The Supergirl trailer dropped on Wednesday and it seemed as if the internet exploded. At the very least, the comics corner of the internet did. But with this being a high-end show on a major network, the show got coverage everywhere.
For those who haven't watched it yet, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm46-envrHo
I was floored.
Then yesterday, we saw another trailer which unfortunately has been pulled.
There was so much to love about the first trailer. It seemed to hit all the right notes. This is a hero at the beginning of a journey. She wants to do good. She wants to embrace the ideals of the House of El. She wants to help people. But she has a life, and friends, and a job. She isn't polished. She is completely adorable.
The whole things simply captured a vibe that said 'Supergirl'.
Perfect.
There was almost too much for me comment on but I thought I would show some screen shots I loved and some other things, marked by time, that I thought were great.
On to the in-depth look. There'll be intermittent screen shots but lots of commentary ... no surprise.
0:13 - Cousin Kal
Much like the Flash opens up with 'My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive', this trailer opens with 'My name is Kara Zor-El. Twenty-four years my planet was in peril."
It's clear by the shot with two rockets on the runway that Kara and Kal are launched at the same time. We even get a quick shot of baby Kal, spit curl and all!
We even get some Alura dialogue with Laura Benanti talking about how powerful Kara will be on Earth.
Now this 24 year things is tough for me to figure out math wise. The Krypton Kara looks to be about 7 so that would make her 31 now. Since she is younger on Earth than Superman, my assumption is that she took a longer route and was in suspended animation for a while.
But Kal is months old here. That would mean, even if he came to Earth directly, he would only be 24. My guess is this timey-wimey "I'm older but younger" stuff will be explained on the show. And I won't perseverate over the odd math.
My guess is that line is shorthand for letting us know Kara is 24.
I love that Kara's outfit is a white pajama looking thing with the S-shield. Reminded me of the Donner film's Krypton.
But it is clear that when she arrives as a child, Superman is already active. Blink and you'll miss it. But it looks like Superman is walking her to a beachside house.
Hopefully we get some back story here. But this is better than bringing her to an orphanage.
0:30 - Working Girl
That's it for the origin story as we move right to current times where we meet Kara as she bustles to work for CatCo. There is much to digest here.
First off, we see her wearing a red skirt, a sort of foreshadowing to later.
Next, the headline of the newspaper discusses a party but with a sub-headline which says 'Girl can't help it.' Whether the story is discussing Cat or is published by Cat, the word girl there is another bit of foreshadowing, maybe cluing us in to Cat's thoughts on the word.
We also see Kara stumbling a bit, bumping into someone. Is this a Clark-like klutz move, her making herself seem normal? Or is it a way to show us that she isn't perfect already?
0:44 - Winslow Schott intro
1:00 - Cat Grant intro
1: 13 - James Olsen intro
1:40 - Alex Danvers
Over the next minute we quickly get introduced to much of the cast.
Winslow seems like an everyman who asks Kara out. You get the sense that they are friends, laboring under the rule of Cat. When will the descent into Toyman happen? Hopefully not this first season.
Cat shows up like a storm and acts exactly as I imagine she would in the comics. She drips of the Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle Cat, commanding the room, dressed snugly, and condescending to all.
James Olsen comes with a Pulitzer pedigree earned from covering Superman early on. This includes a classic 'first picture' of Superman, introducing him to the public. He seems pretty confident which I like. But the best thing of this interaction is Kara's obvious fangirl fumbling around him, even snorting once. Just endearing. (I wonder if we will hear of Kara's admiration of her cousin on the show.)
Alex Danvers is the sister who sounded a bit ominous in the earliest press releases of the show. But throughout this trailer, she seems like a loving, supportive sister which made me happy. While a heel turn seems inevitable, at least her she is behind her little sister as they act the way sisters would, providing rides to the airport and advice on clothes.
Great acting, especially by Calista Flockhart who acts just the way I think Cat Grant would act.
2:10 - Plane in peril
2:31 - Plane saved
Kara finally is spurred into action when her sister's flight is going down. It is a great sequence evocative of the plane rescue in Superman Returns, the shuttle rescue in Byrne's Superman run, or even the Animated Series premiere (which riffed on Byrne).
I like how she has to learn on the job, figuring out how to fly and barely shoving the plane over a bridge. I especially loved the exasperated 'Come on' as the bridge looks large. This is a complicated rescue, especially for a rookie.
We only see pieces but this whole scene looks great.
2:50 - Otto Binder Bridge
Nice Easter Egg in the crawl, the bridge is Otto Binder bridge. Glad to see some homages for the hardcore fans!
3:05 - Embracing her destiny
After seeing herself on the news, after realizing the lives she saves, Kara is giddy in her apartment. I like that she feels a sense of pride in doing what she did. And when Alex warns her that now she is 'out there' and can't go back to being hidden, Kara says she doesn't want to.
How great to see the young hero flushed with happiness on her first win! This is Supergirl.
3:11 - #Supergirl
3:31 - Cat speech
Is the name Supergirl appropriate for a (presumably) 24 year old woman. Even Kara wonders about the moniker given her by Cat Grant.
And then Cat gives a great line. "If you perceive Supergirl as anything less than excellent, maybe that is a problem with you!"
Heh. If I had a nickel for every time I said something like that to a comic fan, I'd be a rich man. So is it meta?
3:50 - Win reveal
In a funny scene, Kara reveals herself to Winslow, again showing how close she feels to him. I like her leaping off the roof only to flip around and land emphatically next to Win again. His lines about the reason she rejected his advances is also amusing.
4:11 - Costume montage
Deciding she wants to help people, Kara decides to do some super-heroics. And she asks Win to help her make a costume. I thought is was great that the first costume seems to be a comment on some of the past Supergirl missteps. The high tight shirt with exposed belly. The hot pants. The headband. Ridiculous.
But the ongoing discussion of capes and fashion is fun.
We see Supergirl aiding with a car chase. And then we see her stop a bank robbery, learning first hand she is bulletproof and looking thrilled about it.
This whole sequence of Kara learning to use her powers, that she needed a stronger cape that won't shred ( again a nod to Byrne), to discover her invulnerability, felt true.
4:54 - My family's coat of arms
That's right! It isn't a symbol for hope! It is the crest of the House of El. And this addition seems like the final embrace of her heritage, her heroic mission.
How iconic is this pose of hands on hips, bright S-shield, red skirt, cand cape? I love it.
And I suppose it is wishful thinking that this is a foreshadow for BizarroGirl
Alex knows she's Supergirl, obviously. Winslow knows she's Supergirl.
Now we see Kara join the DEO, a black ops group defending the world from aliens. Their boss Hank Henshaw now knows Kara is Supergirl. Do all these agents know too? Is it a 'sorta secret' identity?
But check out the aliens on the screen. The purple guy Could be the Parasite. Maybe Despero? Don't know who the white-haired guy is. The upper left has a Kanjar Ro feel to him. Is that a Martian in the lower right screen of the smaller inset 4 screens? Any other guesses?
We also see the Lumberjack land, grabbing a high-tech axe.
5:20 - Soulful music
Okay, this is a bit schmaltzy as Henshaw sends her away as inexperienced leading to Kara doubting herself. There have been complaints about this trailer and I wonder if people are thinking about this sentimental moment.
I did love how Alex tells Kara she needs to do this, to fly because the world needs her to. I thought Alex would be a frenemy. Glad that, at least for now, she is just a friend.
5:30 - Smiling
A DC superhero flying and smiling.
Nothing more to say.
Perfect.
And then the classic 'rip off the shirt to expose the S-shield'.
More perfect!
More action as we see a determined Supergirl busting trucks, landing kicks, and battling the Lumberjack.
The complaints about this looking like a silly romantic comedy, a goofy Devil Wears Prada rip-off, must be ignoring all the action in this trailer. I mean, a truck explodes behind her as she calmly walks to pound on the Lumberjack some more.
You could make a 6 minute trailer of the Flash, of Agents of Shield, of Gotham were you only plucked the relationship stuff about Barry/Iris/Linda/Eddie, Ward/Daisy/Mae, Gordon/Barbara/Leslie and make those shows look like Rom-Coms.
6:03 - It's Supergirl
'It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's not a man. It's Supergirl'
Excellent tag line.
6:15 - Jimmy and the cape
The trailer ends with Jimmy revealing he was sent to National City by Superman. And with Supergirl choosing for herself to be a hero, Jimmy bestows upon her Kal's blanket, what he wears as an indestructible cape. I assume we will get some explanation for Superman not being around. I am guessing it will be the 'deep space mission' excuse.
Whew! Just a tremendous opening volley hitting on all the right notes. The acting seems spot on, especially Benoist who is endearing and believable. But from top to bottom, the snippets we see show great acting.
As for the second trailer, it hit on many of the same beats as the first. We hear Kara say she 'has always felt the need to help people'. She seems to doubt herself much more here, crying and saying she 'can't do it.' She's a rookie and as long as this isn't a long running or major theme, I'm okay with it. And there is a lot more of the Lumberjack battle. Blue heat vision! Cool!Make sure you check that one out too!
Nothing but good feelings here.
Incredible time to be a Supergirl fan!
18 comments:
I thought I'd wait till your full trailer analysis post came up before commenting on your blog about the Supergirl trailer. This is a passionate and sincere write up from you which does display why a lot of factors you love about Supergirl are present in this trailer alone.
As for my opinion, on the plus side, I did like Kara's optimism, perkiness and desire to help people, to embrace her powers as part of who she is. That plane rescue was how I wished Snyder introduced Superman into the MOS world and it's very sad that Supergirl saved more people in the teaser trailer than Superman did throughout MOS. Embracing heroism and its perks is something missing in so many live action comic book adaptations these days.
However, I wasn't entirely loving the trailer after subsequent viewings. For one, this has network TV written all over it, same as Arrow and Flash thus far. It's rather cheesy and not in a good way, even the first two Reeve films didn't have that much cheese in them. Also, I feel this show will be much more aimed at young girls/teenagers/young adult women and as a young adult male, I wasn't the target audience, hence my problems with parts of the trailer. Moreover, I don't see the point of making Jimmy Olsen black in itself when you have another character (I presume it's Winslow?) who acts way more like Jimmy than the actual actor playing him in the show.
Finally, like it or not Anj, this trailer already has something in common with MOS in that it's dividing the online fanbase. There are those who are loving the fun, optimism and simplicity of the show's premise, but there are still fierce detractors who don't like the show's cheesiness, its preachy girlpower tone and the cliched rom com sitcom feel of the trailer. Maybe it's the recent critical success of Netflix's Daredevil, maybe it's the grimdark crowd or maybe it's how similar the trailer looks to that Black Widow SNL skit. But this show already has its problems to overcome, which makes this trailer more of a tipping point than the Supergirl fanbase would care to admit IMO.
Louis
Both trailers have made me even more excited to see the show in November. I think it looks great.
Melissa Benoist is perfect. Just perfect.
I think everything Anonymous said above is fairly true, but I don't consider any of those issues problems. This show is clearly targeting young women, and girls. It'll have some crossover appeal from the fans who like superheroes and comics and don't care whether the protagonist is male or female (that demographic is admittedly small, though, most boys and young men DON'T want to watch or read about women), but CBS clearly isn't banking on the same audience as DAREDEVIL.
I have zero problem with that. It's fine if this show wants to target a different niche; let a sunny, cheerful Supergirl thrive in a specific market, rather than diluting what makes the character special in order to gain the most broad appeal.
If anything, this promo felt like a direct and defiant response to MAN OF STEEL. I felt like the show drew a line in the sand and said, "If you liked Snyder's colorless, joyless, lifeless take on Superman, stay over there."
I was concerned when I read the synopsis that this show would feel like She-Flash with the same character tropes and situation as Greg Berlanti's CW shows. The promo showed a little bit more depth than that, and I loved it for it. I loved the color, the fun, the smiles.
I may not be the target demographic for this series, but I'll be right there when the show premiers. I say bring it on!
I only have one problem with this trailer--it's not a trailer. It's a six-minute previously-on summary of the Supergirl pilot. They did the same thing with THE FLASH on CW and it shows enough that a viewer could skip the first episode without missing a beat when the second episode comes around. But that is a minor problem.
The "second short trailer" is still available at http://supergirl.tv/ however, the "behind the scenes" video was pulled.
Enjoy!
Have to say that Melissa Benoist looks even better in the trailer. Optimistic, caring, smart but strong when needed. Someone who is more powerful than she realizes. The fight scenes look good and believable. My initial concern was that Benoist would not look enough like a powerful hero, but she does in the trailer. You do get the sense that when she is serious, you don't want to mess with her.
Not sure what the problem is with having some romantic comedy elements. Supergirl should be a fun loving character. She's not Black Widow, who is a pessimistic, seductive spy type, or Wonder Woman or Hawkgirl, who are serious and can be overserious warriors. Just like Batman is a serious, glowering figure, and Superman is more optimistic and lighter hearted. Also, Supergirl has to be relatable to women. The fact is many women are in the position where they aren't able to spread their wings and show their potential. If this show helps chronicle the journey from not full-filling potential to really kicking butt, then it is what many people need. As long as Supergirl doesn't swoon over guys and becomes controlled by them, what's wrong with being light-hearted and occasionally sappy.
Some interesting points raised after my own posts has motivated me to clarify my own thoughts a little bit more. On the Daredevil front, I'm aware that the audience for Supergirl will be clearly different than that of Daredevil's. But, if what my friends and the general fan/critical reception say about Daredevil is true, Daredevil has basically set a new benchmark for comic book TV shows and now provides worthy competition for Marvel in the TV department. Hence, Supergirl following on from DD's debut shows a stark contrast in tone. Still, I need to see it for myself first.
Regarding the MOS comparisons, I agree with Count Drunkula that the Supergirl promo has basically drawn a line and might be trying to attract MOS critics with Supergirl's classic vibe. But drawing a line in the sand is asking for contention since just as MOS has its fiercest critics (myself included) it also has its staunch defenders and I can bet people will argue over the fun upbeat nature of Supergirl vs the serious and realistic MOS. But that's not going to happen just yet.
Lastly, I definitely understand how female fans want a show where a woman is represented just as well as a man but that comes with having to include genres women also like; romance and melodrama. The CW is known for its constant overuse of love triangles to create 'emotional suspense' for women or *shudder* shippers. Just look at the Olicity or WestAllen as examples of how tritely they depict romance. I fear the show's main creators will have to do the same with Kara, Winschlow and Jimmy to some capacity and repetition does not go down well.
Overall, we definitely could do with more light hearted and fun shows, I prefer the light genre to the realistic grimdark genre myself, but I prefer a well managed balance and based on initial appearances, the Supergirl show is teetering on unbalancing itself in all the wrong ways. Of course we have to wait and see more promos, trailers and the season itself though.
Louis
There were a lot of surprises in that trailer. I was hitting the pause button a lot to get a better look at Helen Slater and I saw Superman's hand holding young Kara's. They really flashed those scenes pretty fast, I didn't even see baby Kal until you posted the screenshot Anj.
My favorite part was when Wenslow was talking about another option as he was putting away the red cape that was shot full of holes...
I am curious to why CBS put this on a time slot against Gotham on FOX. I'm sure DC and Geoff Johns might have something to a say about that.
As for crossover with Arrow/Flash/Heroes of Tomorrow, I think its possible if Supergirl is set in another dimension like Earth 2 and someone invents a portal...
There is so much to like about the trailer, and I can not wait for November. Good times! :)
Gene
Supergirl's Pal
If I heard correctly, Greg Berlanti had an option included in his contract with CBS that this version of Supergirl could make appearances in the CW shows. That's part of Benoist's contract, too.
How they explain it? No idea, yet, but The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow are opening up avenues of time travel and alternate timelines, so a parallel Earth doesn't seem quite so far fetched.
Actually, if this Vanity fair article is correct,
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/legends-tomorrow-crossover-arrow-flash-not-supergirl-1201496000/
Berlanti's contract explicitly states that the network want Supergirl and her world to stay seperate from Arrow and Flash. Maybe that means Supergirl is in a separate universe or that Supergirl isn't going to be interacting with Arrow or Flash initially. However, the trailer and rumoured info do hint at Superman being active for a few years before Kara's ship landed on Earth and being around for the decade that Kara grows up in. Moreover, it opens the can of worms asking how and why Superman didn't get involved with some of the more destructive and dangerous plots in Arrow/Flash if he existed, let alone the Batman issue.
Of course parallel Earths are a good workaround, it keeps Supergirl as its own thing and allows for a crosssover.
Louis
Loved the trailer!!! Here's my thoughts on it: http://ealperin.tumblr.com/post/119064951466/on-that-supergirl-trailer-we-all-saw
Can't wait to see this!!!! :)
Wonderful trailer, roll on the series.
Wow impressed, I think Melissa Benoist is gonna flash that winsome smile of hers and Monday night is gonna go up in flaming chunks. "Gotham" should consider moving...who is gonna give a heck a durn about James Gordon when Supergirl is taking to the skies once again "All Up and Unafraid" ? I was worried about this, but it would seem that Supergirl is gonna be Top Dawg in her TV incarnation not checking in with her cousin or deferring to him in any way, that could be a huge and positive game changer here. This could be the multimedia breakthrough we've been dreaming of nigh these fifty years. And if the show is a success, then that gives us some leverage with DC Comics as to the new solo book (when and if a solo book is once again contemplated)...Hell bring back Sterling Gates this is in so many ways clearly His Universe they are working with.
JF
Wow on the action scenes. That scene with her flying while smiling is great. Also when she delivers her kick and then rises above the lumberjack. And when she just clobbers the bank robbers and the truck. Cheerful, big hearted muscle. That's the spirit of Supergirl. The animated series captured that. The New 52 did not. This looks really good.
JF wrote:
"Hell bring back Sterling Gates this is in so many ways clearly His Universe they are working with."
If he is not a creative consultant on the show then he should at least write the tie in comic.
Gene
I also would like and could write a whole big page or two about this trailer, that gets me extremely enthusiastic ! Unfortunately I have no time, but I think I will write something on my own blog, and I'll write something on Melissa's page too, when I can, because it is quite excellent a job ! Even better than I expected ! I'm totally fond of what I have seen !
It seems so fresh, so joyful, so funny too ! With a good sci fi content ! And above all, it is coloured ! It is enlighted, I would say enlighted as Melissa in whom I believe since the beginning and who's a beautiful and talented young woman ! She seems to portray the character exactly in the right way ! In my opinion of course ! And by the way, I cancel all the criticisms I had made about the gown and its cut, which matches perfectly the rest, eventually !
I really loved the street scene, when she tries to take off, and the roof scene too, with this huge leap ! I also loved Miss Flockart's entering as she gives the show something from Ugly Betty and Devil wears Prada. What a contrast between this seemingly superficial character and an other one who has to hide herself from her ! I find great to have a very manly James Olsen, who's more realistic when you know that this kind of reporter are not sissies in real life ! And I guess he will be appreciated by female audience, like we will appreciate the beautiful heroin ! Weirdly though, the other male character, who's Kara's friend and confident, seems to look more like the Jimmy of the comics, than the actor chosen. But it's a detail.
Maybe everyone is too much gorgeous, maybe US TV comes too much closed to more "normal" people. I'd like to see some small, some fat, some common people, but, okay, it's show business.....
As an illustrator myself, I pay a very precise attention to the pictures making, and I really enjoys the way it is filmed ! The points of view are thought and very nice, there is depth and perspective, the characters are valorized by the cam : Kara is filmed from above so the viewer follow and dominate her like an invisible witness, while Supergirl is filmed from below to be more impressing for an audience who comes this time under her. I loved the light, this is exactly what the character needs ! And the suit reacts perfectly !
And what to say about the FX ? They do well, even if cinema ones are better. Honestly the explosions aren't very good rendered, they look too much CGI, but I guess it will be improved in the future and but the sequence of the plane is truly amazing ! Kara's flights are very good done too, light and fluid.
In brief, this is the return of sense of wonder, id est what makes the comics !
I have a big nose for this kind of things, and I seriously predict a worldwide success of at least 4 or 5 years. Supergirl and Melissa will be liked by all the family, and become the Wonder Woman of the 21st century, like Miss Lynda Carter and the Amazon Princess were in the 70's.
I have no doubt that this show is going to be an absolute killing !!!!!
So by my count, here's the superpowers revealed so far :
Superhearing / X-ray -- Kara's comment of "she's here," when Cat shows up.
Superstrength / Flight -- duh!
Telescopic Sight -- possibly when locating Alex's flight.
Invulnerability -- fighting the bank robbers.
Heat Vision -- not this particular trailer, but in the 2nd trailer. Not so sure about the blue/white
color myself, but we'll see.
Things I loved :
- "If you percieve Supergirl as anything less than excellent, isn't the real problem you?" I
found this the ultimate upraised digitus impudicus comment to so many naysayers on so many levels!
LOVED IT!
- "The world needs you to fly... and so do I. First thing's first, you need to change." Now THAT is what
I'm talking about... and as you indicated, Anj, the ultimate line in showing how much Alex loves / supports
Kara. And how we as fans love and want this Supergirl!
- "Because he wanted it to choose it for yourself, same way he did." Again, another beautiful line. Don't
know how much Superman will be in this series, but there's going to be a fine line of Supergirl (having to)
be on her own but also be part of the Superfamily. Also I find echos of the 2004 comics reintro of Kara
Zor-El to this line personally.
Things I had issue with as written / shown :
- "You're a lesbian." / Kara dropping herself off a building. To me, the line seemed forced, and I'm sure
Kara could prove her powers without going to THAT extreme. I'm thinking PAD's Supergirl towards the end
when Maddie thinks Linda's lost her mind and Linda's just hovering and telling Maddie to "look down."
- Music overall. Not sure of the choice of music, especially the pop music. Yes this is TV, but it just
lacked the evocative music of making one believe this is a girl that can fly and do all those "Super"
things.
The Unknowns :
- DEO targets. Open question on that one for sure. I'm thinking Parasite for the purple one and maybe
Kryptonite Man for another?
- Bizzaro Girl. Missed that one entirely... I think I was, like Winslow, too busy tripping over my
own tounge, or taking in the full costume reveal moment :)
Things I'm wishing for :
- 5:30 flight / aerial ballet. Yes this is a premiere, yes this is a TV show, but when I think about all
the other film / video renditions of Supergirl -- 1984 movie, Superman TAS, Batman Adventures, and
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse -- they all had a moment where we see Supergirl's grace in the air and just
enjoying the feeling of flight.
Also Anj, this calls for a rewatch and review of the 1984 Supergirl movie before October / November rolls
around :) ;)
I'm with Count Drunkula that this is a "previously on" rather than a trailer / teaser. Then again, with
all the hype they're putting out, I'm glad they're pulling out the stops and really getting this out there.
I still can't wait to see the full pilot episode, either way!
Regards
Glad to read that you enjoyed the Supergirl TV trailers. I'm not sure why the takes on Supergirl and MOS need to be pitted against each other, though. I'm a big fan of MOS and this trailer of Supergirl, I actually like both approaches to the genre and don't think it should just be one or the other.
I AM quite miffed about the hate that got thrown onto the Supergirl trailer though.
Anyhow, glad you liked it. From reading your posts, you've been waiting a long time for Supergirl to be done like this!
I think this trailer was fantastic! I am so excited about this show I can barely contain myself.
So to the haters, but sorry I can't hear you over how awesome Melissa Benoist is going to be.
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