Superman: Legacy First Look

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, battlewraith said:

LOL just stop. You're actually starting to make me want to see this movie.

By all means go see it then.

 

I'm not one of those that says other people can't enjoy a movie, or game, that I don't. Nor am I one of those that calls people -ists and -phobes if they don't watch a movie that I do. I hope you watch it and enjoy it.

 

I'm actually not happy because it looks like I was right. I really wanted this movie to be good. Unfortunately it looks like it'll be yet another example of a movie that does poorly and then the star and director will attack fans on social media.

[battlewraith]

43 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I'm not one of those that says other people can't enjoy a movie, or game, that I don't. Nor am I one of those that calls people -ists and -phobes if they don't watch a movie that I do.

 

Oh, I'm fairly certain that this film is going to end up in the DEI dumpster fire, right alongside most recent movie releases.

 

You are the counterpart to those people. You would probably get more enjoyment out of media in general if you stopped letting twitter, social media influencers, etc. predigest them for you.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

I'm gonna say jury's out on this one until the movie comes out.

 

On the one hand, James Gunn is coming off the back of a hit franchise, plus Suicide Squad which was a little uneven but fun, and of course Peacemaker and Super.

He is a Super-Fan and True Believer.

 

On the other hand, David Corenswet is untested at this level, and there's a lot going on that he'll need to hold attention against. Hilarious as Fillion's bowlcut is, does Guy need to be there given this particular storyline, or Mr. Terrific for that matter? Is the Engineer a strong enough antagonist - especially with Lex also kicking around in the movie - and also are they familiar enough to an audience member that's not an obsessive Super-Nerd? Does everything and everybody get enough time and love to make them make sense as part of a whole, and still deliver 2 hours 20 or so of punchy popcorn-munching fun?

 

I worry that Gunn's gone kid-in-a-sweetshop on getting hold of his dream franchise, and trying to pack too much in.

 

On 4/5/2025 at 12:17 AM, biostem said:

not some goofy comedic version

I didn't think Hackman's Lex was completely goofy. Looking back from an adult PoV, his Lex was very much like the OG comic book versions (even down to repeating his self-aggrandising catchphrases). He's genial, almost likeable, and yet entirely capable of wiping out the Western Seaboard in pursuit of real estate. Smiling Psycho's a classic trope, and I've met more than a few...

[battlewraith]

9 minutes ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

On the other hand, David Corenswet is untested at this level, and there's a lot going on that he'll need to hold attention against. Hilarious as Fillion's bowlcut is, does Guy need to be there given this particular storyline, or Mr. Terrific for that matter? Is the Engineer a strong enough antagonist - especially with Lex also kicking around in the movie - and also are they familiar enough to an audience member that's not an obsessive Super-Nerd? Does everything and everybody get enough time and love to make them make sense as part of a whole, and still deliver 2 hours 20 or so of punchy popcorn-munching fun?

 

I think it's a very difficult problem and there's really no objective answer to it. It's almost like alchemy at this point. If the right ingredients are there in the right quantity it will work.

 

I've never been a big Superman fan. Despite that fact, I grew up with the Christopher Reeves movies. I watched Smallville. I own the Bruce Timm Justice League animated series. I think I saw 2 of the movies where Henry Cavill was Superman. For me personally, there's a strong disincentive to see a new Superman movie with a new actor because I don't want to sit through all of the familiar aspects of the story yet again.

 

I feel the same way about Spiderman. The first Tom Holland one was a surprise because they seemed willing to just skip over some of that baggage. They glossed over Uncle Ben's death and made Aunt May younger and attractive. They took one of the most oddball Spiderman villains, the Vulture, and made him into an actually relatable villain. One who was not some world ender that needed to be stopped at all costs. I think these choices were kind controversial for a well established character but they worked. I found the movie a lot more enjoyable because of it. Maybe that's where Gunn's inclinations lie. 

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

17 minutes ago, battlewraith said:

They took one of the most oddball Spiderman villains, the Vulture, and made him into an actually relatable villain. One who was not some world ender that needed to be stopped at all costs.

It helps that they cast Keaton for that. Aside from the Bat-references, he's a vastly underestimated actor both for drama and comedy: and was MUCH better for both without the bird suit. Specifically, the scene in the car where he twigs Peter's identity, and the argument with his unfortunate henchman (I thought that was the Gravity Gun?)

 

Oh, and if you've not seen Birdman yet...

[Excraft]

On 5/1/2025 at 10:32 AM, PeregrineFalcon said:

It looks like I called it.

 

Eh, I'm still going to wait and see.  There's definitely people putting stuff out there that isn't true to get clicks on their TikTok on Instagram.  James Gunn did well with GoTG, he may do well with Superman too. 

[ZacKing]

Official trailer

 

 

I don't have a good feeling about this.

 

[Troo]

54 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

Official trailer

I don't have a good feeling about this.

 

Looks fun.

Also looks like lots of room for missteps but it appears to be taking a big swing at 'don't stream it at home' summer movie.

[Skyhawke]

This will get me back to a theater. That trailer was a banger!

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Krypto is best boy.💖

They’d better not kill him off.

 

If I’m still a bit weirded out, it’s that there’s  a lot of characters - heroes, villains and bit players - and I still can’t see how this meshes into a coherent story.

 

Nonetheless, I’m gonna be there.

[El D]

Supes does Big Damn Hero stuff and actually wants to help people, Lois is an intrepid reporter who takes no guff from anyone, Lex is a conniving mastermind who hates that his spotlight is taken by 'the alien,' and Ma & Pa Kent are supportive parents who provide the moral heart. Core elements all seem to be there in spades. Kicking the trailer off with an interview scene containing actual chemistry and personality already has me more engaged than any of the grimdark nonsense the Snyder films did. The cast might be a bit overstuffed, but I'll take 'busy and hopeful' over 'shallow and nihilistic' any day.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

17 hours ago, El D said:

but I'll take 'busy and hopeful' over 'shallow and nihilistic' any day.

Seconded. It's not like Gunn hasn't delivered great ensemble cast pieces before, it's just you don't want Lois & Clark's emotional core (and Lex's dark, twisted, bitter counterpoint) getting lost in a whirl of new folks to meet.

 

That's one of the things that appeals to me about the OG Donner/Reeve/Kidder/Hackman flick. Compared to a modern comic book flick, there's really not that much going on - so everything and everybody gets room to cook. And even though he's an iconic character, Kal's story gets explored properly. Lois isn't one-dimensional. And then, of course, there's the greatest criminal mastermind of our time tapping Hackman's underused comedy skills.

 

With this one, I consider myself a mild-to-medium-spicy nerd, and I have never heard of Mr. Terrific, The Engineer, or a couple of the other key characters. Guy's also fairly new to me, but he's a Lantern, so we don't need to have that explained (and nothing's explaining that haircut.)

So people with less nerd knowledge than I will need them built out a little and given a reason to be there.

Edited Thursday at 02:28 PM by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[PeregrineFalcon]

I'm concerned that instead of a good Superman movie what we'll end up getting is a boring and ham-fisted lecture about the current administration.

 

[battlewraith]

56 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I'm concerned that instead of a good Superman movie what we'll end up getting is a boring and ham-fisted lecture about the current administration.

 

 

56 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I'm concerned that instead of a good Superman movie what we'll end up getting is a boring and ham-fisted lecture about the current administration.

 

 

 

I'm hopeful that people will eventually stop letting social media hacks poison their perception of pretty much every big tent superhero film that comes out.

 

Edit: to be clear, CriticalDrinker is one such hack in case there was any confusion.

Edited Thursday at 04:39 PM by battlewraith

[ZacKing]

37 minutes ago, battlewraith said:

I'm hopeful that people will eventually stop letting social media hacks poison their perception of pretty much every big tent superhero film that comes out.

 

I'm hopeful people will eventually stop whinging over others having a different opinion or worldview than they do.   I'm also hopeful someday people will stop trying to blame "social media hacks" for "poisoning the public perception" for shit movies flopping at the box office.  Whether or not this movie will be a hit or flop isn't known at this point.  I'd like to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I do have my reservations.  James Gunn has done some good work before, so the movie may be great.  Then again, given the propensity Hollywood has to produce overly preachy content, the concern @PeregrineFalcon has is legit.  Remember, it's not the message, it's the delivery.

[ZacKing]

19 hours ago, El D said:

but I'll take 'busy and hopeful' over 'shallow and nihilistic' any day.

 

Fair enough.  I didn't care for the dark and brooding Superman in the Snyder films either. 

[PeregrineFalcon]

16 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

Fair enough.  I didn't care for the dark and brooding Superman in the Snyder films either. 

Ya know, I love Christopher Reeve, but Man of Steel is still my favorite Superman movie.

[BrandX]

1 minute ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Ya know, I love Christopher Reeve, but Man of Steel is still my favorite Superman movie.

 

Agreed!  Tho, I still think Superman Returns has some the best Superman saves moments.  Lifting the ship.  Saving the city.  Taking the gatling gun to the eye.  The space shuttle rescue.

 

I wouldn't have gone other directions with the movie, but those scenes were pure awesome 🙂

 

MoS...I was all "Okay, at the end we got a non broody Superman.  He'll be the brightness to Batman's darkness."  Well, didn't get that.  Still, my favorite Superman movie too.

[battlewraith]

3 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

 

I'm hopeful people will eventually stop whinging over others having a different opinion or worldview than they do.   I'm also hopeful someday people will stop trying to blame "social media hacks" for "poisoning the public perception" for shit movies flopping at the box office. 

 

Ah the irony, given how little it takes to elicit that kind of response from you. 

But let me clarify things. It's not about difference of opinion or worldview, particularly regarding a film that hasn't even been released yet. (maybe you'll even see it if your mates give the thumbs up). 

 

It's about grifters. Shitty, formulaic would be critics who crap on films to entertain an aggrieved audience who wants to see these films fail. They'll call out "what we all know" and then clutch their sphincters tight as they wait for the receipts to trickle in, praying for a flop to prove them somehow right. Fortunately, any shtick gets old and played out. And sometimes they themselves reveal why nobody should take them seriously. 

 

[ShardWarrior]

1 hour ago, battlewraith said:

It's about grifters. Shitty, formulaic would be critics who crap on films to entertain an aggrieved audience who wants to see these films fail. They'll call out "what we all know" and then clutch their sphincters tight as they wait for the receipts to trickle in, praying for a flop to prove them somehow right.

 

There are also a great many "critics" who are quick to heap lavish, glowing praise on anything and everything, regardless of how large a flop it is (see the Marvels) to make certain they do not lose their special access to red carpet premieres and exclusive interviews and the like.

[ZacKing]

2 hours ago, battlewraith said:

Ah the irony, given how little it takes to elicit that kind of response from you. 

 

Oh the irony isn't lost on me at all.  It's always someone else with a different opinion than you who is the "shitty, formulaic grifter."  

 

What you're saying about reviewers like Nerdrotic and Critical Drinker isn't true either.  It would be true if they never posted a positive review of anything ever.  They have posted many positive reviews on films and TV shows over the years, so them having an opinion on critical and financial flops and why those projects were failures doesn't make them a "shitty, formulaic grifter."  If you had watched any of their content, you'd also see they're not hoping these projects fail.  Like everyone else, they'd like for these to be good films with a good story and well rounded, fleshed out characters.  You might have a different opinion than they do on how to go about doing that, and that's perfectly fine.  You're certainly welcome to your opinion just as much as they are welcome to theirs. 

 

51 minutes ago, ShardWarrior said:

There are also a great many "critics" who are quick to heap lavish, glowing praise on anything and everything, regardless of how large a flop it is (see the Marvels) to make certain they do not lose their special access to red carpet premieres and exclusive interviews and the like.

 

^100%

[PeregrineFalcon]

3 hours ago, battlewraith said:

It's about grifters. Shitty, formulaic would be critics who crap on films to entertain an aggrieved audience who wants to see these films fail.

I don't know if Critical Drinker wants these films to fail, I know that I certainly don't. But I do find that, at least the movies that I have seen, his opinion almost always mirrors mine to a 'T'. So when he gives his opinion on the ones that I haven't seen, I find it highly likely that my opinion will match his.

 

Maybe that makes me a shitty, formulaic, grifter in your eyes. Fortunately, I don't allow others' opinions of me to affect me one way or the other.

[battlewraith]

1 hour ago, ShardWarrior said:

 

There are also a great many "critics" who are quick to heap lavish, glowing praise on anything and everything, regardless of how large a flop it is (see the Marvels) to make certain they do not lose their special access to red carpet premieres and exclusive interviews and the like.

Whataboutism. You should maybe not listen to those people either. 

I looked up reviews of the Marvels. Audience reviews are generally higher than the critical reviews were. And if you look on something like Rotten Tomatoes for instance, the highly rated critics gave it an even worse score. So that's not a profound indictment of critics. 

[battlewraith]

25 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

It would be true if they never posted a positive review of anything ever.

 

Right, so if they never posted anything positive, about anything, ever --THEN they would be grifting. 

LOL! Yes I've watched their content. The video I linked, if you removed the context, would be indistinguishable from his actual content. 

 

31 minutes ago, ZacKing said:

It's always someone else with a different opinion than you who is the "shitty, formulaic grifter."

 

Always huh? Got some quotes?

[Oubliette_Red]

Get a room.

 

Regarding the movie, I actually liked the trailer. Granted, I don't recall the last movie I saw in a theatre but it was long before the pandemic sidelined most viewing.