Soar As Superman With This Breathtaking GoPro Video

By David Wharton | Published

This article is more than 2 years old


Pretty much everybody has fantasized about what it would be like to fly — to really, truly fly, under your own power and without any sort of artificial assistance. Hell, that’s probably one of the key reasons why Superman remains such a pop culture icon nearly 80 years after his creation. Sure, there are other reasons — he’s an aspirational figure, and a lasting symbol for anyone who feels like an outcast — and sure, his other powers are pretty cool. But if you asked most people which one they’d choose if they could only choose one, I have a feeling most people would choose “flying.” (I know I would.) Sadly, nobody’s quite mastered the art of tripping and missing the ground, but we can consider this damned impressive first-person Superman simulator a pretty awesome consolation prize.

The idea of putting viewers inside Supes’ red underwear — not in that way, you pervert — is a great hook, and the video makes brilliant use of one emerging tech we seem to be talking about on a daily basis here at GFR: aerial drones. The folks of Corridor Digital strapped a camera to a drone and used it to capture the sort of footage that the Last Son of Kal-El gets as a perk of his day job. And even knowing how it was done, there’s still a stomach-tightening thrill as he first breaks into a run and takes off, each time he throws out a fist and rockets to higher speeds, as he zips in between buildings and trees. Honestly, I would pay good money just to go sit in a theater and watch this projected in high-def. Or even better, with an Oculus Rift VR headset. (Are you listening, Zuckerberg?)

My only nitpick: Supes would have blown out the fire with his super-breath after he saved the girl.

Corridor Digital specializes in cool YouTube videos like this one and is using the crowdsourcing site Patreon to help fund their awesomeness. As with Kickstarter and Indiegogo, Patreon allows people to donate to support an individual project in exchange for cool swag when the project reaches its goals. However, rather than focusing on large projects with large financial goals, Patreon is designed to let fans support creators on an ongoing basis. Essentially, you agree to give the creator a “tip” of whatever amount you choose whenever they publish something new — a new song, a new video, or whatever. That tip then goes to fund the next video. Superman with a GoPro was their first Patreon-supported video, and it’s definitely an auspicious start.

These guys have actually done a ton of really cool stuff, so it’s worth digging through their back catalog if you enjoyed the Superman video. We’ll just leave you with this one, based on Half-Life’s badass gravity gun.