‘Man of Steel’ extended trailer released, Superman is totally emo: weird or awesome?

Against all odds, I find myself looking forward to Man of Steel. Superman is such a weird character for an actor, and Christopher Reeve’s take on the superhero must loom large in the Superman canon (not just for Reeve’s career-defining performance as Superman, also because Reeve’s legacy as a human being and his reputation as a wonderful person). That being said, I think Henry Cavill is going to do a good job with whatever material he was given. I think this version of Superman is definitely going to be angsty and emo, which may be an attempt to give Clark/Superman some kind of defining character arc for what producers hope will be “the origin story” of a new franchise. At the end of the day, though… maybe ladies will just go see this movie because Henry Cavill is shirtless, and because they correctly cast Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and because Michael Shannon is a really good choice for General Zod.

Anyway, here’s the new trailer for Man of Steel:

One, ZOD IS EVERYTHING. Two, Amy Adams and Henry Cavill have chemistry, right? I want to see more of that. Three, Russell Crowe’s English accent is super-wonky. Four, OMG WE GET IT, this is a Christ allegory. They’re really overemphasizing that one, right?

Here’s the teaser featuring Michael Shannon’s creepy General Zod voice. I get the feeling that Zod is truly going to terrify me. I do love Michael Shannon though – he always plays the freaky characters, but I get the impression that he’s a really normal guy in real life. I love this teaser, by the way. They should promote the movie like this!!!

Photos courtesy of Total Film, Empire, Warner Bros./Man of Steel.

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74 Responses to “‘Man of Steel’ extended trailer released, Superman is totally emo: weird or awesome?”

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  1. Mia 4S says:

    “You ARE my son.”

    Oops I’ve got something in my eye…both eyes.

    I’m sold.

    • Sunshine says:

      *sniff* Me, too! Best line of the trailer.

    • eviec says:

      I already knew I would probably go see this movie but that moment cinched it for me! This movie looks amazing!!

    • annabelle says:

      Damnit Costner!

      Yep, I’m there. I love a hero movie that pays real attention to the character development and story telling around $hit blowing up.

    • RocketMerry says:

      I was wondering were Kevin Costner had been hiding!

      He’s been MIA for too long, I missed him. I do hope he’s working on a comeback.

      I’ll probably watch this movie just because of him.

      • Mia 4S says:

        Costner has been quite smart with his “comeback”. First the Hatfields and McCoys, this movie, and then a supporting role in the new Jack Ryan movie this Christmas. He’s figured out that he still has a strong career in roles as a patriarch, mentor, or father/father figure, rather than the brash young hero. He should generate a lot of good will and he’ll age nicely as an actor/star…unlike some…*cough* Tom Cruise *cough.

    • Addison says:

      Yep, I put my hand to my heart at this. LOL. I’m such a weeper.

  2. aims says:

    I know he’s a little boring. I can’t help it, he does it for me, big time! I get the vibe from him that he has this unassuming side, but watch out, because he’s a sex god in the bedroom. Oh Lord, I love what he’s giving off, and I would totally go there.

    Sorry, now I feel a little dirty. * embarrassed and wants to go hide*

    • Gigi says:

      You’re not alone

      P.S. did you ever watched The Tudors :p

    • Lisalou says:

      Agreed! I dont even like meaty guys but yum. He seems like the type of guy that is unassuming and down to earth. It makes me think I can run into him at a bookstore, strike up a conversation, fall madly in love and go live on a farm together in the english countryside. I dont even like farms either but somehow it all works.

      • aims says:

        I like what you’re saying. Just wanted to add something. Him coming home from a walk, slightly dirty, with his hair messed up by the wind.

        Now, I do think I must stop. Lol

  3. LaLaLim says:

    He looks super hot!

  4. Anna says:

    Awesome. I am more excited about this than about the last 2 Batman movies.

  5. gloaming says:

    I’m really looking forward to this. It seems perfectly cast, but why isn’t Diane Lane in the trailer too?
    She’s part of the draw for me.

  6. Eve says:

    Cavill’s head turn on that cover looks so f*cking weird!

    That’s a photoshop fail, right?

    • JenD says:

      Are you talking about the second one, with Amy Adams? That seems to be a common Superman neck stretch-y pose.

      • Eve says:

        No, I meant the Empire cover (the very first picture — not the “Total film” one).

        P.S.: Someone over Pajiba said that he looked like he was giving Invisible Man’s (who’d be standing behind him) a handjob in that picture (the strech-y pose one)…LOL!

  7. Reece says:

    Wait so Lois Lane works for “The Man” in this? Ok.
    I’m still cautiously excited for this.

    • Andrea says:

      My guess is Lois is out for the truth as always and is trying to figure out who he is.

      I love Lois Lane. I just love her.

  8. brin says:

    He is so handsome, can’t wait to see this!

  9. Samtha says:

    Eh, I don’t know. I don’t know that I want Superman to be angsty and emo.

    And I don’t have much faith in Snyder’s ability to tell a superhero story. He’s proven himself miserable at it so far.

  10. Kelly says:

    I wondered if that suit was giving him the definition of chest and abs, then I saw him without a shirt.

    Gulp. And let me toss in a wow. Lookin’ good.

    But, I still miss Christopher Reeves.

  11. Amy says:

    Looks Nolan-ized, meaning Superman will be all angsty in an effort to give him some kind of complexity. Is Marvel the only studio capable of making fun superhero/comic book movies?

    • Dutch says:

      DC tried to do “fun” and you got Green Lantern.

      • Eve says:

        LOL! Well, I did laugh my ass off while watching it… 😀

      • Mia 4S says:

        Oh dear, Green Lantern *shudder*. I wish I had laughed @Eve, mostly I just napped.

        Personally I’m glad for variety. Marvel movies are fun as hell but there are no real stakes to them. Frothy is the word I would use. Cartoons. Not that there is anything wrong with that but we get enough imitation in Hollywood. I’m cool with a little heart string tugging. 🙂

  12. Green is Good says:

    I’m in. This looks kick-ass!

  13. Miss Kiki says:

    My biggest concern about this film is having Zak ‘style over substance’ Snyder at the helm. I really hope he doesn’t screw this up

    • Dutch says:

      The saving grace there may be Snyder just did the directing and the writing was left up to more capable hands.

      • Miss Kiki says:

        Gah I hope you’re right because currently I’m still really apprehensive about it, especially after Superman Returns. Poor Brandon Routh 🙁

      • Hannah says:

        The writing sounds bad though.

    • GirlyGirl says:

      Yeah same here, the words “Zack Snyder” might as well be code for “coming soon to the BestBuy DVD bargain bin”. He’s an ex-ad guy and his movies are always over-edited and under-directed. 300 was a gay fantasy and Sucker Punch was not even what I would call a movie.

      At least he’s not writing it! Of all the things Snyder sucks at his writing is the worst.

      He’s really good at cutting a trailer though.

  14. Sunshine says:

    Yum.

  15. Mirella says:

    I’m in. Loved Henry in The Tudors! This looks really good!

  16. Alarmjaguar says:

    Eh, Clearly I am getting old, because I’d rather just go watch the original. Get off my lawn!

    • Eve says:

      Me too!

      They could do something like they did with The Exorcist (to celebrate its 30-year anniversary) and release it again for a short period. Just me? Ok.

  17. Micah says:

    OMG Superman is so hot. Is that even Henry it doesn’t even look like him lol

  18. Chickie Baby says:

    Neither weird nor awesome. How about just H-O-T, HOT!

  19. The Original Mia says:

    Awesome! I may have screamed YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSS yesterday on twitter after seeing this one & the Trek trailer.

  20. spinner says:

    This looks incredibly awesome! Can’t wait!!

  21. j.eyre says:

    I have 3 formers in this film – Crowe, Costner and Cavill (I guess I just cleaned house on “C” one day) so absolutely I am going to watch this.

    However, trying to look at it from a non-horny point of view, that scene with Amy and Henry intrigued me. That weird noise thing piqued my interest.

    And thank you for re-posting the Zod viral video. i could not get it to work yesterday. I love superhero movies.

    • Andrea says:

      Amy and Henry intrigue me alot as Lois and Clark. But I find Lois and Clark intriguing period.

      It’s interesting that this gorgeous alien god-like figure ultimately falls madly in love not with some supermodel goddess but with this feisty, career woman.

      Seriously. That’s just…amazing. For once the woman isn’t viewed as some prize. She’s a person with a job. She’s beautiful no doubt but his interest in her is deeper.

      Amy and Henry totally sell that and I love it.

  22. Callie says:

    That’s not an English accent Russell Crowe is attempting. I think it’s his own Australian accent.

    • Kristine says:

      ^^^ This. He is from Krypton so technically his accent doesn’t have to be recognizable. Plus based on most of my recent Sci-Fi favorite series all aliens are Australian.

  23. Atlanta says:

    Good looking leading man and good looking movie. But i think cavill is a poor actor and this doesnt sound well written at all. Even Russell Crowe sounds cheesy as hell.

  24. Diana says:

    I wanted to avoid it but I think I’m sold. Damn you Kevin Costner!

  25. Roo says:

    Generally, I think Henry’s super boring, hot but boring, but he looks interesting in this. Love the scene with him and Amy Adams. I’m on board!

  26. Mira says:

    F*ck yeah Michael Shannon. That’s all!

  27. jan34 says:

    He reminds me of a Ken doll. Of course he’s handsome but so plastic and dull. And he can’t act. His range in the Tudors was really limited. I’m more of a Rhys Meyers type

    • Lauli says:

      Ken doll. LOL
      I completely agree. He’s lovely but he’s a plastic actor. Better, he’s more a model than an actor.

    • Christina says:

      Yup. Beautiful man, horrible actor.

      I don’t think Jonathan Rhys Meyers is much better tbh. gorgeous to look at, but not much of an actor. His ‘range’ in ‘The Tudors’ consisted of alternately sulking, pouting, and throwing stuff. Still, next to the wooden Cavill he seems like Daniel Day Lewis by comparison.

  28. Laura says:

    I don’t like superman emo just like I didn’t like spiderman emo. Just be super heros for pete sake! It’s summer, i want to be entertained, not confused.

    When Henry Cavill speaks, I swoon. Also, I think Amy Adams has the skills to act like she has chemistry with any co-star she gets.

  29. Dizzybenny says:

    Looks awesome! I’ve enjoyed all the Zack Snyder movies, so it’s a none factor for me. But it’s a Chris Nolan project so I think things will be balanced out.
    I like the emo factor instead of cartoon like style.
    I want to know what all that power does to a person…or alien. If I had all the power of Superman, I would want to do good but where do you start? How do you go about it? How does it affect your mind? To me the movie will be about that I think.

  30. Andrea says:

    Yeah…Amy and Henry have cheeky chemistry that is hot. I knew I liked Adams as Lois but that chemistry is a nice bonus.

    I love that Superman just seems totally amused by her. She makes him crack a smile even when he’s in handcuffs.

    See, this is what Henry Cavill needs to not be boring. A really good actress to play off of. That closing scene is totally sexy.

  31. pam says:

    ok, michael shannon looks younger in this trailer. and pretty good i might add. trailer looks great.

  32. Original A says:

    I love Michael Shannon, so I’m sold.

  33. I Choose Me says:

    This and Star Trek: Into darkness are the popcorn movies I’m most looking forward to right now. Can’t wait till this shows up in my theater.

  34. Alaqaday says:

    That would be Crowe’s normal accent. Or the one he has used ever since being famous in Australia. We don’t all sound like freaking Crocodile Dundee, you know…

    • MisJes says:

      + 1000! THIS!

      WHY does everyone assume that we Australians all sound like Paul Hogan or Steve Irwin? Almost every film that features a “Aussie” character has an actor doing a very overdone accent. We really don’t sound like that you know! That isn’t a wonky English accent Kaiser, that is a regular Australian accent. Sigh.

  35. Carolyn says:

    I’m soooo going to see this! Great cast. I could listen to Crowe reading the phone book. He narrated a documentary here in Aus a while ago and I had it on just to hear his voice.

    I still recall Zod & the others being stuck in that weird thing in space in the original Superman and just thinking “wow”. When it broke and they came to Earth it was really awesome, Didn’t realise how cool Terrence Stamp was back then (I was only 8 at the time)

  36. Backstage Bitchy says:

    I see Michael Shannon out in our (not trendy) neighborhood all the time. He’s so incognito and normal and unassuming that he just looks like that mildly creepy neighborhood dude on the corner. No one EVER recognizes him and he does not seem interested in that changing. Good for him!

  37. Lexi says:

    He is very cute!

  38. Vee says:

    Can.Not.Wait!!! This looks amazing!

  39. Heathers says:

    Imagonna see this because it looks like they did a good job with it, but I have to ask: is hollywood going to make anything original again? It seems like 75% or more of what hollywood produces these days are remakes, re-vamps and re-boots. Sequels. Prequels. It’s exhausting. I want something new.

  40. Majicou says:

    Why do headlines on this site have to be either good or bad? Ex. weird or awesome, unflattering or cute, improving or still rough

  41. Reese says:

    I freaking love Lois Lane and I love Amy Adams, but am I the only one who thinks she was miscast as this part? Amy is older than Cavill, and you can tell. Was kinda sad to see her not as a brunette either. It’s not that I don’t think Amy can pull if off, the look is just wrong to me. Amy isn’t very sexy IMO

    • Andrea says:

      With all due respect, comments like this really piss me off and reflect the horrible ageism in our culture.

      Yes, Amy is older than Henry. I don’t personally think she looks it but even so…ummm….what does it matter? Almost every single movie you see has an older male love interest with a woman who is 10-15 years his junior and people don’t even blink. Almost every SUPERHERO property out there has an older male with a younger woman. And no one seems to care. To focus on her being older is both sexism and ageism they sits very poorly with me.

      On top of that, Lois actually ::is:: supposed to be older than Clark. She’s already an experienced, confident career woman when she meets him. She’s supposed to have herself together while he is still young and new. That’s canon. It’s also canon that Lois has had red hair both on the original Superman series in the 50’s and in the comics.

      To the last point…I think Amy is very sexy. She’s playful and cute. Women don’t need to vamp and pose with their mouths open to be sexy. Amy is classy. But then again, why does Lois Lane have to be this overtly sexy creature? I’m not sure that’s the point. I think the point of Lois is that she is one of the few female characters in comics who exists as being desirable for her brain and not bc she is some sex object. That’s actually kind of a powerful message in an entertainment sphere that consistently exploits women.

      I think Amy is inspired casting and I thought yet chemistry was great in that little scene.

      • Vee says:

        Exactly. Thank you.

      • Christina says:

        Agree with every word. When a woman is a whole (gasp!) 8 years older than her co-star, it’s a horror. Yet male actors routinely have love interests 15 or more years their junior. I remember Sharon Stone once said that actors her age or even older than her would complain that she was ‘too old’ to be cast with them. It’s the type of sexism and ageism which seems every woman in Hollywood over the ripe old age of 30 or so messing up her face, while men are told that grey hair and wrinkles gives them ‘character’. Please.

  42. moon says:

    if this movie fails, i don’t think it’ll be his fault, because the superhero fatigue is starting to set in