It’s no secret that I’m excited for James Gunn’s Superman. The newest version of the Man of Steel is one of my most anticipated films of the year, and every glimpse we get only adds to that feeling. Now, we have the biggest look yet at this summer’s DC Studios superhero film. The full-length trailer has been released. And it is full of moments to cheer about. We need to talk about 5 of the best ones.
MORE: You can read all the ways the teaser trailer for Superman had us excited!
The Interview
Let’s start at the beginning. The trailer opens with Clark (David Corenswet) agreeing to let Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) interview him as Superman. Yep, you read that right. By this point in the film, maybe the entire film, Lois knows that Clark is Superman. That’s a great change from other iterations of this comic book couple. The same goes for the fact that they are already dating here. The best thing about this moment, though, is the complexity of the discussion during the interview. Lois grills him about public perception of his actions as Superman, and the conflict of their respective views is great. The depth this will bring to these characters and their relationship is exciting. I am desperate to know if the mid-air kiss we’ve seen in both trailers comes after this friction between them. The writing contrasts his idealism with her pragmatism here, and that’s fertile storytelling ground for a superhero film.
Krypto Joins the Fight
Of course, there is a lot of action in this trailer. We expect Superman to be saving people and fighting various monsters and bad guys. Something new here is Krypto. The Superdog has never been shown in a live-action Superman film before, and the promotion so far has wisely featured a lot of him. In this trailer, he gets a chance to participate in the action. One sequence shows villains entering the Fortress of Solitude. One of them is The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria). Krypto crouches and barks, clearly in guard dog mode. Then he flies at her and makes contact with her face. That’s all we see of this particular confrontation, but just the hint that Krypto has more to do than be cute is a treat. Don’t worry, the cuteness is on full display elsewhere!
Lex Luthor in the Fortress of Solitude
When The Engineer enters Superman’s arctic Fortress, she accompanies Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). The Man of Steel’s archnemesis is an important part of any version of this superhero. Hoult’s talent has been evident since he was a child, and this trailer lets the audience get a feel for his version of Lex. We have an unfortunate number of real-life examples of narcissistic billionaires. The dialogue in this moment gets it exactly right. “Superman is not a man,” Lex says, “he’s an it, who’s somehow become the focal point of the entire world’s conversation. I will not accept that.” It’s not just the self-centeredness that evokes today’s broligarchy here, it’s the xenophobia. Yes, this film WILL be addressing the fact that Superman is an undocumented immigrant, and it SHOULD. Hoult’s performance sells these things perfectly.
MORE: We love how the Superman teaser trailer embraced the Clark and Lois romance!
Pa Kent’s Wise Words
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Lex Luthor, we have Jonathan Kent, played by veteran character actor Pruitt Taylor Vince. “Your choices, your actions, that’s what makes you who you are,” he tells Clark. You can’t get a more constructive, affirming message than that. Hope has always been the core ethos of the Superman story. That’s exactly what Jonathan gives his adopted son with those words, and when Clark hugs him, we want to hug him, too. A parent comforting their child is the most human thing imaginable. If other moments here are timely, this one is timeless. We are also very worried for him because we know what always happens to Jonathan Kent.
Superman’s Wisecrack
Since James Gunn is the writer and director of this film, we can’t forget about the fun. Gunn knows that a light-hearted line or visual is the perfect balance to all the intense action and conflict. This trailer shows that when a dirty and battered Superman says, “Hey, buddy! Eyes up here,” then shoots into the sky. We don’t know exactly who he’s addressing, but Corenswet pops off the line in precisely the right tone. Superman is in the middle of a fight, so chances are, he’s talking to his opponent. That would make this line even better. Do we want a Superman who can pull off a cheeky line while drawing a bad guy away from innocent bystanders? Yes, we do.
Did we cover your favorite moments from the new Superman trailer? Or are there others that you loved? Let us know in the comments!
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Superman hits theaters July 11 from Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios.
