The teaser trailer for Man
of Steel left me quite cold. As a
friend humorously observed, it looked more like a Levi’s commercial than an
advertisement for an upcoming Superhero film.
To make matters worse, I am of the minority viewpoint that it’s much too
soon to release another Superman movie, much less one that takes a “dark and
serious” view of the character. Bryan
Singer already attempted something along those lines in 2006 with Superman
Returns. The result was a dreary yet
great looking film which cast portrayed the character as a love struck stalker. That’s hardly the kind of adventure that fans
were expecting. I’m hard pressed to believe
that Zack Snyder could do much better, Christopher Nolan’s involvement
notwithstanding. Such reservations aside, the new trailer for Man of Steel has me rethinking my
initial assumptions.
The trailer opens in a shroud of mystery. Via voiceover, a mother comforts her child in
a most therapeutic fashion. A transient
looking Clark Kent is shown unconscious and sinking underwater as flames billow
overhead. The viewer is shown flashes of
a teenaged Clark Kent performing what appears to be his first superheroic
feat. At the 1:10 mark, the instantly
recognizable Superman logo is revealed. Just
after that, the trailer presents its most stunning and memorable image.
Superman is shown walking alone in a mountainous landscape somewhere
in the North Pole, his red cape billowing in the wind. He pauses and kneels on the ground, placing
his right fist before him. The ground
begins to shake, causing small rocks and other earthly particles swirl about in
a rippling fashion. Then, Superman
suddenly darts into the air, causing the earth that was previously beneath his
feet to crack. As he ascends into the
heavens, he breaks the sound barrier. It’s
a glorious sight that perfectly captures the basic appeal of the
character. It also beautifully
elaborates on what was previously seen in the teaser.
Man of Steel seems
to be offering a hero that is both literally and figuratively searching for a
purpose on his adopted home world. It
also seems to be examining the moral dilemma of using ones abilities to serve a
higher purpose, versus being able to live out a “normal” (and presumably more pleasant)
existence. That ties in beautifully with
the messianic undertones of the Superman mythos. However, I wonder if Snyder is up the
task. He’s a visual stylist, and even
his best movies aren’t aren’t models of coherent storytelling. That being said, the money shots in this
trailer look absolutely wonderful, and I am now imbued with something that I
was sorely lacking before: hope.
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