Martin Deer discusses the third trailer for Man of Steel....
![Man of Steel]( "Man of Steel")
Wow! What a trailer. It is jam packed with so many thought provoking images, but it still does not give the plot or story away. We get a hint at the story beats, but just as with The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, what we think we know, we do not know. So let's handle this point by point, shall we...
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
War on Krypton
The trailer opens up on Krypton, with Jor-El looking out over his planet as war rages. The imagery is striking and wouldn't be out of place in a hardcore sci-fi movie. There are some excellent visuals here. So, why is Krypton at war? Well, the trailer seems to suggest - coupled with the information that Kryptonians are engineered - that the reason Kal-El is sent to Earth is actually because of his 'natural birth' status. We've been told that his birth is a 'cause for alarm', and so perhaps war breaks out lead by General Zod, who threatens to harm Kal-El and thus Jor-El sends him off to Earth. This appears to be supported by Zod's lines later in the trailer. Whatever the eventual reason, it's certainly a new take for Superman on film and one of those most interesting aspects of the reboot.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
How?
Jor-El's delivery of this line in response to Lara's remark that us Earthlings will kill Kal-El, is chilling. A stark reminder of the power his child will have here on Earth, and that which his enemy will too. Russell Crowe's casting in Man of Steel was met with much applaud; he's an actor with incredible talent and has the gravitas required for the role of Jor-El, which he has absolutely showcased here. Why does Jor-El defy his people and create life through natural means? We've been told the film will deal with nature vs nurture themes, and a lot of that will surely come from here.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
You Are My Son
This brought a lump to my throat. My favourite relationship from any fictional story is the one between Clark and his adoptive Earth father Jonathan Kent, and this line hit home. Kevin Costner's delivery is perfect as his voice slightly breaks overwhelmed with emotion as he feels the pain his son is feeling at being 'different' and tries to comfort him. There appears to be a lot of Jonathan and Clark scenes, and this is very exciting. Jonathan is so adamant here that Clark must search for the reason he is here - incredibly supportive and always proud. Beautiful moments.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
A Guardian Angel
Big story point revealed here, as we discover Lois Lane is investigating a man who is travelling the world leaving heroic acts in his wake. Another hope I had for this film was truly seeing Clark being a hero before he becomes Superman, and there is so much of that here in this trailer; Clark as a teen saving the bus (previously seen), Clark as an adult on the oil rig leaping across the platform to hold up the steel girder, and Clark in rescuing people in what is either a tornado or part of Zod's attack before he suits up. Either way, great stuff.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
An Ideal To Strive Towards - Hope
An essential part of Superman is hope. Without hope, Superman is not Superman. He is the ideal we aspire to, the man we should all strive to be, and he shows us the way. As with the teaser trailer, Jor-El narrates the updated dialogue from All Star Superman, and as a fan of the character this excites me to no end. I mean, they are literally quoting one of the greatest Superman stories there is. Fantastic! The 'interrogation' that we see at the end, where Lois is questioning Superman and asks him what the S on his chest stands for, to which he replies; "it's not an S. On my world it means hope", is an absolutely superb line, and Henry Cavill is so great in this scene, very playful and putting Lois at ease. He is looking great as Superman.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
Lois
Still loving the casting of Amy Adams and great to finally see her on show here looking sassy and ballsy. "Well, here it's an S". Nice! Lois certainly is going to be no damsel in distress - she'll be on the front line doing her job.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
Zod
Finally we get a real look at General Zod, and my word was it worth the wait. Michael Shannon looks terrifying. The delivery of his two lines, which appear to be to Jor-El on Krypton as he instills fear in to the parents' hearts, letting them know their son isn't safe from him with a rage fueled and sinister statement that he "will find him". Later in the trailer we also got a shot of Zod in his armour, and he looked... BRILLIANT! An intimidating villain indeed. Shannon's Zod looks like he could be one of the all time great movie villains, and the character is deserving of a place on that list. You have to fear for the people of Earth and Superman; Zod looks a harrowing threat. Bit of a theory here - the Kryptonian battle suit, what if Lex in a future sequel uses the armour or the technology to build his power suit? Might we one day see Superman and Lex go mano-a-mano? That's a long way down the line, but speaking of Lex...
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
LexCorp Building
Did you catch it? Blink and you'll miss it, but it's there. And it's red, white and blue. President Luthor foreshadowing or just a cool Easter Egg for fans?
The Sound of Superman
Yes, this was Hans Zimmer's score. And I loved it! It was building all the time with these heroic beats and rhythmic drums for a sound hat feels very organic and inspiring. I'm sure this is part of Zimmer's Superman theme, but not THE theme, that is being saved for the film in all its epic glory I'd imagine.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
Fortress of Solitude
A few great shots here of The Fortress from the inside, and then an absolutely breathtaking shot of Superman walking out of the Fortress shrouded in the bright arctic sunlight. Beautiful. It's a very different look from the crystal Fortress which were used to, and again is a very welcome change.
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
FIGHT!
Superman punches! He punches Zod (presumably, a Kryptonian regardless). Twice. In flight. Holy Krypton! Its about time we truly saw what Superman is capable of physically, and I never doubted we'd finally get it. Some really great snippets of the action to come here too, with images of Superman evading bullets and attacking lasers. What was that thing?
![Man of Steel trailer]( "Man of Steel trailer")
All in all, an incredible trailer which has really made me believe this film will be something special. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts...
Martin Deer
Wow! What a trailer. It is jam packed with so many thought provoking images, but it still does not give the plot or story away. We get a hint at the story beats, but just as with The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, what we think we know, we do not know. So let's handle this point by point, shall we...
War on Krypton
The trailer opens up on Krypton, with Jor-El looking out over his planet as war rages. The imagery is striking and wouldn't be out of place in a hardcore sci-fi movie. There are some excellent visuals here. So, why is Krypton at war? Well, the trailer seems to suggest - coupled with the information that Kryptonians are engineered - that the reason Kal-El is sent to Earth is actually because of his 'natural birth' status. We've been told that his birth is a 'cause for alarm', and so perhaps war breaks out lead by General Zod, who threatens to harm Kal-El and thus Jor-El sends him off to Earth. This appears to be supported by Zod's lines later in the trailer. Whatever the eventual reason, it's certainly a new take for Superman on film and one of those most interesting aspects of the reboot.
How?
Jor-El's delivery of this line in response to Lara's remark that us Earthlings will kill Kal-El, is chilling. A stark reminder of the power his child will have here on Earth, and that which his enemy will too. Russell Crowe's casting in Man of Steel was met with much applaud; he's an actor with incredible talent and has the gravitas required for the role of Jor-El, which he has absolutely showcased here. Why does Jor-El defy his people and create life through natural means? We've been told the film will deal with nature vs nurture themes, and a lot of that will surely come from here.
You Are My Son
This brought a lump to my throat. My favourite relationship from any fictional story is the one between Clark and his adoptive Earth father Jonathan Kent, and this line hit home. Kevin Costner's delivery is perfect as his voice slightly breaks overwhelmed with emotion as he feels the pain his son is feeling at being 'different' and tries to comfort him. There appears to be a lot of Jonathan and Clark scenes, and this is very exciting. Jonathan is so adamant here that Clark must search for the reason he is here - incredibly supportive and always proud. Beautiful moments.
A Guardian Angel
Big story point revealed here, as we discover Lois Lane is investigating a man who is travelling the world leaving heroic acts in his wake. Another hope I had for this film was truly seeing Clark being a hero before he becomes Superman, and there is so much of that here in this trailer; Clark as a teen saving the bus (previously seen), Clark as an adult on the oil rig leaping across the platform to hold up the steel girder, and Clark in rescuing people in what is either a tornado or part of Zod's attack before he suits up. Either way, great stuff.
An Ideal To Strive Towards - Hope
An essential part of Superman is hope. Without hope, Superman is not Superman. He is the ideal we aspire to, the man we should all strive to be, and he shows us the way. As with the teaser trailer, Jor-El narrates the updated dialogue from All Star Superman, and as a fan of the character this excites me to no end. I mean, they are literally quoting one of the greatest Superman stories there is. Fantastic! The 'interrogation' that we see at the end, where Lois is questioning Superman and asks him what the S on his chest stands for, to which he replies; "it's not an S. On my world it means hope", is an absolutely superb line, and Henry Cavill is so great in this scene, very playful and putting Lois at ease. He is looking great as Superman.
Lois
Still loving the casting of Amy Adams and great to finally see her on show here looking sassy and ballsy. "Well, here it's an S". Nice! Lois certainly is going to be no damsel in distress - she'll be on the front line doing her job.
Zod
Finally we get a real look at General Zod, and my word was it worth the wait. Michael Shannon looks terrifying. The delivery of his two lines, which appear to be to Jor-El on Krypton as he instills fear in to the parents' hearts, letting them know their son isn't safe from him with a rage fueled and sinister statement that he "will find him". Later in the trailer we also got a shot of Zod in his armour, and he looked... BRILLIANT! An intimidating villain indeed. Shannon's Zod looks like he could be one of the all time great movie villains, and the character is deserving of a place on that list. You have to fear for the people of Earth and Superman; Zod looks a harrowing threat. Bit of a theory here - the Kryptonian battle suit, what if Lex in a future sequel uses the armour or the technology to build his power suit? Might we one day see Superman and Lex go mano-a-mano? That's a long way down the line, but speaking of Lex...
LexCorp Building
Did you catch it? Blink and you'll miss it, but it's there. And it's red, white and blue. President Luthor foreshadowing or just a cool Easter Egg for fans?
The Sound of Superman
Yes, this was Hans Zimmer's score. And I loved it! It was building all the time with these heroic beats and rhythmic drums for a sound hat feels very organic and inspiring. I'm sure this is part of Zimmer's Superman theme, but not THE theme, that is being saved for the film in all its epic glory I'd imagine.
Fortress of Solitude
A few great shots here of The Fortress from the inside, and then an absolutely breathtaking shot of Superman walking out of the Fortress shrouded in the bright arctic sunlight. Beautiful. It's a very different look from the crystal Fortress which were used to, and again is a very welcome change.
.jpg "Man of Steel trailer")
FIGHT!
Superman punches! He punches Zod (presumably, a Kryptonian regardless). Twice. In flight. Holy Krypton! Its about time we truly saw what Superman is capable of physically, and I never doubted we'd finally get it. Some really great snippets of the action to come here too, with images of Superman evading bullets and attacking lasers. What was that thing?
All in all, an incredible trailer which has really made me believe this film will be something special. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts...
Martin Deer