Thursday, December 19, 2024

Super Again

We have a new Superman trailer. At first I wasn't enthusiast. Shots of Superman bloodied in the snow and flashbacks to the Kent farmstead with golden sunlight behind silhouetted figures seemed like a retread of Zack Snyder. The titles announce it's directed by James Gunn and note that he's the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. I thought, yeah, you need to point that out to generate any excitement from this lacklustre trailer. But then Gunn's new angle starts to become clear when Superman is rescued by none other than Krypto, the Super Dog. Miscellaneous superheroes are thrown in including Hawk Girl and a Green Lantern with an unflattering bowl haircut. Gunn's version will, to some extent, and for the first time in any Superman movie or TV series, embrace some of the super whimsy of the comics.

Any tempted to proclaim this will never work would do well to remember than Gunn made the talking racoon work in the Guardians movies. In the latter half of the trailer, an electric guitar version of John Williams' theme from the Christopher Reeve movies kicks in and my hopes were genuinely raised for this movie. Really, that should just always be Superman's theme. Why reinvent the wheel? Bryan Singer used it for his Superman movie, too, and it's one of the things he definitely got right.

I like the concept that's being pitched for the movie in which Superman must show kindness in a world where kindness has become devalued. That's certainly relevant. Rachel Brosnahan looks like a dynamite Lois. I'm still not sold on David Corenswet but I can see him growing on me.

Gunn's The Suicide Squad is a movie I love to rewatch and I think his Guardians movies got better and better. Peacemaker was a terrific TV series, too, so I think there is a fair chance of this being a good movie.

Superman is in theatres next July.

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