Batman might well be this generation’s most epic superhero, thanks of course to Christopher Nolan‘s thrilling Dark Knight trilogy (which concludes on Friday, July 20), but there will always be a special place in America’s heart for Superman. Although the 2006 venture Superman Returns didn’t quite live up to snuff, the forthcoming Man of Steel (with Nolan on board as producer) might well prove a suitable reboot for the most iconic comic book hero in this nation’s history. San Diego Comic-Con hit fans with the first footage from the developing movie, which stars Henry Cavill as the man himself, offering a small taste of the greatest import this planet has ever received from our dear departed friends at Krypton.
We flashback to Clark’s youth. He’s on a bus that goes over a bridge, but the bus is miraculously saved. “My son was in the bus. He saw what Clark did.” says an of-screen voice. Young Clark looks shocked when he saves the children on the school bus.
The trailer cuts to young Clark discovering a spaceship in a barn (if Man of Steel sticks to mythology, baby Clark crashed landed on Earth in this thing). “It’s not from this world, Clark,” says Pa Kent. We see Clark holding a Superman “S” ring. “Either or are you.”
Russell Crowe pops up as Jor-El, Superman’s father, during our first look at the Fortress of Solitude. “What kind of man do you want to be?” he asks. This isn’t a face in a crystal. Kal-El is standing right in front of him. A spiffy hologram? Either way, he’s there showing his son the “S” emblem. From there, Clark walks out of Fortress of Solitude in full super costume. He breathes deeply, places his fists on to the ground, and takes off. Sonic boom! Superman is back.
The rest of the trailer is quick shot imagery accompanied by Nolan’s signature trumpet fanfare. Amy Adams runs out as Lois Lane. Supermann emerges from a building completely covered in flames. Michael Shannon appears as Zod, with a menacing…gottee. Lots of explosions as a laser blasts down from the skies into the Earth (think Star Trek‘s Vulcan drill scene). A scene of Clark clutching a child with a storm behind him, evoking last year’s Take Shelter. Superman and Zod clash in the sky, before Supes is thrown into a bank safe. Army soldiers point guns at Superman. Finally, we see Clark Kent stroll into the Daily Planet. He enters the elevator and places on the signature glasses.
Superman begins? Basically, and that’s not a bad thing.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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[Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]
