What can be said that hasn't already been said about this beautiful 3 minutes. In my mind Man of Steel is by far one of the most anticipated movies of this summer. Yes, we've gotten Iron Man 3; Marvel's proven their worth in building a universe. Mr. Abrams has solidified himself as a summer blockbuster pop corn movie auteur with his long awaited sequel Star Trek Into Darkness and I'm sure will continue that track record with his next film Star Wars VII (fingers crossed). Fast & Furious 6 proved that street racers can threaten NATO generals, drive fast cars, and we love them for it!
But in 4 days we get to see the story connected to these images and inspiring words. Take a minute and watch the trailer if you haven't already.
Tell me you don't have a heart wrenching knot in your stomach after that?!
Last July, yes that's right in 2012! nearly a year a go! when the first teaser trailer for this movie came out I wrote a little ditty on it it. Take a read if you if you like. My review could very well be one of "ohhh how cool was this and how cool was that!!" talk, but oh no, this is not the review you signed for.
The opening is powerful; a great war or battle is happening on Kypton (which for those of you who don't know, this is Superman's home world). Jor-El played by Russell Crowe speaks to his son for the last time. A father says good bye to his reason for living. A father makes the ultimate sacrifice. This small opening challenged me with the question of what I would be willing to do to save my son. The climax of this opening is seeing the pod fly to earth and our journey begins.
When it comes to movies trailers these days are they viciously plagued with 2 minute summaries of that particular movie and leave nothing for you to grasp on to when you actually see it in theaters. Its that, or it gives away all the good parts, best lines and then your left with cinematic blue balls! That being said I argue that this trailer which is long for most, it runs 3:45, sprinkles your cornea's with beautiful imagery, action and non action a like. But the dialogue lets you know that Kal-El. Clark Kent. Superman. Is an alien from another planet and we will challenge you with the emotional toll that takes on a young boy who grows to a man, fearful of what he is capable of. It gives you everything but also nothing at all.
This is handled beautifully when Jonathan Kent, Clark's human father tells him that he is the answer to "are we alone in the universe"; to which a young Clark reply's "Can't I just keep pretending I'm your son?" GODDAMN I WANTED TO CRY RIGHT THEN AND THERE. This small exchange between father and son is what I believe is at the heart of this movie and its what we as film goer's yearn for in our movies. Or at least I do. I want to be wowed and in awe of action, spectacle and things that go boom! But all that accounts for nothing if you, yourself cannot relate to the character, the man, and what he is going through.
We've all felt like an "alien" in our own right. Not accepted. Not included. Not seen. But just as the elder Kent tells Clark, "I have to believe that you were sent here for a reason", I am more convinced in my purpose here on this planet, I was sent here for a reason and so were you, who are reading this now. Yes, at its core you could call this a comic book movie, but I am going to say that this is a human movie. Even if you are not a fan of movies like this, I challenge you to see this movie, actually I take that back, experience it, allow yourself to be taken on an emotional journey that will hopefully change and make you think about life in a different way. This movie is for the outcasts, this movie is for our modern day heroes, and people like me, you and everyone in between.
It's no surprise that this trailer affected me deeply. I am hoping that this movie delivers on all cylinders and with this trailer my hopes are solidified. Please leave your comments below.
Man of Steel opens June 14, 2013.
-StuntmanBob