‘Superman' Trailer: The Fan Reaction, Explained
The Superman costume, although not the one worn in the trailer. (Photo by)
Wednesday was a big moment for superhero fans: the first trailer for James Gunn's Superman dropped. While this genre of movie has become a topic for heated online discussion in recent years, the Superman trailer suffered a different fate: genuine enthusiasm.
In a perplexing twist of fate, there was a huge swell of online support for the movie. Considering the negative view many current films of this genre are held in, this reaction is particularly intriguing to dive into, saying something important about hope and art.
Before we get there, let's dive into the details. Arriving in cinemas on July 11 in the U.S., Superman is a reboot of one of the most famous franchises in existence.
Historically, DC—the owner of the Superman brand—has played second fiddle to Marvel in the film industry. While some metrics (like cultural impact) are hard to judge precisely, one clear way to show this is box office success. And, in the top 10 highest grossing superhero movies of all time, only one of them is a DC film.
There are eight Marvel movies on the list.
This points to the secondary position DC holds in superhero movies—but the fascinating thing about the Superman trailer is this implies a world where this is no longer the case.
Let's explain.
It's been widely covered that superhero movies are on the wane. Movies such as Shazam 2, Ant-Man: Quantumania, and Black Adam have been box office disappointments. And when Marvel tried to reboot enthusiasm for its cinematic universe (the MCU), many of these attempts have fallen flat both commercially and critically.
This has led to a number of fans and cultural figures calling the superhero genre dead.
One would expect, then, that the reactions to Superman to be predominately people saying it's a rehash of old films, or just a cheap cash-grab—but that hasn't been solely the case.
Of course, there are plenty of people who are negative about the Superman trailer, but that's besides the point. It's the online world and social media, there are opinions about everything. There was been a huge swell of people being optimistic and hopeful about the upcoming film.
The deeper question is why are people reacting positively to the teaser?
Firstly, and let's not forget this when talking about the reaction to any art, is that the Superman trailer looks intriguing. There are an array of both fan favorite and niche characters, solid-looking action, and enough emotive force to drive an interesting story.
Secondly, the director, James Gunn, is responsible for the widely beloved Guardians of the Galaxy series, so fans have a lot of trust in his work.
These, though, are surface level concerns—and there's a potential deeper explanation lurking beneath.
We discussed above the changing nature of superhero movies and DC's role as secondary in this industry, and one can view Superman as a conduit for the hope of the fans.
Despite being one of the most famous superheroes of all time, the Superman character hasn't adapted to the silver screen as well as, say, Batman. There are a variety of reasons for this, but they aren't overly important. The key idea is there's still potential for a movie based on this character to truly succeed and become a touchstone on the same level as the Dark Knight trilogy.
This, combined with the struggles of Marvel and a director the quality of James Gunn coming onboard, can give fans a sense of optimism that a new superhero era will start, that this film will kickstart a new wave of the genre they love.
Ultimately, much like the superhero genre itself, part of the positive reaction to the Superman trailer is one of faith and optimism. Many people are huge fans of the genre and the success of the MCU, and this latest movie from DC has all the ingredients to inspire a new wave of films that could capture this success.
The positive swelling online around the movie is a direct response to the positivity and expectation they have for a different studio to take and hold the superhero crown.
Whether or not this will happen with Superman is broadly unimportant, the main thing is that people hope it can.
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