rjovine Is it real, or is it Memorex?
Back in the early 1970’s, uber corporation Memorex kicked off an iconic advertising campaign which even the fictional Don Draper would have been envious of. In seven brief yet succinct words – ‘Is It Real, or Is It Memorex?’ – Memorex Corp. Was able to convey the cutting-edge technology they had mastered for any and all quality analog or stereo needs. Of course, as complicated as things were back then, in many ways it was still a simpler time, one filled with a little more innocence. To say that things have changed seismically a mere fifty years later both in technology and in consumer attitude might just be an understatement to end all understatements. Things move a lot faster now (for better and for worse) and the common man or woman off the street usually fancies themselves as something of a Euripides of technology as personified by laptops, cellphones, and – Saint’s preserve us – Artificial Intelligence. And it’s in that more modern-day spirit of distrust and overall snark that some folks recently approached a brand-spanking new television ad for James Gunn’s eagerly-anticipated DC film, Superman.
From our Invasion of the Body Snatchers aficionados over at The Hollywood Reporter comes the news today that some serious amount of shade is being cast upon James Gunn and Warner Bros. Discovery for implementing CGI (computer generated imagery) technology on the face of the new Superman, actor David Corenswet, for a 30-second flying sequence which just landed on televisions to promote the upcoming movie. Cynical types out there insist that the images of the actor have indeed been altered by some anonymous gremlin sitting in a darkened WB studio having a go at his or her laptop. Only problem with this assertion? The director of Superman, aforementioned mensch James Gunn, insists that there is simply no truth to that claim.
After some unknown fan posted a message noting that Corenswet’s eyes looked spaced further apart than the norm and CG might be the culprit, James Gunn clamped back against the accusation in no uncertain terms.
“There is absolutely zero CG in his face,” argued Gunn in his brief reply to a fan questioning the use of computer technology. “People’s faces can look different when you put a wide-angle lens up close. The background plate in Svalbard (Norway) is 100% real as is David.”
Of course, this being 2025, an army of online snark-monsters were quick to insist that the man who actually made the new Superman film was, at best, mistaken. Yeesh, the level of skepticism is a big bummer, don’t you think?
At any rate, CG ‘controversy’ or no, Superman will still fly into movie theatres on July 11, 2025 to fight the never-ending battle!
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