A MAN AND HIS DOG: 13 QUICK THOUGHTS on James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Trailer

We already believe a man can fly… but can he still entertain us?

The trailer is out. Here are 13 QUICK THOUGHTS:

1. The trailer immediately puts the lie to the notion that this will be just a shiny happy movie. It appears to be a Superman for a modern age — determined, inspirational, and yet one who will face genuine danger and challenges. More than anything, it’s the rocked-up John Williams score that sets the tone.

2. That said, let’s not forget that this is a trailer, or in more coarse terms, a commercial. We don’t generally believe in everything a commercial is trying to sell us, do we? So, let’s enjoy this for what it is. But we are a long, long way from finding out whether this is actually a good movie.

3. After all, here’s the first trailer to Man of Steel. It captures that same aura but the movie itself was just OK, with a horrendous, head-twisting ending that assassinated Superman’s character.

4. And James Gunn can be uneven. I liked the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, detested the third, and really enjoyed the Christmas special. The Suicide Squad had its moments but it was hardly a home run.

5. Somebody online — I don’t recall who, I’m sorry — said that John Williams’ Superman theme should always be used, just like the James Bond theme. Couldn’t agree more. You don’t mess with perfection.

6. I love the “Look Up” tagline and its double meaning. Superman is who we should aspire to be. He does the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Every one of us needs someone like that to look up to.

7. David Corenswet immediately sells that Clark and Superman could never be confused for one another. Christopher Reeve would approve.

8. I generally don’t go bananas about casting decisions one way or the other. But as someone who really loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Rachel Brosnahan was the perfect choice. I cannot imagine that not working out.

9. Seeing Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) in that ridiculous haircut is hilarious.

10. Metropolis should always be a stand-in for New York, but I love that the movie sets the city in Delaware. Die-hard, old-school comics fans know why.

11. Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor looks downright scary, and just about unhinged. I’ll buy it.

12. I have a feeling Pa Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is gonna die in this one too. Clark looks pretty concerned.

13. Krypto steals the show!

MORE

— James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Puts METROPOLIS Firmly in… DELAWARE. Click here.

— SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE Turns 45: Celebrating the Ultimate MAN OF STEEL. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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23 Comments

  1. It may only be a trailer, but I like what I see. Of course, just give me Krypto, and I’d be happy. I do like the color pallettes- and the style- Just like the old movies- but updated. To your point, not much about the plot is revealed- but I like the overall aesthetics.

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  2. Well as anyone who’s read the Atlas knows, Metropolis is in Delaware. Across the bay from Gotham in NJ.

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  3. KRYPTO made me well up. What a good boy!

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  4. Thanks for the posts. Just a maybe for me. Although Krypto is cute. But will the totally invulnerable Sup pull of vulnerable ?

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  5. A horrific ending lulz. Dame ensing as Superman 2 or one of the John Byrne stories.

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  6. I have seen a lot of “YAY!” comments about it but I don’t feel that way. From the opening shot of Superman bleeding in the snow, I was disgusted. Batman always gets mythic interpretations. Superman…of whom I am a fan…let’s just have him in the snow bleeding. And bleeding. Then the image of Clark with all that curly hair led to an “Oh, geez…”, and not in a good way. The rest of it — I am so tired of Luthor being in the Supes flicks and getting some other actor’s interpretation. Rachel, yes. The rest…ehh. Then back to bleeding in the snow. I walked away from the computer for a few minutes, but thinking about what I saw stuck with me and a distaste grew.

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    • Guess you don’t remember him bleeding in the diner in Superman ll , which was a masterpiece.

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      • I remember. But it wasn’t in the Superman II trailer beginning, middle, and end. As a matter of fact, the diner scene was not in the trailer at all. And while Superman II was good, I’d stop way short of calling it a masterpiece.

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        • It was also a very non-powered Clark Kent. I was not a huge fan of Superman II. And things were about to get much worse…

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    • I’m oddly in the same camp as you are. Yes, I get it; I’m a fan of the brighter Superman costume, and seeing Krypto. And that casting for Lois is spot-on. But my first image of Superman is having him crash to the Earth, bloodied and beaten? And also to have some random hoser toss a drink at Superman’s head for a “protest”? People would lose their minds if Batman was given this treatment.

      And I’m also with you about Luthor. PLEASE. GIVE. LUTHOR. A. BREAK. How is it that Brainiac has not been in a Superman movie once? And is this a Superman movie? Because they practically have a Justice League of cameos in the trailer?

      Maybe this is finally my sign that I’m getting old and grumpy! 😉

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      • Hey, Mike. I know I am officially an old grumpy guy. We aren’t the audience they are targeting I fear. But I do think there is enough for us older fans to enjoy. I hope anyway.

        I also agree the bloodied Supes looks bad but I really think it was to set up the Krypto reveal. And, for that I think they nailed it. I had more of an issue with the scene showing the guy throwing the garbage at Superman’s head and his reaction to it. If you are Superman, I don’t think you should react to a regular drink can/glass. He shouldn’t even notice it. To me it looked like his head moves to the hit.

        Some might argue that Superman III was their take on Brainiac (after studio execs with zero clue get ahold of the screenplay.) But, I agree 100%. Let Luthor be in the background causing trouble (at best) but not the main villian.

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  7. I really enjoyed the trailer and have a good feeling about this film. It’s addressing some of the same things the Snyderverse films did, but there seems to be an underlying lightness and hope to it, on the other side of the darkness. Embracing the inherent Silver Age goofiness and charm of Krypto is a huge step in the right direction.

    And I loved all three Guardians films. I just can’t make myself rewatch the third because I don’t want to become a blubbery moron over CGI animals again!

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  8. RE: John Williams’ Superman theme . . .. You don’t mess with perfection.

    Exactly–And I do like the idea that the Williams’s theme should be the always-opening music for Superman films given its iconic identification with its specific superhero.

    The other thing concerning the opening credits to the first Superman movie (and still the best Superman movie.) is how much I actually enjoy watching this movie’s opening credits (one of the few–and I just had to watch it here. Kudos, Dan for posting it!).

    The idea of having the credits three-dimensionally project like that with that bold but unpretentious san serif typeface was a masterstroke by Robert and Richard Greenberg (and done before there was any CGI!).

    It’s the only movie I can think of where the credits and the music so perfectly and reciprocally bolster each other’s immensity and monumentality (the animated credits make the music even more sweeping and majestic while the music reinforces the animated credits’ colossal sense of scale for the epic film it is introducing). A seamlessly and perfectly integrated visual and auditory unity. Stupendous.

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  9. I’m definitely interested in the film – more so now that I’ve seen the trailer. I’ve been concerned about the costume from the photos that were leaked. We don’t get a great view of it in the trailer but I can see enough of it to be encouraged that it will look better than the photos. Krypto is great – I always envisioned him as being a little bigger than he is in the movie but I am still glad to see that he’s a part of the DCU. Guy Gardner looks like Guy Gardner. Hawkgirl (from what I could see of her) looks nice – I’m aware that her and Guy Gardner’s costumes reflect that fact that they both work for Maxwell Lord. Mr. Terrific looks (of course) terrific. I’m anxious to see more of Metamorpho. Lex Luthor – I’m not sure what it is but he has kind of a General Zod look from Superman II. Maybe its the eyebrows and the pointed chin. All in all – this trailer inspires me to go and see the movie. And isn’t that the whole point of a trailer?

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  10. I like the trailer. Love the dog. The other characters are intriguing. Looking forward to the movie.

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  11. Loved it!! I read somewhere that Platinum (from the Metal Men) was supposedly in the Superman movie. Could the robot in the preview be all that remains of her?

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  12. I hope this Superman is closer to the original, that is strong, but not crazy strong. The blood may be an example of that. Hopefully no other Kryptonians or Doomsdays, as that’s been beaten to death. Love the bright color palette too.

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  13. I thought the trailer was okay, but I have an issue with the casting of Krypto. I feel like the dog picked to play Krypto should be a bigger dog sort of how Krypto looked during the silver age.

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  14. It looks fine. I loved the Justice League Trilogy (my three favorite super-hero films), but I’m open to other interpretations (I also love the Tim Burton Batman films and Superman Returns). But I’ve really, really disliked all of the James Gunn films that I’ve seen (they’re like fingernails on a chalkboard to me). I also wasn’t a Zack Snyder fan prior to Man of Steel, but that film won me over, so maybe this will too.

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  15. I completely disagree about John Williams’ theme. I would have preferred John Ottman to have been allowed to compose his own theme for Superman Returns. The music is was I liked least about this trailer. The expression on Nathan Fillion’s face is funnier than the hair.

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  16. Guy Gardner has a punchable face? Check!
    Enjoyed this, looking forward to the movie.
    I’m sure Krypto gained many new fans from non-comic readers from this trailer. I read somewhere that Gunn chose a dog that resembled a dog that meant a lot to him. I took that as a (good) sign he’s taking the project personally.
    I think the Theme and the Love Theme from Superman are John Williams’ best works. He really does evoke flight.

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  17. I think the trailer succeeded in two ways: The use of the ’79 theme in a rock style suggests it will be inspired by that film while offering a somewhat different take. And everyone wants to know why Superman is bleeding in the snow. I think the inclusion of Krypto suggests there will be some fun elements in it also.

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  18. It is impossible to make a movie all fans will agree to 100%. We all have our unique take on what makes up for us our comic world.

    Where I lose it with these comic movies is where elements are used to appeal to a non-fan moviegoer where if they had just kept with canon they make the fan happy too. The non-fan has no clue. As an example, the Burton BATMAN movie believes a moviegoer needs the whole story tied up as a single story. So, they give us a Joker who replaces Joe Chill’s role in the story. The non-fan only needed to know his parents were killed to make sense to them. (I’m also not a fan of the MCU’s heroes that rip their mask off every chance they can so the actor can get some camera time. But that’s a rant for another post.)

    That all said, the Silver Age references in this trailer gives me the comic fan something to get excited about. There is no denying Krypto pulls on the heart strings for both fan and casual moviegoer. The fan also then gets references to Gorilla Grodd and Jimmy Olsen’s possible metamorphosis into some incredible creature.

    Am I super happy with the look of our main character? No. I don’t get the whole collar look but at least the red trunks are back. Am I happy we are getting yet again another Luthor story?

    Though a bit underwhelmed , I’m willing to give it a look. I just hope that Gunn’s recent quotes saying how the bloody Superman is some kind of reflection of (his) view of America is not a big part of the movie. Just tell a good comic book story. Leave your personal politics at home and just entertain.

    Hopefully the stories where Superman snaps the neck of his villains are over. Let’s hope we can believe a man can fly again. At this point, I’m excited to see more, which is the whole point of a trailer.

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