There is a scene in the new Superman trailer wherein Superman flies through a cut in a mountain, and on the other side his face looks a little goofy. That’s kind of all there is to this one. And yet, in a commercial and artistic environment when things are either the best thing ever or the worst thing ever (sometimes both) before they even come out, this has become a Big Deal.
I’m excited for Superman. I don’t think either Brandon Routh nor Henry Cavill’s live-action takes fully nailed the kind heart behind the logo, and video game adaptations have been worse, focussing on the overused Evil Superman trope. My Adventures with Superman probably comes closest, but swings too hard into airy and simplistic that it also doesn’t capture the full character. Superman (2025) seems to be trying, and I’m not of a mind to count it out yet.
This Is Very Different To Black Adam
I understand that DC has not earned the benefit of the doubt in all cases. But (in my subjective opinion) the shot in question doesn’t even look bad, and (in the real world of objective fact) director James Gunn has already explained it. There’s “absolutely zero CG involved”, Gunn explained, and the odd perspective is likely the use of a wide angle lens distorting Corenswet’s face. It’s the same reason you look different in your selfie camera to your front facing one.
I actually think the shot looks fine in motion, which is how a flying sequence is supposed to be viewed. But even if we go with it being terrible, does that matter too much? I’m not suggesting we should leave all standards at the door (I firmly believe superhero movies, by and large, look too bland), but the other shots of Superman have shown flair, colour, and comic book inspiration. A single frame that looks wonky while watching on your phone separated from the context of the movie does not make the movie a write-off.
It has gained some comparisons to Black Adam, but I’m not sure that’s too charitable. Superman’s sequence is more whimsical, more joyful, and features far more camera motion, as opposed to in Black Adam where it’s used entirely to demonstrate Black Adam’s mighty speed. Even if you do think the shots are similar, the flying sequences looking a little goofy is about 37 on the list of why Black Adam failed to change the hierarchy of power in the DC universe.
People Would Prefer To Be Mad Than Be Excited
But the worst part is, this is not people who don’t feel like giving it the benefit of the doubt. It’s not people who have given up on Superman, DC, or superhero movies in general saying ‘I’m gonna skip this one’, which would be fine. Watching a trailer and deciding, from that and your experience with similar movies, that you’d rather watch something else is perfectly normal. But that’s not what’s happening.
Instead, you have people who ostensibly claim to like superheroes, DC, and Superman take every opportunity to tear the movie down to score points with strangers on the internet. I have no desire to defend a billion dollar corp from criticism – I’ve complained about several moves DC has made on this very website – but frankly, you people are so annoying.
It’s not just that the shot ‘looks bad’, it’s the very idea of the shot at all. Being mad about a movie, possibly for made up reasons, is considered more enjoyable than being excited for a movie. If it comes out and it’s good, they can easily switch gears. If it sucks, they get to have been right all along. It’s a charmed life, so long as you don’t mind being one of the most irritating people to have ever existed.
People are also angry at the mountain pass Superman flies through, pointing out that in the trailer he could have flown around the mountain instead. Yeah, and he could have spent his life being nothing more than a very strong farmhand. It’s a Superman movie – he’s going to do some fun stuff.
Ultimately, whether the shot is good or bad doesn’t matter. Whether the movie is even good or bad doesn’t matter, and impossible to know yet. But we can’t keep talking about every upcoming movie like this, it’s an exhausting process that only serves to make fandoms more toxic by pushing out regular excited fans and leaving only impossible to please loudmouths. Whatever happened to you’ll believe a man can fly?
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