Look Ma! No Wires!

God I was pissed when I saw Terminator 2.

I –like most of my geek pals- had been looking forward to that film for years. We did little else between 1984 and 1991 but sit around in our garages and wait impatiently for the sequel we knew had to come… so when it finally arrived in downtown Woodland, CA, well… there was just no way it could live up to the expectations we had built up over the years.

The worst thing, though, is really, it’s not a bad movie. Actually, truth be told, the longer version James Cameron didn’t get to show us in 1991 is a damn good movie… but it woulda’ had to have been Citizen Kane performed by talking, Technicolor weasels with laser side arms to have impressed me that summer day in Woodland.

The good news? The good news is I learned a valuable lesson about great expectations. They can be the best, and the worst… and I’ll take guarded optimism instead every day, and twice on Sunday.

So, here I sit… guardedly optimistic about Superman Returns.

The trailer premiered tonight… and I burst into tears before we even caught a glimpse of Superman himself.

The trailer is nothing but a series of images, essentially walking us through the Superman mythos from beginning to… well, certainly not “end,” but to “present.” Provocative, telling images... stirring John Williams Superman music, and… oh yeah, Marlon Brando’s resonant voiceover.

Marlon-Fuckin’-Brando!

Bryan Singer has resurrected Marlon, who reprises his role of Jor El for Superman Returns. It’s complicated, and involves at least three different kinds of arcane spells, but damned if Marlon isn’t walkin’ and talkin’ in Superman Returns… as he should be.

Bryan clearly knows his Superman history, but what’s just as clear -and more important- is that he respects Superman’s history. He really sees himself as a caretaker of the greatest hero in comic book history… and one of the most recognized icons in the world. I am thril-- er, gaurdedly optimistic about his stewardship of the big Boy Scout.

Witness the closing frames of the trailer: Superman floating in space, staring down at the Earth… watching… listening… an outsider, waiting only to spring into action on a stranger’s behalf.

See, and that’s part of why Superman means so much to me: his selflessness. And here’s a the thing… as much as I gripe about people sucking, and society falling apart, there’s always a little piece of me that’s certain that we can be that good, and that selfless if we try….

Well, maybe not “certain,” but certainly guardedly optimistic.