…Look, I’m no comic expert, but is ‘kind of bleak and depressing’ really the direction you go with to sell Superman? Superman? Have you learned nothing? Superman: Still not Batman. Superman: Will never be Batman.
(There’s another version that features Kevin Costner’s Pa Kent. Still depressing.)
(Relevant.)
I see why folks were underwhelmed. And I also prefer a less gritty Superman. This should be interesting.
Apparently what they showed at SDCC was fabulous. It’s clearly not this.
This ran before TDKR, so I get why they might try to sell to to people like this, but it’s SUPERMAN. They’re on totally different ends of the superhero spectrum. No one wants to see Batman Begins, But With More Colors This Time.
Um…this looks like “Deadliest Catch” as directed by the guy who did “The Hunger Games.” Only bad. I mean, I will put up with a LOT to see Henry Cavill in skintight anything (or better yet in nothing, thank you, “The Tudors”) but this might seriously try my patience. I don’t LIKE Nolan’s Batman stuff–I was seriously more entertained by “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”. Don’t get your Batman in my Superman, Nolan, he’s the only DC character I can halfway tolerate as it is.
This one just makes me sad about Gandalf. :’-(
I noticed the music too. Weird. I agree, Superman was never in my top 10. He just isn’t flawed enough.
I’m not really a huge Superman fan, but if Marvel managed to sell the equally corny-on-paper Captain America, I’m sure there’s a way to do another successful Superman.
Granted, CA was probably my least favorite of the Marvel movies, but that had more to do with my suspension of disbelief breaking at all that wacky tech in WWII than the actual character…
Imho they should try to do Superman (and Batman, too) as period pieces: Take them back to the 30s where they started, remodel them as the characters they were in the time they were created for and take it from there. Batman is a film noir character that originated in the Great Depression, Superman is a (slightly fascist: he is, after all, the last descendant of the master race) American poster boy. Why not recreate them as what they used to be? Could be a lot more compelling than all these modernization attempts…
I was underwhelmed .. Especially seeing it with batman, granted he lost his parents and home, but dang the kid never knew them and was given a magic voice mail basically so he could communicate. There is no dark to supermans story. There’s nothing to identify with but the fantasy of the character.
Dc seems to be grasping at straws. Hopefully they learned their lesson and this movie will be great.
Supes aint Batman… he’s not really open to multiple interpretations. There’s only one shade of Superman, and it was captured in the 1979 movie. Reinventing him with a new attitude is silly and this looks, let’s be honest, just awful.
like JQ said, Deadliest Catch. Bruce Wayne goes to Tibet to train with ninjas as a young man to work out his issues. Clark Kent… goes off to catch crabs?
Besides the whole “dark” aspect, there’s no aspect of the greatest super power that both Batman and Iron Man have: big piles of money. with those, you can solve pretty much all your problems, technological or otherwise. ultimately, money and brains trump physical strength, and american tastes in savior fantasy have moved from the popeyes and supermen to the competent rich people who can stop the sophisticated plots that threaten our world. we no longer fear the mugger or brute for which a solid beating and being tossed in jail works, we fear the corporate greed, the terror network, for whom we need brains and not brawn to catch them in the act.
the story that would work with Superman today is him fighting for truth, justice, and the American way, in a world where those who run America don’t want that, and where no one else cares. in short, Superman has to make himself relevant in the film so that the film can be relevant.
I don’t entirely care as long as this leads to a Justice League movie. I’ll sit through it if it means we’re going to finally get the DC guys on the same screen together.
We are basing our opinions on one trailer, but yeah. Dark and gritty don’t do it for me. I like Superman. I like the traditional hero. That’s probably why I’m not connecting with this.
But ya never know. They might come out with something that shows what we want out of Superman.
Really excited. I trust Nolan to help shepherd a great Superman pic. He is my favorite character and I think making more relatable is a good idea. I doubt that he will be as dark and gritty as Batman. Personally loved the trailer and can’t wait!
I really enjoyed the trailer (although the music was a bit distracting. Gandalf is dead!). I’m excited.
I found it refreshing and thoughtful. It showed the aspect of Superman’s feeling of isolation and finding his purpose. It was more realistic than a bland “do gooder with a smile” type. I will appreciate the character more seeing how he came to a point where he is an icon of what is good and best in man.
I didnt find anything depressing about the trailer. I found it to be thoughtful and even inspiring in regards to focusing on an aspect of the philosophy behind superman vs a guy flying around “to save the day!” ::glint-ting of his white teeth:: (for me its more of a focus on character development and that is a good thing because I might actually care about a character I always considered a bit bland and predictably boring when the perception of superman is suppose to promote a sense of hope and righteousness.)
The “You will give them an ideal to strive for” line was good…if it transitions over into the character development/storyline I think this will be a great film.
I was never a superman fan. This trailer is the only reason i would be intersted in seeing the movie at all…
As far as him hiking around up North hey…he eventually buys real estate up north anyway for the Fortress of Solitude right? Guess he liked the surounding neighborhood ; )
The hiking/fishing was a bit Wolverine, wasn’t it? ;)
I managed to catch a bootleg of the SDCC footage yesterday – it does open with the Terrence Malick-looking stuff and the voiceover, but there are more shots of Cavill actually in the costume, Amy Adam’s Lois Lane, action stuff, etc. I think it gets the point – SUPERMAN MOVIE – across better.
I showed both to a co-worker, a Supes fan who hadn’t seen either yet, and he agreed the SDCC one was way more effective.
I’m not critiquing the movie at all – too soon – just the trailer. It’s disappointing in part because one thing Snyder usually does right is the trailers… Remember the Watchmen one with the Smashing Pumpkins song? Oh well – I’m sure there’ll be others.