I was planning on writing my review of The Day The Earth Stood Still today, but when I sat down in the cinema before the movie, I was inspired to go in a different direction. Given that the Oscars are almost upon us, most of what I’ve been watching are dramatic pictures (Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, etc), the kind of films that would be considered ‘art.’ Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy these films, but lately I’d been craving a more mainstream release. One of the reasons for this was because the only trailers they show in front of dramatic pictures are for other dramatic pictures, and honestly, I am tired of seeing the trailer for Vicki Christina Barcelona every time the lights dim. I didn’t really expect The Day The Earth Stood Still to be anything more than average (and boy was I right) but I was hoping to see some cool trailers for the upcoming blockbuster releases of 2009.
Before the movie began I saw four trailers, three of which were for comic book adaptations. If this doesn’t give you an idea of the direction Hollywood is headed, then I don’t know what is. The first was for The Spirit, and of the four it is by far the most likely to bring about a strong desire to cause self harm. Based on a 1940’s pulp comic by Will Eisner, this film was released in the U.S. a few days ago, and is already being called by some critics as one of the worst films of all time. Not of the year, not of the decade but of all time! And after watching the trailer, I have some idea of why. This is director Frank Miller’s first job directing solo; the creator of hit comics such as 300 and The Dark Knight Returns has a co-directing credit with Robert Rodriguez for the adaptation of Millers other gothic cult comic Sin City. That film was extremely stylized, using greenscreen in an almost art house way, whereas The Spirit just looks like a cartoon. The acting appears to be mind bogglingly over the top, the dialogue absurd and action clearly fake. From what I could gather, ‘The Spirit’ is a vigilante, who fights against a mad scientist villain with the threatening title ‘The Octopus’ portrayed by Samuel L Jackson. He appears to command a bevy of beautiful henchmen played by various Hollywood starlets including Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson. To male readers, the combination of Sam Jackson and a group of very hot women may seem like a winner, but I assure you, this trailer makes the film look like a steaming pile. If you crossed Sin City with a turd, you’d get a stupid looking turd, and it’s called The Spirit.
Speaking of stupid, the second trailer I saw was nothing if not. Hugh Jackman returns as the muscular bearded cigar chomping adamantium (yes I know I’m a nerd) clawed mutant badass in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This film looks basically like an excuse to fit in all the supporting characters from the comics that didn’t make the final cut of the original trilogy, and fans of the comics will be drooling at the mouth to see Deadpool, Gambit, Emma Frost and others making their big screen debut. This trailer featured absolutely no substance; instead it was a series of fight scenes, explosions and Jackman making his angry face directly at the camera. In the film, which I think is a prequel to the first X-Men, Jackman meets a military dude who gives him claws, he rebels and joins a rag tag group of mutant outcast to fight another group of rag tag mutant outcasts (only these guys are bad!) It looks highly entertaining, the epitome of Summer Blockbusters, and I am looking forward to it. But somehow I doubt it’ll get many nominations come next years Oscars.
As if that wasn’t enough nerd power for one sitting, the Wolverine trailer was followed immediately by one for Watchmen. Set in alternate 1985 where superheroes exist, some evil doer is having ex-heroes assassinated in order to stop them from foiling his various schemes. But as the film progresses, the intentions of both sides become more and more unclear. For those of you who don’t know, Watchmen is the mecca of comic books, and the film has been in development hell for decades. I find myself conflicted by the trailer; I love the comic and was geeking out at seeing all the characters on the big screen. However, a lot of the dialogue seems cheesy when spoken out loud, and the fact that it was directed by Zack Snyder causes me to worry (his last film was 300, and my hatred for that garbage heap is well documented (Snyder + Frank Miller = Me being put in a straight jacket so I don’t go on a killing spree.)) Never the less Snyder’s visual style looks like it might have done the comic justice, and I really hope the movie lives up to my expectations.
The final trailer was for Bryan Singers Valkyrie, which definitely looks the best of the four (although personally I am looking forward to Watchmen far more) This wartime drama, supposedly based on real events, is about the plot within the Nazi Party to assassinate the Fuehrer. Simply put: It’s Tom Cruise vs. Hitler (and this time, it’s personal.) The action, the acting and the direction all look good, although it will probably be hopelessly melodramatic. It does bother me that Cruise doesn’t even attempt a German accent, but it still looks a hell of a lot better than The Spirit.
