Comic-Con Trailers

This weekend was San Diego International Comic-Con. An annual gathering for comics and really all things pop culture. Coming out of it, we got a ton of new trailer releases. We’ve posted the big ones below, with our thoughts. Take a look and let us know what you think, too!

Movies

Wonder Woman

Loren: HOLY SH*T!!! I know I’m one of the biggest detractors of the DCEU out there but c’mon this looks pretty amazing. She totally nails the part, the WWI stuff looks awesome, they seem to get all the right story beats from her origin. This is like Thor meets the first Captain America, in all the right ways. I really hope this doesn’t suck.

RDT: Well shit, have they finally gotten it right? That trailer is pretty awesome and I haven’t been this excited for a superhero movie, at least a DC one, in a while. Badass.

Jen: This will absolutely get my $15 (wait, is that how much a movie costs nowadays?) I have waited a long time to see Wonder Woman on the big screen and, so far, nothing here makes me anything but hopeful. #girlpower


Dr. Strange

Loren: Amazing cast, the effects look great, trippy concepts, this may be another tough one to blend into the MCU but I can’t wait to see them try. Plus we finally see the Cloak of Levitation and some of the more traditional spells from the comics in action. The hype is real.

RDT: This just looks so damn cool. I know a little about Dr. Strange, but he’s never been my superhero jam. Though I am intrigued to see how they bring in magic to what has primarily been a sci-fi universe.

Jen: I’m really most interested in how they’re going to tie this in with the existing MCU. There is a strong Inception feel to this which doesn’t bother me, but is hard not to notice. Let’s face it, there’s no way anyone who reads this website and listens to this podcast is going to skip this movie, right?


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Loren: That was super fun. I love the idea of looking at a different era of the Harry Potter universe. Being set in the 20’s and in New York adds a nice wrinkle to the already established universe.

RDT: Taking what is essentially a glossary and turning it into a planned trilogy of films…it worries me. But JK Rowling scripting and that pretty cool trailer alleviate that worry a bit. The Harry Potter movies actually seems to lend themselves to a cinematic universe. Not everything has to be a battle with “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

Jen: Yes, yes, yes! I have no reservations, I’m buying my tickets as soon as they’re on sale. The period is fantastic. The cast is fantastic. This is universe building at its best. While the first Harry Potter film suffered from having to give us the rules of the world, we can now we can jump right in with a new time period, country, characters, and story and they already feel familiar to us. Fantastic.


Kong: Skull Island

Loren: This is a pretty damn good trailer. It has me more intrigued than I thought I’d ever be. However, I’ve said it a few times that I don’t think Kong looks big enough to take on Godzilla but I guess we’ll have to wait until their joint movie hits before I can say anything.

RDT: That cast (Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly and Brie Larson) is pretty damn solid. And I’m intrigued by the idea of them doing it period (‘70’s). Not sure how it will eventually connect to Godzilla, but the monkey’s a lot bigger. So I guess that’s the first step. Regardless of my Brie Larson crush, this looks fun. Pretty sure, unless follow up trailers shit the bed, I’m in for it.

Jen: Damn, Brie Larson, stop looking so fantastic already! I love the idea of setting this during the Vietnam War era, it’s the perfect time period for this kind of story (it’s tough to believe Google maps wouldn’t already have a satellite view of Skull Island in this day and age.) I also like that, from the name and trailer at least, they’re focusing on the island story and leaving the return to NY for a future film. I think if Peter Jackson’s version had streamlined to just the island story it would have been a better movie. I’ll give this a shot.


Justice League

Loren: Sigh, I mean, it’s probably going to be better than the Legal Proceeding of Batman v Superman, but that’s not saying much. It still feels so tonally off from anything really. It’s too jokey to be in Snyder’s murder-verse and too weird and dark to fit into what the comic should be. At least Batman didn’t flat out murder anyone in these clips. Though if he didn’t know Barry was a speedster he sort of tried to.

RDT: And then there’s Justice League. I know they’re still shooting and we’re over a year away from this movie, but it feels way too jokey (and a direct reaction to the complaints about BvS aka The Legal Proceeding). And if I could nerd out for just a bit? If Batman is recruiting heroes, he’s doing it at midnight, in the batsuit. Not during the the day, as Bruce Wayne, in someone’s apartment or, jesus…, the middle of a fishing village surrounded by people. Seriously, it’s called a “secret” identity for a reason. Also, Aquaman? Trying way too hard.

Jen: I watched this about five times trying to decide how I feel about it. It’s not a trailer so I’m trying not to judge it that way. The jokes played alright to me. It still feels like they’re trying, which isn’t a bad thing, but I think we need to give it some more time before we judge too much. Or maybe I’m just being non-committal in hopes that when we see an official trailer it’s amazing and I can look back on this with disdain.


Lego Batman

Loren: Yup. This looks great, even though normally I like to keep my superhero stuff a little more serious, the zaniness plays really well in LEGO form. I also love that every incarnation of Batman is canon in this movie. That’s gonna be wild.

RDT: My favorite non-comic incarnation of Bats is The Dark Knight followed by The Animated Series, but this trailer and The Lego Movie put Lego Batman as a firm third (and with all the Batguys out there, that’s respectable). I’m in. Srsly.

Jen: So Will Arnett is funny when you only hear his voice, is that it? This looks charming I’ll give it a shot.


King Arthur

Loren: Lock Stock and Two Sons of Jason Bourne’s Middle Earth? Yeah, I got nothing.

RDT: Yup. This is definitely a Guy Ritchie movie. Look, I’m all for unique perspectives on already existing properties. But I just don’t get this trailer. At first I thought it was a modern take. Then I thought it was a period, gritty reboot. Then I saw monsters (dragons?). And now I’m clueless. Unless the Rotten Tomatoes scores are high and it has the possibility to surprise me the way Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes did, I’m out.

Jen: I WANT to want to see this movie. But I don’t want to see this movie. It feels like it wants so badly to be Game of Thrones. I know Game of Thrones. You sir, are no Game of Thrones.


Blair Witch

Loren: I saw the original opening night and it sure did the trick, I was terrified. This looks like a pretty typical 2016 reboot-quel of a horror franchise. I do like the idea that it’s Heather’s brother trying to find answers 17 years later.

RDT: I am intrigued to see how this fits with the first one (we won’t talk about “Book of Shadows”). But you all know how I feel about horror. So, if I do see this, it will likely be from Rick’s kitchen.

Jen: This doesn’t look as scary as the pull quotes they flash on the screen imply it is. The original Blair Witch Project was so new and unique at the time of its release, whether you liked it or not, that it’ll be a tough act to follow. Also, does this make Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 canon or non-canon?


TV

American Gods

Loren: I’m not sure I follow the story from the trailer and I’ve never read the source material. From what I hear the people that have say the imagery leaps off the page and onto the screen. It looks interesting enough to keep me in for the first couple at least.

RDT: I read and enjoyed the book. And the talent behind this is amazing (Bryan Fuller). Count me in.

Jen: I loved this book and this has a real True Blood feel to it (I mean that as a compliment.) The casting and production value looks great. I will be watching this for sure.


Star Trek: Discovery

Loren: I like the look of the new ship and the idea that it’s out there as another research vessel. I’m still waiting to figure out how this non-anthology, anthology is going to work, especially when they say the show won’t be episodic. Color me intrigued.

RDT: Bryan Fuller again. This man is bordering on Berlanti-like prolific-ness. Other than the name of the ship, we learned nothing from that trailer and I don’t care. I’m in. Star Trek belongs on tv (or streaming). (Though I did enjoy the new movie a lot.)

Jen: There’s not much to go on here, but I’m in. This is the perfect teaser to get people excited without giving anything away. I have not watched all of every Trek incarnation, but I’ve damn sure given them all a fair shake and I will do the same with this one. I’m concerned about the streaming aspect, but if the show looks good in that first week this could be a great gamble for CBS’s streaming service.


Legion

Loren: That was really weird and kinda hard to follow. In the comics Legion is Charles Xavier’s son and has a whole bunch of people up in his brain. I think we’re seeing that here and how that would drive someone insane. I’ll give this a shot, it’s FX and Marvel, could be pretty good.

RDT: Echoing Loren’s thoughts, I also think it was hard to follow. Didn’t quite hook me. But I’m always intrigued by superheroes on tv, so I’ll check it out regardless.

Jen: Without reading what Loren wrote I’d be completely lost with this. But it still looks cool and I’d be willing to check it out. I think the XCU (X-Men Cinematic Universe) is so convoluted at this point that you can sort of spin off in whatever direction you want and it can stand alone, so this could be a real success for this franchise.

There you have it. Again, let us know what you think below. What are you most excited for?

As always, you can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/hollywoodpicturenews, or @HWPicNews on Twitter. And send in your questions/comments to questions@hollywoodpicturenews.com.

From Hollywood,

–Loren, RDT, and Jen

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