To start off, I wasn't a fan of the electric guitar John Williams theme. I just felt like they are trying to fool audiences into thinking this movie is "cool" with an electric guitar. But the first shot we get is Superman bleeding. This is great, because a lot of general audiences think Superman is too perfect or powerful. But the first thing we see is this powerful hero beaten and bleeding. So, who beat him? Well, in this trailer we see him fight a fire-breathing monster, we see him about to face some kind jelly fish-looking orb while having a moment with Lois, but my money's on the baddie he is fighting on the Metropolis Meteors field. Who is this villain taking on the Man of Steel? I don't know, but I don't care to know right now. This movie is 7 months away, we got no plot details or dialogue in this trailer; except Superman asking his dog to take him home.
Speaking of Krypto, I showed this trailer to a co-worker who said they weren't a big Superman fan, but when Krypto comes racing through the snow he said, "Oh they got his dog in this? I'm down for the dog." Proof that everyone loves a faithful, furry, companion. We also get a shot of the Kent farm and Clark with his father, probably having a heart to heart. Not a big farm, or what I'd think to see, but maybe there is a story behind that too. Again, I don't need to know now.
We see shots of Superman and Lois working at the Daily Planet, and we also see newpapers, which suprised me. I know newpapers exist, but I'm curious if the debate of print media vs digital will be a slight topic for these journalists. Or maybe even modern journalism in general will be a topic of the film. While we're on Lois (I wish) I'm "super" excited to see Rachel Brosnahan has Lois Lane. Based off her previous work I think she'll make a great Lois. There are several shots of Lois kissing both Clark and Superman in this trailer. This makes me think Lois knows, or finds out, that Clark is Superman in this film. One thing I've enjoyed in modern interpretation of Superman like Man of Steel and My Adventures with Superman, is that Lois knows Clark is Superman, and they don't have to make the world's greatest reporter seem clueless.
In this movie we know we are getting other superheroes. James Gunn says in this DCU that superheroes, or meta humans, have been around for a while. We see Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner looking like he's holding back a mob so Superman can have a moment to himself. Not a fan of Fillion's hair, but look at Guy Gardner in the comics. That's his hair. Plus, his character is know for his overconfidence, so maybe the comic-accurate hairstyle is a gag.
We see Isabela Merced fly through the air as Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi use his super brain to protect someone as Mister Terrific. The most interesting thing about that shot for me is that the armored gunmen colors are green and purple. These colors are most associated with Lex Luthor's armored suit. Finally, we had a close-up shot of Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho. I didn't realized that's who that was until I noticed his purple shoulder. Another Metamorpho easter egg is the sign "Stagg Industries" in the background in one shot. Simon Stagg is an advesary of Metamorpho in the comic books.
Nicholas Holt shows up in several shots as Lex Luthor, one of them he appears injured, and in another he is holding a gun, with perhaps a kryptonite bullet in it? We'll see. We don't see in the trailer Superman staple characters like Perry White and Jimmy Olsen (though we did see Jimmy with the Daily Planet staff in the teaser to the teaser) and I'm ok with that. Again, the movie is 7 months away, and this teaser is just to give us a feel of the movie. And Superman getting stuff thrown at him by an angry mob definitely envokes feelings.
The last few shots I want to mention are ones of the Fortress of Solitude and world politics. Superman is crouching over a robot in one shot that looks like he is in the Fortress of Solitude. Is that his Fortress robot Kelex? The only other words in the trailer besides Superman talking to his dog, is a boy in trouble, calling to Superman, and holding a flag with the shield on it. Another shot shows a television with the headline "Boravian Troops Amassing At Borders." This goes into a modern covnersation about superheroes. The conversation in Captain America: Civil War asks if enhanced individuals have the right to interject in conflicts that have geo political consequences. "What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there's someplace we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own." This DCU is said to be a more cynical society and Superman is a light of hope that comes in with opposing views on how things should be happening. It's the kind of discussion topics I'm looking forward to most in this film, and in the DCU.
The most important things about this film is that it will be released on my birthday. A new Superman film that appears to be looking good, and kicks off a new DC Comics Cinematic Universe. Happy Birthday to me! This film also has a lot riding on it. It's Warner Bros first outing to try and win back the audiences after the previous DCEU films declined critically and financially with every film. This film doesn't need to make $1 billion, but it does need to be good to try and win back some hearts and minds. Otherwise, "hope" may be lost for WB and the DC superheroes on the silver screen.
