Do you like to watch trailers? Once you've seen one, is that when you decide whether or not you'll see the movie? Most of us do. I love trailers. They're almost like mini-movies in a way. First comes the teaser, then the second teaser then the first full trailer, followed by TV spots and features, and on and on... Trailers can make or break a movies opening weekend, and a lot of thought, creativity and energy goes into them. In this section, I'll give you my preview of upcoming, er previews, as they go online (sometimes before they reach the theatre). I'll also share some of my thoughts on the trailer, such as what it's hinting at, and if I think the movie will live up to it's hype. Watch Away..!
This week has seen the unveiling of several trailers for
some Big Movies coming to cinemas in 2017, so let’s dive straight in.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
The surprise hit of 2014 which everyone thought would be a
failure, “Guardians of the Galaxy” stayed true to its Marvel roots while also
breaking new ground. Its sense of humour, colourful visuals and eccentric
characters dove straight in and left us wanting more. So they’re back! The
continuing adventures of Start Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot (back as a
tiny tree), no doubt pitted with saving the galaxy and setting up their
entrance into the world of the Avengers in 2018. This will be more of the same
no doubt, but that’s okay because “Guardians…” it just a fun time at the movies,
so go in with your brain switched off and you’ll have a ball. Check out the
trailer below…
Kong: Skull Island
I know, I know… another
King Kong movie? Didn't we just have one like ten years ago? Yes, Peter
Jackson basically remade the original King Kong film from 1933, just stretching
it out to 3 hours and over-indulging on his interpretation of Skull
Island, and it was good for what it
was. But now that Godzilla is back with a vengeance thanks to the solid reboot
from 2014, the giant lizard now needs to battle one of his oldest Foes; Kong!
They’ve met before in some Japanese cross over films from the past, but forget
those puppets or guys in rubber suits. These monsters are CGI all the way, over
100 feet tall and ready to do battle. But before the proposed Kong vs. Godzilla
film arrives, we’re going back to the island to meet the new giant ape that
will fight Godzilla. And from the looks of the trailer, this will be a solid
action film. set in the 1970’s, the trailer has a very “Apocalypse Now” look about
it, and rounded out by an impressive cast including Tom “Loki” Hiddleston, Brie Larson (coming off
her Oscar winning turn in “Room”), John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson who must
have starred in every massive film franchise of all time now with Kong added to
his resume. Expect this film to show you some new monsters, a bigger, meaner
Kong and set up events for the showdown between the two monsters in a few years
time. Check out the trailer below…
The Mummy
Going as far back as the 1930’s, movies about mummies have
come and gone over the years. Most recently, 1999’s “The Mummy” starring
Brendan Fraser was surprisingly good, with clever humour and swashbuckling
action. Then it churned out a couple of average sequels. Now, eighteen years since its
last reincarnation, The Mummy is back, this time as a woman, and our dashing
hero to save the day – Tom Cruise! Universal Studios is going back to the well
in terms of resurrecting its old classic monsters, and has so far had mixed
results. "The Wolfman", "I, Frankenstein" and "Dracula
Untold" had middling returns at the box office, so in a clever move, the
Hollywood Honchos have gone back to what’s worked before; Egyptian Gods coming
back to life and reeking havoc in a new time era. And we’ll see this Mummy in
the 21st Century, with Tom Cruise in action doing what he does best
now – Running away from Stuff! Check out the trailer below…
Transformers: The Last Knight
Despite the critic’s reviews getting worse for each entry,
the profits on each new Transformer film continue to break records, and by next
year (ten years after the first films release) we will be treated to the 5th
chapter of the Autobots on planet earth. Michael
Bay is back in the directing chair,
again – after saying he wouldn’t direct anymore after the second film, but the
guy gets paid millions to blow shit up! Not a bad way to make a living. And I
have hopes for this new chapter, after the abysmal “Age of Extinction”. I
wasn’t completely sold on Mark Whalberg’s entry into the franchise with the last film, but
this new one does have Anthony Hopkins in it, and it appears the direction
they’re taking with the story is linking the Transformers with medieval times.
They referenced the pyramids in “Revenge of the Fallen” fabricated the moon
landing in “Dark of the Moon”, and look closely in this tailer to see a shot of
Stonehenge, so you can bet the stories of the Knights and The Last Crusade will
figure in here somewhere. If anything else, these films have become short and
story but big on action, and that’s why we keep flocking to the flicks to watch
them. Check out the trailer below…
War for the Planet of the Apes
Back in the late 60’s, a long running franchise was born
that reshaped science-fiction films with “Planet of the Apes” The original
starred Charlton Heston, and bunch of other well known actors from the time in
bad makeup. Despite its seriously outdated tone and campy quality, the original
Apes film had its moments. Things took a turn for the unintended worse in 2001
when Tim Burton directed the remake of Planet of the Apes, and made a total
monkey of himself. It was Mark Whalbergs first blockbuster and he didn’t
convince the world, which he would carry with him into Transformers years later
(see above). Then out of nowhere in 2011, we were treated to a prequel of sorts
called “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Depicting the first super-intelligent
ape to break free from his cage and start a rebellion against humanity, the
film was dramatic, adventurous and down-right brilliant. Carried in huge part by
the brilliant “performance” of Andy Serkis in all his motion capture glory as Caesar,
the clever chimp who leads his fellow primates in a fight against humanity. The
first sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” followed in 2014 and continued
the high quality of the original. Now, we are getting the apparent final film in this trilogy of prequels “War for the Planet
of the Apes” showing the final smack down between monkeys and people. If it
follows the story arc established by the original films, you can guess who wins
this war? For those who’ve been invested in these absorbing action films for the
past five years, I’m sure we will get more of the same brilliant stuff on display come
next year. Check out the trailer below…
The Fate of the Furious
Fifteen years ago, the Little Street Racing Film from nowhere
came into our lives, and its legacy lives on. Driving hot off the heels of the
mammoth success of “Furious 7” from 2015, the family are back (minus Paul
Walker of course) for what was previously called “Fast 8”, now referred to as
“The Fate of the Furious”. Interesting title, not sure about it yet, but it
will probably just be called Fast 8 at the end of the day. With the tag line
“New Roads Start Here”, this next film in the ever popular saga will jump
locations to New York, Cuba
and Iceland. With
exotic locations that make this sound more like a Bond film, the director has
promised a return to roots for this long running franchise, shifting away from
the heist style of the last three
films, and returning to the street racing and crime caper approach of the first two
movies. With new additions to the always growing cast, including Helen Mirren
and Charlize Theron, Jason Statham is back as bad dude Shaw, and all your
usual favourites from the series. But how will it feel without our beloved
Brian O’Conner behind the wheel? Will the film mention him? He was given such a
respectful send off at the end of part 7, maybe that was it. I guess we’ll
see how the series is handled without him come next April. Check out the trailer
below…
Spider-Man: Homecoming
So here we are once more. The sixth Spiderman film in
fifteen years, only played by its third actor in the young Tom Holland, taking
over from Andrew Garfield. In my opinion, After the Tobey Maguire series fell
apart after the average “Spider-Man 3” in 2007, Sony Pictures had some ideas
left in the tank so rebooted it, briefly revisiting the origins of Spidey but
presenting new villains in The Lizard and Electro, who were tipped to be the
villains in the unmade Spider-Man 4. And now that Marvel has finally got the
rights to Spider-Man, he’s been pulled into the Avengers Universe, and done so
quite creatively in this years “Captain America:
Civil War”. This new version of the web slinger promises to ditch the origins
story we’ve seen twice before, and get straight into the action. He will be a
younger Spider-Man, but mentored by Tony Stark/Iron Man and no doubt helping
out the Avengers when it comes to the two part “Infinity Wars” sequels which
will rock up in 2018 and 2019 respectfully. So, what will be new about this
Spiderman? Form the looks of the trailer, they’ve gone with a different sense
of humour and more outlandish action than what’s been seen before. It could be
more of the same, or show us the much loved Peter Parker/Spider-Man hero in a
whole new light. Time will tell. Check out the trailer below…
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