In order for a film trailer to be effective, it needs to do two things: (1) dispel any lingering skepticism towards the project and (2) tease just enough spectacle and story to whet an audience’s appetite, without giving away any major plot developments or crucial action set pieces.
By these standards, the third theatrical trailer for Man of Steel is an astonishment. I've watched it pretty much every day since its release, and repeated viewings in no way temper my excitement, but actually further my appreciation for what a marvel of marketing the damned thing is.
I feel obligated to preface this article by saying that I had minimal interest in a rebooted Superman franchise prior to seeing this new trailer.
Other than simply not finding Superman all that interesting as a character, I’ve become weary to superhero movies in general, particularly one’s regarding hero origins. It doesn’t help that the last silver screen incarnation of the Man of Steel was played by deadly dull non-actor Brandon Routh in 2006’s Superman Returns, an airless reboot rooted in lazy self-reference.
But everything that Returns got horribly wrong appears to be righted by director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) with Man of Steel. Snyder, who’s previously been prone to the worst stylistic tendencies, seems to have taken significant steps forward as a filmmaker here, replacing the obnoxious start-stop slow-mo action and petty plotting of his earlier efforts with lush, fluid visuals and a more grounded, mature narrative.
It probably helps that Christopher Nolan, who recently wrapped up his iconic Dark Knight trilogy, is attached to the project with credits as writer and producer.
Anyways, the trailer. It kicks serious ass.
There's Hans Zimmer’s chilling new theme song, “An Ideal of Hope,” with its thunderous, rolling drums and soaring brass providing a nice soundtrack to back the silky narration of Russell Crowe's Jor El. In terms of purely visceral thrills, they've nailed the basics, from the iconic Superman fly-over shots to the fact that our hero, at some point, power-punches antagonist General Zod across the Metropolis skyline.
Even the trailer’s coda — a cheesy, winking interrogation scene between Superman and lover Lois Lane which explains the ‘S’ on our titular hero’s chest — establishes easy chemistry between the actors and a tone that’s equal parts playful and serious. It's not high art, but as jacked-up pop entertainment, the trailer for Man of Steel has more emotionality and dynamism than some of the full length superhero flicks that have recently plagued theaters.
I may very well be getting ahead of myself; it’s entirely possible that Man of Steel will be a tremendous disappointment. Snyder’s most recent efforts, which have included the disastrous Sucker Punchand a CG children’s movie about warrior owls, are dubious at best, and Superman is an ill-fitted character to the heavy-handed metaphor and overt darkness Nolan brought to the Batman mythos.
But, goddamn, does this teaser get me pumped. I sincerely hope that the great cast (Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon and Kevin Costner, to name a few), fresh story and dazzling production values on display here result in a remarkable finished product, and I'm usually so cynical about these things that eliciting any sort of positive response in me is nothing short of a miracle. If the actual film is half as good as its marketing, we’ll have a classic on our hands.
