‘Superman Returns’ teaser hits THEATERS
Okay, so with in all due respect to the esteemed Chris Coleman, I must offer a differing opinion of the release of the teaser for “Superman Returns,” which is hitting theaters yesterday and today, in front of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” I am just now home, after seeing that movie, and said teaser. Here in Los Angeles, we are 3 hours late, so forgive the tardiness. Before we talk about the teaser, a little backround:
I have never been a big fan of Superman myself. The character, as Chris mentions, is too powerful. It is too easy for him to be heroic and dashing. He doesn’t have the same flaws that Spider-Man or Batman have. For this reason, he can be a bit of a dull guy.
Clark Kent is not the most interesting character either. I mean, would you rather be a millionaire playboy like Bruce Wayne, or would you rather schlep your way to the office to be a reporter like Clark Kent? Most people would choose to be Bruce in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, you cannot be Bruce without being Batman, and you cannot be Clark without being Superman. They are the same person. And this is the part that gets tricky. The immortal Christopher Reeve put it best in an interview. (I will have to paraphrase.) He basically said that Batman has a cool car and all, but Superman… he can fly.
And that right there is the real rub. Add in that it is coming from Christopher Reeve, and you have a darn right dilemma on your hands. That is because in 1978 (what do you know, the year I was born!) Richard Donner and Warner Bros. released “Superman: The Movie.” Two years later, “Superman II” was released. (they were shot simultaneously — I won’t go into the looooong story here) Forget about numbers 3 and 4. Those belong in spirit to Richard Lester and Alexander and Ilya Salkind (booo!!).
With these 2 films now in existence, the world was changed. My world was changed. Sure I wasn’t old enough to see these in the theater (on their initial release) but through the magic of home video, I was able to see them when I was still young enough to believe that a man could fly. To understand the impact this had on me, know that at my wedding in 2005, John Williams’ music from the first Superman film was played at our reception. Images of Superman and Supergirl were on the sweetheart table that my wife and I sat at. Call me a dork if you want, because that is exactly what I am. And proud of it.
In the summer of 1999 I saw Christopher Reeve speak in person (in his wheelchair) at the Niagra Film Festival in Niagra Falls, where “Superman: The Movie” was the gala premiere. It was the first time I had seen the movie on a big screen. Yeah, the tent they showed it in was hot and the picture and sound sucked, but man, it was fun. And seeing someone like Mr. Reeve speak, and knowing what he went through is truly inspiring. On a side note, if you like seeing people in wheelchairs, support President Bush, and his party’s desire to cease stem-cell research. That way people that might one day walk again can just sit and enjoy the view instead.
So this brings us back to November 20, 2005. I was not aware that there was going to be a “Superman Returns” teaser in front of “Goblet of Fire.” We were hoping to see the “Narnia” trailer. So the Warners’ logo comes up, and this music starts playing. “Wait a minute, that sounds like John Williams. It sort of sounds like…” Then the DC Comics logo popped up. I sat up straight in my seat. “Holy shit,” I’m thinking. “Here it comes!” Then the music goes right where you want it to. “The Planet Krypton” theme swells, and my eyes did not blink. Not until the “Shut off your cell phones and pagers” thing was playing.
Well, was it a great teaser? Not really. There was too much footage of Brandon Routh in costume. A true “teaser” would not really show much of anything of the main character. Perhaps only right at the end. But this gave us shots of Supes walking, leaping through the corn fields, and at the end: flying. A bit too much. It could have been toned down a bit, and maybe a shot of Kevin Spacey or something would hav been nice. But when Marlon Brando’s voice chimed in, that was amazing.
The fact that Singer is extending the Donner vision of this character is the reason that we must have faith. We know that Singer is someone that can surprise you. When he took the reigns of X-men, he was not familiar with the comics. And yet he turned out two great movies, loyal to the dorks like me, and entertaining to the masses. Now he has the keys to the big boy toys. Superman, the character that spawned an entire genre.
Like I said, the basic character of Superman, kinda boring. But the character as portrayed by Christopher Reeve, directed by Richard Donner, and scored by John Williams… Super! It seems like Bryan Singer agrees. Thank God.
November 21st, 2005 at 8:21 am
You make good points, Andy.
I have faith that the new Superman will be pretty good, but this teaser trailer just didn’t do it for me. I imagine that to a bigger fan, hearing the Brando voiceover is a lot like hearing Alec Guinness on the Revenge of the Sith. OK, so it’s exactly like it.
X-Men and X2 proved that Bryan Singer knows how to make a comic book movie good. I think he’s the right guy to put a unique new spin on Superman.
Hell, the soap opera that surrounded the planning of the film is probably enough to make me want to see it.
November 21st, 2005 at 9:59 pm
Of course, the thing that makes the Brando voiceover cooler than the Guiness voiceover is that the Brando voiceover will actually be in this film….
I had mixed feelings on the teaser though. On the one hand - seeing Superman on the big screen for the first time since I was a kid was unbelievable. On the other hand, I wasn’t so impressed with Routh, even in the tiny hint of a performance the audience was afforded.
That being said, I have the utmost faith in Singer to pull this off. And the music / Brando combo gave me goosebumps.