a savior, and that they definitely don’t need him. A few minutes later, Superman lifts her into the nighttime sky and shows her Metropolis as he sees it, noting that every night he hears many voices crying out for saving.

The Christian allegory is not perfect, of course. Without ruining the story, let me just say that while Superman’s sacrificial actions later on strengthen the parallel, a few other key events explode it.

But I don’t mind. Anything that reminds this fallible, sinful race of our unavoidable imperfections and dire need for transcendent help is gold in my book.