Trailer Park - Superman Returns

Another recurring feature that I hope I'll have time to update regularly is the completely unoriginal "Trailer Park," in which I'll share and discuss movie trailers, past and contemporary.

I'm one of those people who insists upon getting to a movie in time to catch the previews, and who gets antsy if I'm running late. I love it when the lights go down and the green preview screen pops up, anticipating what's coming next, often even more than the actual movie that I'm there to see.

In my opinion, one of the best trailers to come along in recent years is the teaser trailer for Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. I downloaded it to my Ipod after seeing it for the first time, and it's still there, for whenever I need a little burst of adrenaline, a shot of optimism.

Superman Returns Teaser Trailer (via Google Video)

The film, and therefore the trailer, has the advantage of a well-established history, both with the background story and with the preceding films in the series. There is no need to convey anything about the plot. Everyone knows the Superman story, and the title of the film conveys pretty much everything one needs to know about the plot. The brilliance of this trailer is the use of the symbols, the reminders, the callbacks to the comic books and the movies.

The Marlon Brando voiceover from the original Superman is the first thing heard or seen after the studio credits, over a dark screen, and for the viewer it is hard to escape the immediate symbolism, the Christ story that is the essence of the Superman tale. Brando's authoritative, fatherly voice booming in the darkness is God, speaking to his son. In the beginning...

The darkness of space and time is shattered with a quick shot of a young Clark Kent falling through the roof of the Kent barn and stopping himself inches short of the ground, his first foray into flying, and the transition is jarring, but we are soon back to peace and quiet, with a perfect shot of an old, beaten mailbox, simply inscribed with the name "Kent." The sun rises over a farm as the majestic few notes of the famous score swell, and I get choked up, every time.

As the music builds, we are given one iconic image after another, a fifteen-second montage of the ultimate origin story: Martha Kent approaching a smoking crater in the ground, a silhouette of Kal-El's famous forelock slowly moving into frame, a young Clark standing in front of his alien capsule, then soaring over corn fields, gleefully covering miles in a single bound. The trumpets begin their fanfare as we pan up the facade of what can only be the Daily Planet building, Superman, fully grown, approaches Lois on a rooftop and then soars upwards towards the viewer.

Then Brando's voiceover returns at the one minute mark, over a shot of a gathered crowd, staring up in the air, motionless, and the Christ symbolism becomes explicit.

"They can be a great people, Kal-El, if they wish to be, they only lack the light to show the way."

Superman slowly soars upwards, breaking through the barrier of the clouds, brilliant sunbeams cascading over him, bringing light into the darkness.

"For this reason above all, their capacity for good..." The music reaches its triumphant crescendo, Superman is shown hovering, motionless, miles above the Earth, above the atmosphere, poised effortlessly, his cape billowing behind him, Christ on the cross, returning to Earth to be the savior of humanity, even those unwilling to admit their need for him.

The camera pivots around his still body, coming to rest on his closed eyes, beseeching his father, Christ in Gethsemane, "Father, if thou are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but thine be done."

And his father continues, "...I have given them you, my only son." The allegory is almost too obvious. Kal-El's eyes snap open, he accepts his destiny, and rockets to Earth as the music climaxes. Tears in my eyes.

For my money, this is as good as it gets, trailer-wise. It features fantastic music, iconic imagery, it doesn't rush its clips, and it conveys the essence of the movie without giving away anything about the plot. It's perfect.

There are some other great ones, that I'll talk about in the future, but they will all be measured against this, and I'm guessing they will all come up wanting. It's truly unfortunate the actual film couldn't measure up to the trailer. Oh well.