James Gunn's new Superman may already be the most-hyped movie of the year. Even December's teaser trailer had its own pre-trailer billing it as an event on a par with the movie itself. Then came the TV spot in January.
Finally, DC has released an 'official' trailer – as if the others were mere leaks. Fans were waiting to soak up every detail of the three-minute piece, so improvements in the VFX from one trailer to the next didn't go unnoticed.
The new Superman trailer begins with Lois Lane interviewing an irritable superhero, who attempts to defend his actions, and his apparent defiance of bureaucracy, to save lives. I'm thinking Superman's new testy character might be divisive. He seems to come across as arrogant and egotistical, but I guess the aim is to show a hero who's less perfect (and more interesting, maybe).
Then, the iconic John Williams theme cranks in and we have bad guys, explosions, romance and some sharp lines. We see Superman getting beaten up, and even bleeding a bit.
The reactions from fans are generally positive. "DC is back not with noise, but with purpose. The symbol of hope just rose again!," one person wrote on YouTube. "For the first time in a long time for a DC movie, I got emotional," another person wrote.
Highlights for fans include emotive shaky homemade-looking footage of Clark as a kid, and some nice attention to detail and world building with the inclusion of a Lordtech (as in Maxwell Lord of the Justice Gang) recorder at the 14-second mark. But one detail that's intriguing the most eagle-eyed viewers is the work that's been done on VFX since the last trailer, as evident in the comparison of one scene below.
VFX artists other continue working on post-production close up to a movie's release. Given the long marketing cycle for movies these days, it means VFX work continues well after initial trailers are launched. This comparison is a nice example.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
As well as more cars and buildings, an additional advertising billboard and more debris, the colours have been tweaked too. The result is that Metropolis looks busier and denser – like it should.
With still some time to go before the Superman release date on 11 July, more changes may still be in the works. See our pick of the best CGI movie moments for examples of the magic of cinema VFX.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
