New Man of Steel Trailer Revives Superman Franchise

The newest “Man of Steel” trailer finally puts some meat on the spine of Zack Snyder’s take on America’s most revered superhero. It is now safe to crank up the hype.

The previous trailers were vague and moody, composed of ambiguous cutaways, interlaced voiceovers, and a sulking, bearded Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) drifting Byronically through frozen, dingy landscapes. This three-minute trailer already packs more action than Bryan Singer’s entire melodramatic snooze-fest, Superman Returns and gives the audience a sense of the film’s direction.

One thing is certain: This isn’t your daddy’s Superman. The trailer makes it clear that this is a complete reboot of the franchise, cutting all ties with previous versions. As they did with the Dark Knight Trilogy, Chris Nolan and David S. Goyer are aiming to update the mythology of an American classic within a modern context.

We catch glimpses of Krypton’s destruction as Superman’s father, Jorell, (Russell Crowe) desperately launches him to Earth in what has become an iconic, mythological image within western culture. It’s also revealed that we’ll see young Clark struggle with his identity, and are introduced to the film’s villain, General Zod (Michael Shannon), who passionately vows to “find” Superman in what appears to be a jilted and jealous rage over the fact that Krypton’s last son would choose Earth as his home. There’s probably more to it, but at least it leaves us wondering why he’s so hell-bent on finding him. There’s enough material here to merit a frame by frame dissection and keep the audience talking and speculating all the way to box office in June. At long last, we have another film worthy of a midnight premier.