‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Fails to Take Flight
Trailers for Superhero movies are, on a whole, some of the easiest ones to sell the audience with. Even a terrible superhero movie like Green Lantern had an awesome trailer. The voice-over, the spectacular visuals, the promise of seeing something larger than life…it had everyone hyped up until the first reviews decided to burst the bubble. Some of the best and most memorable trailers in recent years were for superhero adventures. We all remember the first trailer for The Dark Knight that revealed the maniacal Joker, and the mind-blowing images of Watchmen. Not to mention the final trailer released for the The Avengers that was more entertaining than an entire movie you’d paid a small fortune to see in the cinema that day.
By logic the trailer for the new Superman reboot Man of Steel should’ve been a slam dunk. Superman shouldn’t be a big sell – he is, by definition, the most epic of all superheroes and we just need to see him doing something epic to be sold on this movie. This teaser trailer fumbles the ball so hard that it broke it’s shin. Let’s take a look:
First up, this is only a teaser trailer, and to that extent it should only give us enough to get us hooked and wanting to see more. For that reason it could be excused for showing us so little of the actual character. On the other hand, why did it spend so much time on everything else? There’s more than a full minute of the 94 second running time of the trailer on…well, a bunch of stuff we’ve got no interest or real context for.
The bulk of this tease doesn’t ‘tease’ Superman up until the final shot. When selling a Superman movie, there’s only one thing you need to show the viewer: Superman. The marketing department must’ve missed the memo about putting their brand front and centre because we begin with arty shots of water flowing over rocks, clothes blowing in the wind and country houses. This is followed on with clips of a scruffy, beardy looking guy doing it tough working on a boat and hitch-hiking before some more arty shots of butterflies stuck in chains and people being out of shot before the money shot.
…such as it is…
Superman has, over the decades, been defined as a god in the shape of man who stands up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and espousing the American way. This trailer could be about a guy grieving over the death of a loved one. Seriously, stop it before the final shot and you could sell it as a weepy drama film. The concept seems to be grounding Superman and humanising the character with a dash of gritty realism. But here’s the thing – we’ve already got movies that have done that. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy did a brilliant job of recasting Batman as a human character with a dose of gritty realism, which you can do that with Batman because he is human. Nobody wants to see Superman being dark and realistic – we want to see him doing epic, larger than life stuff.
Like this.
Fans do enjoy reading about Superman facing an existentialist crisis, examining the psychology of the character, but that’s best kept in the comics. Cinema is a medium decided for a larger, more mainstream audience and what they want is spectacle and the traditional values that Superman normally embodies. Director Zac Snyder has done superheroes as both dark and violent with larger-than-life supermen before in Watchmen, but this time he doesn’t have the pen of Alan Moore driving the story and characters.
By the time the actual footage of Superman comes around it doesn’t so much tease as taunt. Superman zooms past in the middle distance, barely visible to the viewer, before he blasts away leaving condensation trails in his wake. Why on Earth does he leave jet trails? He must either have Astro-Boy boots on or he’s spreading gamma trails. This ‘reveal’ barely counts as a reveal, it’s more like footage from the B-Roll. Compare it to the original teaser trailer for Superman Returns…THAT’S how you tease a Superman movie.
Not that there’s any reason for the producers to hide the character from us…it’s not like they haven’t already shown him to us in the posters.
ALL of him.
Reblogged this on suryadihafid.
LikeLike
I have to disagree because your argument is a bit silly. one it’s a teaser trailer, we’ll see plenty in later trailers and probably almost spoilerific. On your other points about a more down to earth gritty take of superman might be needed for the film because what was wrong with superman returns was that it wasn’t modern or new it felt almost like a copy of the Christopher Reeves one, it wasn’t bad but we need something new like with the batman series did. obvoisly not a dark knight copy but Zack Snyder should make it new.
Here is my post on the teaser
http://grizzlybomb.com/2012/07/23/man-of-steel-we-have-two-teaser-trailers/
LikeLike
I agree with Tim The Film Guy. Superman returns is okay, not great. Man of Steel is produced by Christopher Nolan, and written by his go-to team, which would be why it’s going for the gritty realism similar to Batman. I think the trailer is trying to show the film has substance, instead of just flash and bang. People are looking for substance\and a good story along with the special effects and stunts that make a good superhero film. This summer’s hits are The Avengers, by Joss Whedon, The Amazing Spiderman, by former indie-director Marc Webb, and The Dark Knight Rises by Christopher Nolan. All of these directors were hired for their story-telling ability, and that’s what this trailer accomplishes: a glimpse of a story and a character’s journey in 90 seconds.
LikeLike
Nicely said, mainly because you agree with me haha 😀
LikeLike
I thought the teaser was excellent. Certainly left me wanting more.
LikeLike
I think you are right about this Superman looking too gritty and realistic. The tone of Superman Returns was perfect, it was the story-telling and other silly plot elements that ruined it. Nolan was perfect for Batman and adding realism to that character because he’s human. You can’t have a “realistic” take on a character that can fly and shoot fire from his eyes. That approach would be silly in itself.
LikeLike
I liked it.
LikeLike
I disagree. I think both teasers are fantastic, must have seen them more than 20 times by now. Using the sound-track from Lord of the Rings was a stroke of genius.
LikeLike
Clearly you have not seen the Comic Con Man of Steel Trailer. This movie will INDEED BE EPIC.
LikeLike
http://vimeo.com/46158451
Here take a look you clown. Maybe after this you will quit your whining. Movies like this SHOULD take their time. I’d rather things remain secret until you see the actual movie unlike what Marvel does and release the entire movie in form of trailers so all you’re left with while in theaters is stitching together whatever you’ve seen online. Every aspect of movies that take their content seriously should be handled with care and patience. Yes we know what Superman is about, but lets face it, we have not seen a proper interpretation of him on film yet. Yes i’m sure people would disagree and say Chris Reeves movies were great and yes they did work back then but they unfortunately do not hold up to what the ideal vision of Superman is today.
LikeLike
I didn’t like the teaser trailer. Get over it.
LikeLike
You should be rating movies instead of this clown 😛
LikeLike
Obviously you’re both very confused. Look at the date that this feature was published – it was written long before the Comic Con trailer. This feature is only about the teaser trailer and why it fails as a piece of marketing.
I’ll be happy to find out that this teaser is just a bad promo and the final movie is good, because I want to see a good Superman movie. In the meantime, getting defensive about a movie you haven’t seen yet just makes you look like idiots.
LikeLike
I feel that this would be a great REBOOT for the Superman movies. For me, Ilya Salkinds Superman 1 & 2 were like Tim Burtons Batman and Batman Returns which is Always loved and respected. Meanwhile Superman 3, 4 and Returns were supposed to be treated Just like how we treated Batman Forever & Batman Robin. TOTAL turkey failures. But Chris Nolans adaptation of Batman in Begins, Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises was so awesome that it brought it to the level of Epicness. I have a strong gut feeling that Man of Steel should be a part 1 of a trilogy. This movie SHOULD touch on Kal-els background and war of krypton, the only explanation for General ZOD to be here. Next could be ” The Man Of Tommorow ” and ” The Man From Krypton”
LikeLike
Man Of Tommorow could introduce a new villain probably Brainiac, Darkseid and a lil cameo of Doomsday. The Man From Krypton could have Lex Luthor and Doomsday. And should play like an end for a great Trology like how Nolan did for Dark Knight Rises.
LikeLike
I can’t wait for this movie to bomb, as the last one did. Maybe then we’ll finally, as a society, get over this bizarre obsession with childhood fluff.
LikeLike
ya sad prick
LikeLike
What a clever response.
LikeLike
There have been multiple “childhood” movies fail. I’m not sure why this one bombing would suddenly change the direction and obsession that society has with “childhood fluff”
LikeLike
What an ignorant, dumbass statement…Just shoot yourself moron.
LikeLike
This article is Bullocks.
LikeLike
I’m ambivalent about your review, but I do think that you do not understand how contrails are created: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail#Condensation_from_decreases_in_pressure
LikeLike
Wow you really have no idea what you’re talking about or what lifelong DC fans actually want. I can also tell you probably haven’t seen an Animated DC film nor have you read a Supes comic in say 15 years. There is a reason “Crisis” became the defining arc for the Superman of this era. The story was epic and dark not “Superman Returns.” I totally respect that you adore the fumbling idiot Superman that kids loved back in the 80’s, be we’re not kids anymore and the Superman of this era is not an idiot and he certainly can’t fumble about when Batman is asking him to burn micro chips out of his brain with his heat vision. Funny, I recall a small and very loud minority of people saying the same thing about Batman when test footage for Batman Begins came out. You can’t make Batman scary no one wants a scary Batman. Where are they now? Synder and Nolan aren’t making a goofy 1950’s TV show or a 1980’s Cartoon, they are trying to redefine an Iconic character for an entirely new generation of fans while at the same time giving lifelong fans what they’ve always wanted. A serious, mature, and well defined character that doesn’t spend half his time acting like the court jester moments before someone launches a nuclear bomb he’s going to have to catch.
LikeLike
You get that I’m only talking about this one teaser from a marketing perspective, right?
LikeLike
I’m stoked that this may actually be the a spark for future Superman films. Superman returns was a last ditch money grab, that completely sucked. Period. Teasers are not meant to give the epic parts of the film, thats why they’re teasers. With a cast that includes Fishburne, Costner, and Crowe. I highly doubt this movie will bomb. From a marketing perspective… You don’t hand out free copies of your product before the release.
LikeLike
It only fails if it convinces you NOT to see the film. People don’t need to see more Superman in a teaser trailer. As you said, the logo sells itself. Fans of Superman WILL see it regardless of what a trailer contains. This trailer will likely bring in MORE than just the comic fan-boy, the way The Dark Knight brought in more than just fans of the Batman comics.
LikeLike
Did you plan on saying anything that isn’t painfully obvious?
LikeLike
Haha. You guys. Stop it. Relax. The movie will sell. It will bring in yes lifelong and new fans. And it is what it is. Superman is incredible no matter what. He’s like when someone tries to make a movie out of a book. The movie never seems to bring out every detail in the book. Just like comics this Superman movie will not cover every piece of ground that people hope for. There will be feelings of epicness, priciseness, dissapointment, and shame. I feel all Superman needs to do is 1) Fight for the American way (Truth, Justice, and badassedness) 2) Show us what he is made of and 3) Look one thousand times more awesome than Batman and the lame Avengers.
LikeLike
I am really having a hard time with the no red shorts thing. I don’t know why. Everything else seems great. Just – why no shorts? It’s so random, like giving him a purple cape or no hair. Why change something so iconic? Maybe so we’ll leave comments about it?
LikeLike
I can’t wait i loved the trailers, and i think that we don’t have to keep looking at superman the way we always have, different is good sometimes, new perspectives.. and i think the point is that superman is a person.. he was born a person, he lives as a person, he is no god, infact, if it wasn’t for his powers he wouldn’t be anyone at all- I think its letting people realize that superman didn’t choose this, it was given to him and its something he has to learn to deal with along the way.. what if this movie didn’t have a villain … oh and christopher nolan changed the batmobile, he’s not afraid to change things- the new joker wasn’t a whole lot like the old one
LikeLike
I can lower myself to your intellect, look, ‘dumb ass’.
LikeLike
Oh, did I not like something that you like? I’ll get you a tissue.
LikeLike
I don’t see any catastrophic problem with a lousy trailer of a movie about a legendary and epic superhero who has a cult following, Regardless of the teaser’s appeal, fans, cynics and the mere curious will surely troop to the theaters because superman is what he is..a sureal, mega hero who tops ’em all. He is the embodiment of a righteous crusader who packs unimaginable power that wallops badass, freaks and even aliens with some degrees of affinitiy with him. Well, nothing personal, just part of the job. This time around, what will certainly add flavor to the recipe is Henry Cavil and yes, Nolan. Let’s just hope that all the paranoia will disappear as soon as it hits the screen. I’m confident it will.
LikeLike
Pingback: 15 Great ‘House of Geekery’ Articles | Funk's House of Geekery
Pingback: Why the ‘Justice League’ Movies Have Already Failed | Funk's House of Geekery
Pingback: Does Zack Snyder Think We’re Stupid? A Look at the ‘Dawn of Justice’ Trailer | Funk's House of Geekery