‘Superman’ Returns in New Trailer Reminiscent Of... ‘Superman Returns'

The latest tease for James Gunn’s summer tentpole leans toward sci-fi campiness, making me wonder how much it will resemble (in ways good or bad) a spiritual cousin to 'Wonder Woman 1984.'

This morning’s trailer for Superman, released just as tickets went on sale, embraces a more conventionally Saturday morning cartoonish tone. From Lex Luthor’s painfully generic threats to Superman’s Mad Libs response, there’s a particular “Challenge of the Super Friends” kitsch on display. If all the dialogue is that aggressively square… uh, I hope it’s one of those trailers that awkwardly inserts the most generic dialogue possible sans their in-film context. Also, not a criticism, but I chuckled at how the preview somewhat plays like a G-rated riff on the first Mission: Impossible III teaser, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman threatening to kill Katie Holmes Michelle Monaghan until Tom Cruise snaps and leaps into action.

Otherwise, it’s a formulaic sell and — if this is the final trailer — a disappointment, especially when compared to the still-classic final trailer for Man of Steel. To be fair, I also found the final Guardians of the Galaxy trailer, released in June of 2014, to be comparatively conventional. Anyway, it’s no secret that James Gunn and his (super?) friends are aiming for something different from the grim self-pity of Superman Returns or the Day the Earth Stood Still-meets-Godzilla biblical archness of Man of Steel. I will be curious to see to what extent, in terms of tone, visuals, and sentiment, Superman will ultimately resemble Wonder Woman 1984.