On April 16,
2013 Warner Brothers has released the third and would be official trailer for
the much anticipated reboot of the iconic DC Comics superhero Superman dubbed
as “Man of Steel”. In time for its 75th Anniversary (yes folks, he’s
been around that long).
I don’t know how many times I have
rambled on talking about my childhood hero. Why Superman you would ask? Because
there was a time in my life when he was the only friend I had. ChristopherReeve’s name will always be synonymous to Superman and several attempts have
been made to breathe-in new life into the well beloved hero both in television
and the big screen. All of them fell short however, well expect for Smallville
which has gained loyal followers and had a successful ten year run on TV.
Superman Returns on the other hand tried to remain loyal to the 1978 Richard
Donner version of the film starring Reeves himself (which director Bryan Singer
is a huge fan of) but poor writing and the less than believable performance of
its actor namely Kate Bosworth who played Lois Lane became a disappointment to
a lot of fans. Call me bias and all but I do not think that Brandon Routh, who
played the hero in blue tights and red cape is to blame. They decided to choose
an unknown actor to play the role, they even got someone who looks like Reeve. But
their decision backfired as Routh was obviously still too young and perhaps
lacks the experience to portray Superman with conviction the way Christopher
Reeve has done so well many years ago.
Almost eight years has passed, after
so much debates over budget, whether Brandon Routh should come back and reprise
his role, and if Superman is still relevant... Man of Steel is born. Thanks to
the Nolan brothers. Christopher Nolan was so successful in bringing Batman to
life that everyone is reeling with anticipation if he would make the mild-mannered
reporter Clark Kent darker or brooding. But director Jack Snyder (300, Watchmen)
and lead star British actor Henry Cavill begged to disagree. They’re just
making him more realistic after all, Superman is a source of light and hope to
many and making him “darker” was never an option. And this is the first time
that the All-American hero will be portrayed by a non-American actor. Aside from
talent, the British has a different approach in honing an actor’s creative
skills. And if I may add, I have never heard of an American Shakespearean actor
before. If you're going to say Leonardo DiCaprio’s take on Romeo + Juliet, that definitely
does not count. I suggest watching Franco Zeffereli’s version of the popular Shakespeare tragedy starring the
oh-so divine Olivia Hussey.
I suppose it’s a whole
different story when you’re wearing an über tight-almost too revealing body
suit with a scarlet cape to match. But looking at the photos of Henry in the
Superman costume, well all I could say is he is Superman! Ladies, the body is to die for. Sometimes I still find
it hard to believe that I’m looking at the same young boy I saw as Albert
Mondego in The Count of Monte Cristo. Quite frankly, it makes me feel old. But
as a fan of Henry’s, I am so proud of him for he has come a long way and it
only means that he really is meant to play this role (for those of you who
doesn’t know, he’s suppose to be original choice for Superman Returns, as well
as Stephanie Meyers first choice to play Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga but
he was already too old to play the role when production started). For me, the countdown
to Man of Steel has officially begun and I join
the Superman fandom in welcoming back our childhood hero, our friend. He may wear different
faces, but to us they’re all one and the same. Superman lives!
Man of Steel worldwide release date is June 14, 2013.
