Man of Steel Trailers: Superman's Two Fathers

Ahead of the release of Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman reboot, Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures have released two brand new teaser trailers designed to amp up excitement among fans. The trailers are in fact identical, featuring shots of Clark Kent living in what we can presume is self-enforced exile as a fisherman, inter-cut with the briefest hints of flashback footage, including a young Clark running through his garden with a red cape on and culminating in the obligatory, but no less impressive sight of Superman flying through shot. The visuals are accompanied by a rousing voice-over, which is where the variation comes in between the two versions, with Kevin Costner taking on the VO duties in one, and Russell Crowe the other. Talk about playing to your strengths. Those voice-overs offer spine-tingling hints at some of the fundamental themes of the movie - from his human father, the choice he will face when his powers come to light and his journey to being a good man, and from his alien father, his burden of duty to lead by example, and his journey to being a good Superman. It's a remarkable engaging way to show the dichotomy of the character, executed with subtle finesse and crucially, the video duet works as a successful teaser campaign. First off we have the "human trailer" featuring the dulcet tones of Costner's Jonathan Kent... And then there's the same trailer, with Russell Crowe's Jor-El providing his own inspiring voice-over... Thankfully, Warners have resisted the urge to show off too much, as has been the frustrating trend with recent trailers, taking a more minimalist approach to greater success and only exploring underlying themes as opposed to glaring plot elements. But then, this is just the first step in what will no doubt be a major marketing campaign, and there is time yet for the same kind as over-saturation that both Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises have suffered recently. I just hope they'll let us get excited, and tease those expectations rather than offering too much too soon when the time comes to release more material. So what do you think? Are the twin trailers enough to get your excitement pricked? Share your thoughts below.