How Long Is Too Long To Stand Watching The World End?



As Zod unleashes his fury on Metropolis, and changes the electro-magnetic field and mass of the planet using his ship and the World Engine (somewhere a scientist’s head has just exploded) we see Perry White and his entire office of staff watching from their workplace, mere metres away from collapsing buildings that seem to be causing major collateral damage (though not, oddly, to their office.)

This destruction cuts away from White, and continues for a good while, before unfeasibly cutting back to the Daily Planet office, where a not-at-all Health and Safety conscious White has still failed to issue the “get the hell out!” order to his staff. Eventually he does just that, ordering the staff, who are all stood apparently gawping without so much as a flicker of self-preservation kicking in until their boss tells them to run – a good ten minutes after they should already have been dead.

It seems like White was a little late with his order, since only he, the lecherous Steve Lombard (Michael Kelly) and the mysterious Jenny (Rebecca Butler) seem to survive, emerging from an avalanche of rubble to watch the devastation from the ground, and dodge bits of flying rubble with almost reckless abandon.

In all honesty, none of the three human characters who unnecessarily watch the world fall to pieces from ground level should ever have survived with just a sprinkling of rubble and dust on their faces. They are effectively stood in the middle of a squall of destruction, with skyscrapers falling left, right and center, and yet, their frankly casual attempts to escape are not punished by the death that should have happened to them.

Threat-levels are apparently different when they suit the narrative, especially when you’re Laurence Fishburne

I still can't believe Supes let his dad become mincemeat by a tornado. Probably the stupidest scene in any Superhero flick.