It's been a while since we shared an "Honest Trailer" for a movie (the concept started wearing thin a while a few years ago, if we're being honest), but there's plenty of fun to be had with Screen Junkies' take on Superman.
There are the usual fun observations—some admittedly have more merit than others—and a couple that really ring true. From the baffling decision to make Jor-El essentially the same character as Invincible's Omni-Man to the fact that The Hammer of Boravia was Ultraman, who was really a Superman clone, the trailer hits the nail on the head at times.
However, perhaps the most valid complaint is Superman's apparent obsession with internet trolls, and how that was likely inspired by James Gunn's own resurfaced Tweets (which were dug up by those unhappy with his take on politics). As you'll recall, that led to the filmmaker briefly being fired as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's director.
It's also hard to deny that Superman, and, as a result, the wider DCU in general, featured a lot of Gunn-isms pulled from his other movies.
"That's all it is, it's just an enormous sense of relief. It's relief, and then followed very quickly by excitement," Gunn recently said of the $600 million blockbuster. "Because Superman in some ways was the proof of concept. It was so, so hard, in the same way that Guardians [of the Galaxy] was so, so hard."
"Once you're in the groove, you realise, 'Oh, this is what works, this is what doesn't, this is where we can go with this.' It means now we have the freedom to tell these other stories in a way that's really exciting," he continued. "Now, I can just be creative and I don't have to be as concerned with the life and death of the DC brand as I was a month and a half ago."
As for the audience reception to Superman, Gunn is understandably pleased with how the movie has resonated. However, he doesn't intend to approach every DCU movie he takes the helm of in the same way.
"I feel really embraced by the audience. My feeling is that the movie spoke to people, but it also spoke to people because there was a reason for its existence," he shared. "There was this message of kindness that spoke to people."
"That doesn't mean every story I'm going to tell is a message of kindness; it just means there needs to be a reason for the story to be told. You can't just be piling on stuff because it's the characters people liked," Gunn concluded.
You can watch this Honest Trailer for Superman in the player below.
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
"Superman is an indescribable joy," we said in our review. "A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas. Fortunately, under James Gunn’s expert direction, all of those work, creating a rousing experience that flies higher than DC has in a very long time."
The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.
Superman is now playing in theaters and available on Digital platforms.