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Movie Talk
December 11, 2012
Michael Shannon as Zod and Amy Adams as Lois Lane (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)This week just got a lot more super as Warner Bros. has unveiled the first full-length trailer for what might now be the most anticipated film of next summer, "Man of Steel."The trailer continues and expands on the contemplative, mysterious tone of this past summer's teaser trailer, with director Zack Snyder channeling Terrence Malick (who ever would've thought?) in telling the story of an alien stranded on our planet, one struggling with a mighty identity crisis as he comes to terms with his extraordinary abilities -- "super powers" with which he can choose to do either good or evil. Watch the trailer below:
Indeed, it looks like a good portion of "Man of Steel" is going to focus on, well, the man as much as it does the superhero, spending a good amount of screen time on Clark Kent's childhood as he first discovers his gifts (or his curse), with a melancholy Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) concerned that his foster son's acts of super-heroism could make him an outcast -- or worse.
Years later, we see a bearded Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) traveling to the Fortress of Solitude, searching for answers about who he is and where he comes from. He emerges from the structure wearing a certain costume, his back to the camera -- it's a shot that will give you chills, and not just because it takes place in the Arctic (or whatever snowbound location the filmmakers have decided to place Superman's crash pad).
Superman in the Arctic (Photo: Warner Bros)From there, the Last Son of Krypton takes to the skies, and the trailer's pacing follows suit with a rapid-fire series of images, promising us that "Man of Steel" will have plenty of action sequences to go along with all the existential crises. A lot of things blow up in this movie, and a lot of buildings crumble -- it looks like there are most definitely plenty of jobs for Superman.
Russell Crowe as Jor-El (Photo: Warner Bros)We also -- finally -- get a look at some of the major players of the supporting cast. There's Russell Crowe as a bearded Jor-El, embracing Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) as Krypton crumbles around them. There's Amy Adams, as Lois Lane, with her baby blues filled with awe and wonder as the greatest scoop of her career takes her hand. And there's a glimpse of General Zod (Michael Shannon), sporting villainous chin fuzz and a military haircut, no doubt in the midst of some dastardly deed.
Michael Shannon as General Zod (Photo: Warner Bros)The trailer closes on something of a cliffhanger, as the Man of Steel is taken prisoner by the military (a harrowing image recently released as a new poster for the film) and left wondering whether his foster father was right about the world not being ready for the likes of him. Oh, we most certainly are, Superman.
Amy Adams as Lois Lane (Photo: Warner Bros)It's a terrific trailer. Yes, you could say Snyder's "Watchmen" also had a terrific trailer but the film itself came up short. But Snyder truly seems to be trying something new with this film, abandoning the hyperstylized action and artificial-looking production design of a lot of his previous efforts in favor of what original "Superman" director Richard Donner once referred to as "verisimilitude." It looks like, for the first time in a very long time, we'll once again believe a man can fly.
"Man of Steel" opens June 14, 2013.
See the teaser trailer to 'Man of Steel':
