Superman isn’t looking, well super. I admit, I’m highly biased. I’m traditionally not a Superman fan. I don’t acknowledge anyone in the big screen role except for Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill, and I don’t like this push for reboots every time someone new decides to saddle up at Warner Bros. with a cool new take on the character. So, when the newest version was announced from James Gunn and Peter What’s His Name, I immediately soured on it.
And then I saw the teaser trailer.
The new guy, David something or another, does not have the look. He doesn’t inspire me as a potential Superman/Clark Kent. He doesn’t have the presence, and he doesn’t strike me as a dude from Krypton that could take on Lex Luthor or Doomsday or Darkseid. Nothing about him screams rallying point.
The visuals don’t grab me, either. Metropolis looks bland and run of the mill, even with the puppy Krypto introduced. That tracks, though. I don’t expect much from Gunn – Guardians of the Galaxy, as good as it was, was a killer hand that he successfully managed to play three times while Lady Luck stroked the back of his head at the kitty. He was lucky to get away with an engaging cast and folks glomming onto Marvel anything for a minute because otherwise he might have been a Thor: The Dark World footnote.
What it comes down to is, I don’t trust the brain trust here. I don’t like Superman, but I don’t want him to suffer anymore indignities that he doesn’t have to suffer. Let him alone or better yet, they should have kept Cavill and wrote for him. He was ready, willing and able and had the fanbase primed with solid appearances. The surrounding material may have been bad, but he carried entire films on his back as Kent so I’m not understanding why he had to go. I will not let this go so long as we’re trying to shoehorn someone else into that man’s role.
I’m not sure what this David something or another needs to supe up Supes, but he needs something. I’m not impressed with what I’ve seen so far, and what I fear is coming is not going to be engaging enough to change my mind.
Lyndsey Beatty is editor-in-chief of Gaming Insurrection. She can be reached by email at lyndseyb@gaminginsurrection.com
