The new trailer for Superhero Face Punch answers a Very Important Question regarding Wonder Woman: Will she fly an invisible jet? Answer: No, or at least, not yet. The new trailer shows Wonder Woman dutifully stowing her appropriately-sized carry-on bag in the overhead compartment and taking her seat on a commercial airline, like a responsible citizen and not some oversized bag-toting monster. Also, Turkish Airlines was just announced as a sponsor of the film, and the product placement is prominently featured in the TRAILER, in case you were worried that the egregious, Michael Bay-levels of product placement from Man of Steel wouldn’t make an appearance. (Although with the budget woes I’ve heard in regards to this movie, I shouldn’t be surprised they’re already shilling for a corporate sponsor.)
After the last, unintentionally hilarious trailer, I got kind of excited for Superhero Face Punch, but this latest trailer is a return to the glowering, grim tone that is such a turnoff. These movies don’t have to glib like Marvel, but there has to be a middle ground between that and this Maximum Dour treatment. I accept the grimdark Batman, but Jesus Christ why can’t Superman smile, just ONCE? Even Man of Steel had a little teensy bit of levity in it, but it’s like the closer Clark Kent got to becoming “Superman” the more his humor bled out until all we’re left with is this grimacing hulk in a cape, and I will forever think this is a terrible waste of Henry Cavill’s natural charm and beautiful smile. Seriously, he smiled at my mom once and she had to call me to tell me about it because it was so beautiful. She didn’t even know who he was—a handsome young man smiled at her and it changed her whole day. THAT is the power of his smile, and they’re WASTING it, and it’s CRIMINAL.
Anyway. There are also a couple new TV spots explaining why Batman and Superman hate each other, which boils down to, “No I am the toughest!” They have to do this because no one in the mainstream gets why they’re fighting because we’ve never seen them on screen together before and this entire movie is completely unearned. Comic book fans can bitch and moan all they want about the fact that movie Tony Stark and movie Steve Rogers aren’t super best friends like in the comics, but to the average movie-watcher, Captain America: Civil War feels like the climax of years of spiky interactions in movies. Like, OF COURSE these two would come to blows. But with Batman and Superman it’s more about explaining not only WHY they’re fighting but HOW it’s a fight in the first place. Superman has laser eyes and freezer breath. This is not a contest.
