With his well worn routine polished to the point where he can probably churn out Oscar worthy monologues in his sleep, Russell Crowe’s gravelly presence in the new Man of Steel trailer dispels any fears that the reboot will err towards the undies and spandex end of the superhero spectrum. The latest entry into the Superman canon sees Henry Cavill’s super-buffed Kal-El embarking on a “What does it all mean?” journey of self-discovery before the arrival of Michael Shannon’s General Zod forces the glasses-less Clarke Kent to cape up.
2009’s wildly underrated The Watchmen saw director Zack Snyder tackle the superhero genre with a bleak, straight-faced earnestness and it seems that he’s applying a similar tone here, if with more guns and explosions (and less shiny blue superhuman junk shots). Also starring Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, and Diane Lane, Man of Steel will hit theaters June 14.
