Superman Teaser: My In-Depth Analysis

Dive into this in-depth Superman teaser analysis with me, where I go beyond the cape to explore what makes Superman not just a superhero, but a pop culture legend. This video breaks down everything from his iconic costume, a staple in movie history, to the nuances of Clark Kent's character, offering insights into what this teaser reveals about the future of the Superman franchise.
I also delve into the legendary Superman and Lois Lane love story, examining how modern storytelling might reshape their classic dynamic. And it's not just about the heroics; I'll discuss the Daily Planet's relevance in today's media landscape and how Krypto, Superman's loyal companion, adds depth and warmth to the narrative.
Of course, this channel isn't limited to superheroes. I cover a wide array of popular movies, offering in-depth analyses, critiques, and discussions on what makes films great or where they fall short. Whether you're a comic book fan or a movie buff in general, this video and my channel aim to provide comprehensive movie reviews and insights.
If this sounds like your kind of content, hit the like button, subscribe for more movie discussions across various genres, and let's chat in the comments about what you're excited or concerned about. Whether it's this video regarding the new Superman direction or whether it's any other movie I discuss in other videos, I'm always interested in your comments. Join me as we explore not just the heroes but the art of filmmaking itself.
P.S. I just learned from the comments here that indeed Krypto DOES fly in the movie!

[@dekwebber]

Correction: Krypto does indeed fly in the new Superman movie. Apologies for the earlier mistake! And thanks to @Paul-D-Hoff for letting me know.

[@FactsNReason]

Couldn’t agree w you more about there is NO moral ambiguity w Sups -- it’s clear cut: HOPE, doing the right thing, selflessness

[@dekwebber]

Thank you for watching! Hopefully, the whole team (i.e., screenwriter, director, cast, etc.) on the new Superman film got this right!

[@alexandrefrauches132]

I have a theory that the morally ambiguious character will not be Superman but rather the other heroes he will meet in the movie. Looking at Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Mr Terrific uniforms and how similar they are, it's easy to assume that most of the established heroes in the film are corporate and work under the rules of goverment or industry (basically a light hearted version of The Boys). I don't think they will be evil or anti-heroe, but more flawed well meaning people, who let their status as celebrities and rules limit their potential. It's possible that, much like the film seems that will focus on Clark's arrival and Metropolis, the beginning of his relationship with Lois and he trying to adapt to his new enviroment, it will also focus on him as Superman trying to adapt to the super hero community. At first he probably would deal with the other heroes doubts, with some wondering if this "superman" is being honest about wanting to help just because it's the right thing. But, in the end, they would be inspire by him to become more independent heroes.

[@dekwebber]

The theory you articulated sounds like a great idea and I can see how that may be exactly what happens in the movie! I believe James Gunn mentioned that the other heroes don't all like Superman, at least not at first, and so there is some tension between them and Superman, which adds to the dramatic tension hopefully in a very good way. So what you mentioned would fit perfectly into this framework.

[@timmo971]

I concur. I liked man of steel yet elements were missing and relied too much on subversion which has been Marvel and Star Wars disease too.

[@dekwebber]

Yes, the subversion element seems to be the tempting route to take with certain cherished, iconic characters. I believe this stems from a lack of passion for and faith in the characters as originally envisioned by their creators. So they feel there is this need to subvert these beloved characters. There is this fear that audiences won't find Superman "cool" enough. But more than any other superhero, Superman is all about NOT being subversive, which is what makes him more challenging to effectively write for as a character, and which is why it's so important to have the right director who understands this truth. That director can then make sure to get the right screenwriter, cast the right person, etc. The challenge is always to find a way to keep Superman emotionally compelling for the audience, while still keeping him 100% Superman, which is what the audience wants to see.

[@loganbyrne3054]

This new Lois Lane looks just like the one from Superman and Lois,

[@dekwebber]

It's interesting you mentioned that, as I was thinking she reminded me of Margot Kidder's Lois Lane from the original Superman movies. I haven't seen a lot of Superman and Lois, but now that you mention it, I can see certain similarities with that Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch), too. Kidder's hairstyle had curly bangs, often styled in a professional and slightly rebellious way. Kidder's Lois Lane was also known for her chic, 70s and 80s business attire, which included tailored blazers, skirts, and often light blue colors. From the new trailer, it looks like this new Lois Lane has a modern twist on this classic journalist look but with a more contemporary edge. Lois in "Superman & Lois" has a practical journalist look, mixing professionalism with the demands of family life. The new Lois looks like she shares the practicality and professionalism with the Lois from "Superman and Lois" but perhaps tailored to a younger, more stylish version of the character without the overt family life aspect.

[@mcribprime6594]

MOS was incredible, I was born in the early 80s, I was raised on Reeves and Keaton but superman never felt real just a comic book on screen, MOS grounded the character and made him feel real it was an amazing movie. WB then refused to allow MOS2 to be made as they wanted Batman included as soon as possible. BVS Ultimate Edition was also a really good movie, and then with WW and Zack Synder Justice League we could of had something very very special but for some reason the studio decided to get involved and destroy what we could of had. I personally won’t give Gunn a penny as his comments on kids turned me off him for life, but I hope others enjoy his vision and the DCU to come. 👍David will no doubt crush it as Superman best of luck to him.

[@dekwebber]

There may be something going on here for both of us, which is the idea that the version you see when you are young is the most powerful one, similar to how most people's favorite Bond actor is the one they first saw as a child. This might not always be true, but there is certainly something to it. Zack Snyder is undoubtedly extremely talented, especially visually, and I think he had a healthy reverence for Superman's rich history, including the source material. With MOS, I felt the visuals and the overall tone of the movie were right on the mark, but I felt it needed more of the human elements-such as improved chemistry between Lois and Superman/Clark, and even the dynamic between Zod and the other villains in their interactions with Superman. And I think accomplishing that chemistry would require improvements to the script and perhaps also even casting changes. Sometimes an actor is great but doesn't bounce off the right energy with certain other actors so they need to keep searching for the perfect cast that works perfectly off each other. At least we got the Snyder cut of Justice League which I thought was awesome; the only problem is that we again barely got any Superman. Zack also set up Wonder Woman perfectly in BVS but as you already know that was not a true Superman movie and it was probably because the studio was nervous about the box office performance based on MOS box office which was good but not what they were hoping for. Regarding the comments of James Gunn, I do find it strange that of all the people in the world to hire, they went with him considering those comments, even if let's say it is true that they were taken out of context and not meant in any harmful way. It shows how hard it is to find the right director for Superman, as they seem to be missing their box-office goals for the last several Superman films. Regarding Zack, he is very talented in terms of his vision for a film-he just needs the right screenwriter, which you may have already heard before. For example, 300 was unbelievably good and ground-breaking as well. I also thought Watchmen was great and overall very true to the source material, but the mainstream movie-going audience back then expected a more typical superhero movie and got something that was not even remotely close to what they expected. Anyway, thanks for your comments! I truly love discussing movies that I'm passionate about, and these are all examples of those!

[@mcribprime6594]

@ To be fair WBD approached Matt Reeves, Dan Lin, and multiple other people who turned them down before Gunn accepted. His narcissism is incredible saves all his own projects and actors fires the rest. I won’t be giving him a freaking penny hope you enjoy it and his DCU to come but I’m not interested in.

[@chrisdavis2161]

I feel you on this... I share your opinion...Superman the Movie, really found an awesome balance between the comics and the REAL world. Zack captured that dynamic in his own way in MOS. WB did the same thing to MOS that the producers of the first 2 movies did... they wanted to see the green more than they wanted to see a good movie

[@chrisdavis2161]

@@dekwebber I hear you. As far as the chemistry of lois and clark in the Snyderverse... I felt like the pacing of their relationship was handled adequately. In BVS ultimate, you got to see more of Clark and Lois being normal ppl, which made the movie excellent and enjoyable to rewatch. Honestly, It's hard to duplicate the onscreen chemistry that Margot Kidder and Reeve had. They were quirky and nuanced in their approach. Reeve benefitted heavily from his theatre experience, which made their emotional connection THAT much more forefront than in MOS. Also, I think that Margot was very attracted to Reeve as well, so her reactions to Superman's charm were a little more than acting, they were real lol.

[@dekwebber]

@@chrisdavis2161 Yes, movie-making is the most challenging of all the arts, because it tends to require so much investment, and nobody investing their money wants to lose it. The people who do invest tend not to understand art that much. They try to apply business sense to art, so they end up trying to minimize risk by copying whatever succeeded before, and yet people want something fresh. Meanwhile, very often the people who make the art tend not to understand the business that much. They don't want their creativity limited, they want to make their creative vision a reality no matter what the cost. The challenge is finding directors and producers who understand the balance between business and art. If you go all artist, you can end up with problems like Batman Returns where Tim Burton the director had 100% control, and although it's still a good film, it's pretty clear he was in his own world and Batman wasn't the main part of the film. The film was a financial disappointment. If you go all business, you end up with Batman and Robin which was all about the toys, and the producers hired a director to follow their instructions. I think the best directors are the people who understand both the art and the business because then they can communicate their ideas to the producers in a way the producers can appreciate, and yet because these directors have an innate sense of art, they can still make their films very artistic.

[@Paul-D-Hoff]

Krypto does fly, they just didn't show it yet. GGGGEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, teaser trailer.

[@dekwebber]

Thanks for the correction! I must have heard James Gunn say before the trailer came out that Krypto doesn't fly in the trailer, or maybe it was that he doesn't talk. Appreciate the clarification, looking forward to seeing more of Krypto in the movie!

[@mercurywoodrose]

I think James gone knows Superman is and knows that he’s not a member of a Rag tag group of misfits so what I’m thinking is that he’s gonna come to each of these ragtag misfits and seek out their wise counsel and encourage them to work with him in some capacity And not just be alone hero even though he’s 1 billion times more powerful than all of them like if Superman is not super smart he will really benefit from having Mr. terrific on his team like right off the bat. Do you want to do like Lu or you better have a smart guy on your team Right? You want someone who is aggressive and doesn’t take shit from anybody get yourself a guy Gardner on your team.

[@dekwebber]

Very interesting! Maybe this is how the beginning of the Justice League is formed here, in the sense of it being Superman's idea. I think that is how it is in the Justice League animated series, which is excellent!

[@master-of-mind5881]

Krypto will kill this movie. Not all of us are dog lovers. The general audience do not associate superman with a dog. Its existence within the film will create a polarising effect, some will love and some will hate it. Everything else looks clean except this one element. Years from now people will say this - “ what did you think of superman legacy? Is that the one with the dog? Yeah I think I prefer Man of steel.” 😂

[@dekwebber]

Although it wouldn't be my first instinct to include Krypto in the film, now that we know he is part of it, I hope the Krypto aspect will be done thoughtfully and intelligently to increase audience identification with Superman. I can also see how it can go wrong. I'm a bit nervous that James Gunn might feel the need to go to the jokes too fast, but hopefully he appreciates that this would be the wrong route to take. When it comes to these iconic characters, whether it's Superman or James Bond or other icons, there will always be those who have their favorite versions, no matter what the other actors or directors bring to the films. So no matter how well done this Superman film may be (if it is indeed well done, and we don't know that is the case yet), there will be those who just feel they don't want Krypto in a Superman film. Michael Keaton, when first announced as Batman, was very polarizing; a lot of people felt Roger Moore made James Bond too lighthearted compared to Sean Connery, yet others loved the Moore era. Personally, I feel that Timothy Dalton was the best Bond, and I think I'm in the minority, yet he does bear the closest resemblance to how the author (Ian Fleming) described Bond in his novels. Part of the challenge is that each take must be fresh while still consistent with the character's core aspects. Trying to carbon-copy the previous version, e.g., Snyder and Cavill, would fail because imitation can never match the original. So they must go a different route here and yet still be true to Superman. With all that being said, Krypto does have quite a bit of history in the Superman universe (although most people who know Krypto associate Krypto with Superboy), so at least it's not an insult to the character or the audience who truly are fans of Superman. Also, if Krypto's inclusion in the film is truly inspired and not just a gimmick, it may be one more thing that helps give this film a fresh take on Superman. Obviously, Krypto can't be the only fresh aspect of the film, but it might breathe new life into the franchise while remaining consistent with the Superman mythos. A great writer or screenwriter knows how to make the audience believe in and root for the characters, even when it might be very challenging. Even though I tend to be very open-minded, when I saw the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer, I couldn't believe that it would be a really good film, and yet it was. And those were really difficult characters to make compelling, from a human-like raccoon to a human-like tree. And yet, it's that fresh take on things that makes it work. Hopefully, the screenplay for this is terrific, and the director was able to translate that screenplay to the screen.

[@master-of-mind5881]

@ Firstly your proficiency in writing, punctuation, grammar, etc is immaculate, I’m actually jealous. You are very articulate. Secondly what’s your thoughts on man of steel?

[@dekwebber]

@@master-of-mind5881 Thank you. I thought Man of Steel had some real strengths, especially the visuals and tone of the film. The trailers before the film came out gave me goosebumps. It looked like we were going to get a film that would take Superman seriously and put him into the real world, which it actually did. There were a few scenes that I really liked: Baby Kal-El being put into the rocket; young Clark Kent being frightened as he can't control his emerging powers, which include X-ray vision and super-hearing; his mom then coaching him through it while he's in the school closet. Young Clark asking if he could just be Jonathan Kent's son and Jonathan replying, "You are my son," was freaking pure gold. Also, the costume looked amazing, and every scene looked inspired from a visual point of view. The cinematography is outstanding. What I thought the film needed was more audience identification with Clark Kent/Superman. And I think to do that, they needed to make Superman come across as, ironically, more human. I say "ironic" because the movie makes a pretty strong point to show that he is an alien, and this could have definitely worked because most people feel like they don't belong, at least some of the time. When I say "more human," I mean sharing human traits like wanting love, wanting to belong, etc. The kid who played young Clark Kent did this quite well, but to me, it felt missing for adult Clark Kent and Superman. Also, I know the film shows scenes of Clark talking to Lois about what his father told him, that the world would be afraid of him, but somehow, this doesn't have the emotional impact it should. It might even be that they put themselves into a corner by making Superman seem so stoic, which is a good thing for a character like him, but they needed to do something more effective to convey his loneliness, feelings of alienation, longing for love, etc. The relationship between Lois and Clark/Superman didn't feel like there was enough chemistry. Even the dynamic between Superman and Zod didn't feel quite right to me. I felt like if Zod was real, as much as he would be obsessed with Krypton, he would still have some other nuances and dimensions to his character, but in the film, it was like his mind was wiped of every other thought. Still, overall, the film was on the right track, and I was looking forward to a sequel that may have been even better. MOS showed respect for the character, and the movie felt inspired.

[@master-of-mind5881]

@@dekwebberWell said. What’s your thoughts on the X-men as a franchise? Are you a fan of the lore? If so what are your favourite characters, storylines and films etc. For me the franchise is grossly underrated. Out of twelve feature films (excluding new mutants) eight are commendable efforts. X1, X2, First Class, DOFP, Deadpool, Logan, Deadpool 2, Deadpool & Wolverine. Within this category, you have some of the best of what the superhero genre can offer. I seriously think these films are overlooked. What’s your thoughts?

[@dekwebber]

@@master-of-mind5881 Thank you. It's so cool to discuss this with you, as I LOVE the X-Men franchise! I remember seeing the first one at the theater before even Spider-Man had come out, and it was a watershed moment in superhero cinema. It captured the essence of what the X-Men comics were really about- dealing with prejudice, alienation, feeling out of place, etc. And it felt true to the series in terms of the characters. Introducing Wolverine in that bar in the Northwest Territories was awesome! I wonder if, because Fox made the X-Men, Marvel has not promoted them (aside from the new animated version), leading to their being overlooked in the public consciousness. One thing I wanted to see more of was Cyclops' development as the group leader. As much as I loved the first two X-Men films, I thought they kind of made Cyclops less than he could have been in order to focus more on Wolverine. James Marsden was excellent, though, in terms of his performance. I thought all the casting in the original films, including Phoenix, Storm, Professor X, Magneto, etc. was superb. I wish there was more of Colossus; I loved it when he showed up for at least some proper action in X2. I could go on and on. The intro in X2 with Nightcrawler in the White House is pure GOLD! Great casting with him too. When they killed so many characters in X3, it obviously pissed me off, yet as a movie, I felt it definitely was still gripping. The ending with Phoenix was emotionally compelling; it felt real. First Class is excellent, and I just watched it again a couple of months ago. I thought the new X-Men actors in First Class were mostly really good. Although Sophie Turner is an excellent actress, I felt she wasn't perfectly cast as Phoenix, but she was still very good. I agree with you about all your choices of great X-Men films. The other films weren't as good, but they were still entertaining. The key is to always be true to the core original ideas of the creators, and not give in to other pressures that have nothing to do with good story-telling.