Teaser Trailer Review: MAN OF STEEL

Hello fellow movie-goers, long time no post! This weekend THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but another character from the DC universe makes his presence known: Superman. If you went to see TDKR this weekend in theaters then you were lucky enough to catch the teaser trailer to Man of Steel; the newest Superman movie to come out next year 2013.

This movie is Directed by Zach Synder whose filmography includes the graphic novel adaptions of 300 and Watchmen.  However, his third film Sucker Punch, while visually striking and filled with very attractive females who lived an insane asylum and fantasied their escape through highly stylized actions sequences, really didn't have enough weight or story to warrant a liking.

Christopher Nolan is producing this re imagining of Superman and has chosen director Zach Synder to helm it and while it was odd choice, I have full faith in Nolan's decision. I mean his track record in choosing talent, i.e. Heath Ledger as Joker and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, hasn't failed him yet, why should it now.

Synder is a great director, his eye for action, the choreography of a scene and his pacing most notably in 300, is beautiful and poetic. Much like Nolan's Batman's films. So after all this let's breakdown this amazing looking and exciting 1:34.

This is a very moody teaser. The color tone is what really hits me first, very gray, dark, hopeless, and grounded. We see a bearded Clark Kent on a fishing dock, then on a boat, then finally hitchhiking. Images of a small child playing with a red cape on his back with Jonathan Kent's foreshadowing voice over; "You have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be, who ever that man is, good character or bad, is gonna change the world.", truly show us the weight this man will carry. Being the son of a destroyed world and being the adopted son of another. Never really fitting in, but eventually having the character and soul of a man who we all strive to be here on Earth.

Clark's father Jonathan Kent is played the great Kevin Costner, awesome right?!! I think his voice over is fantastic and will be tested when the villain General Zod appears and perhaps tries to get at the heart of what is right and wrong with the power they both possess. Being that Zod is from Kypton, Superman's home planet and while on Earth Zod posses the same powers that Superman does. What's great about analyzing this simplistic trailer is that there is so much subtext. Also the similarities between Bruce Wayne and Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins, played by Christian Bale and Liam Neeson could potentially mirror Superman and Zod. Both men are essentially the same however have taken different paths. It will be interesting to see how Zod is used more as a potential doppleganger in Man of Steel as opposed to a straight on villain from Superman's home world.

Who knew so much could be said about a minute and a half right? Well I hope I haven't talked your ear off or maybe this will inspire you to read some more Superman comics and get a feel for the true character out there.

I will leave with Batman Begins teaser trailer so that you can see how closely similar both are in the way they are edited and their voice overs. While director Zach Synder is at the helm of this movie, you can feel the hand of Christopher Nolan.

I cannot wait for a full trailer. Superman flies into theaters June 14, 2013 and bodes an all star cast that includes; Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Shannon.

Deuces,
StuntmanBob

p.s. Feels good to be back.


Batman Begins Teaser Trailer.

TRAILER REVIEW: The Guardian's: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

The man behind the Dawn of the Dead remake, 300 and Watchmen is now heading for the skies in this new animated adventure that deals with owls. Everytime I see this trailer is makes me think of The Goonies. Now I'm not saying that it looks better than the Goonies; only that the sense of adventure and discovery that's in The Goonies, is in some ways, recreated in this trailer.

That being said...

Lately more and more fantasy type novels and stories are being adapted. The Harry Potter movie series is finishing up its run and studios I'm sure are clamoring for the next big thing! So far its been failure's all around; Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Last Airbender.

I don't understand how the Harry Potter movie series, which is also based on a kids/young adult book if you've been living under a rock, can go on for two hours theatrically and have you hooked for the entire time and then you have two really great series' in your possession that have Harry Potter and even Star Wars like capabilities and you just short change the story completely!

I actually read a few of the books to Percy Jackson and was really looking forward to seeing the movie cause it brought the Gods into our generation in a new and exciting way. The book was filled with such history about all of the main characters interactions with the Gods and all we got was a cliff notes version of it. I saw The Last Airbender television series after seeing the movie and was immediately saddened that so much of the story was sacrificed to get to an ending that didn't mean anything, when it should. I know not every fantasy type novel or television cartoon has a history as rich as Harry Potter, but these two properties did, and more.

Here's hoping that Guardian's changes some of those things. The trailer opens with the legend of the Guardian's and their place in owls history. Being also based off a children's book, the trailer then shifts and has our young owl heroes out to find these legendary Guardian's, for help. For one, I really hope there is more of a history to these creatures than the voice over in the trailer.

Next we get this really horrific, inspirational, "you can make it to the finish line music", that I think completely shoots the trailer in its foot. The movie is directed by Zack Snyder which you would never known cause for some 'effed up reason his name isn't anywhere in the trailer. Even though Snyder is known for his very hard "R" movies, I think that this movie could benefit from his name being up there in bright lights. But then again, I could understand if the studios are like "we don't wanna give off that this movie is gonna have buckets of blood and action...sooo...take his name off"; fuckers. Aside from my Goonies nostalgia, I really feel or at least hope that Synder has crafted a much more serious and reality based movie than the trailer is showing off. What I mean by reality based is that while all the pretty lights and slow-mo is a Snyder trademark and exciting, I hope that real threats and consequences fall upon our heroes and their Champions.

This movie is also getting an IMAX release as well as a 3D release and the only reason I'm happy for that is because it will be getting Resident Evil: Afterlife out of there. THANK GOD! But I'm not sure yet if I will see it in either format yet. Perhaps the 3D, but IMAX is a little pushing it.

As always my final review will be when the credits roll and house lights go up!

Dueces!
StuntmanBob