“Clash of the Titans”
Trailer Rating: 5 bites [out of 5]
Could you tell I’m excited about this film? I loved the teaser, and very much love the concept. This trailer just gives us more—more creatures, more heroic-looking Sam Worthington, more of his love Andromeda (played by Defiance’s Alexa Davalos), and, of course, more of those damn mortal-teasing gods, Zeus and Hades, played by the British greats, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (Neeson, especially, in full-clad armor and bathed in ridiculous waves of shining light, looks like he’ll be great fun). I just put the original Clash of the Titans on my Instant Netflix queue, and can’t wait to watch it. It’s supposed to be a corny classic, and, on that level, I’m sure it will be plenty entertaining.
As for this remake, the new trailer is even more fun than the teaser—the action looks all-out insane, and I think that will work just perfectly. Ditto the phenomenal visuals (did you see that Kracken?! Take that, Davy Jones' "pet"!), and the catchy, rousing energy—here’s hoping that translates to the final film as well. We’re still a little fuzzy on the story—we know we’re set for one big clash between gods and mortals, with Perseus set to tip the balance in the human direction. Nonetheless, the brushstrokes we get look solid; unlike the below Robin Hood teaser, this one manages to effectively give us the tone and basic conflicts in the film. And, like I always believed, that vast Greek world of gods and monsters and larger-than-life heroes is too rich to be only relegated to cheesy 80’s action fare (although TV’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was a very enjoyable guilty pleasure when I moved to America)—it’s about time we apply our modern effects for one big, crazy Greek-mythology epic. I’m seeing this for sure. Opening day. If it’s as satisfying as this trailer, we’re in for one great treat come March 2010. “Damn the Gods” indeed. Can’t wait!
P.S. Anyone else thinking that Sam Worthington’s Perseus might be getting groomed for his own Greek-mytho franchise? It would make sense for Warner Bros. to snatch the red-hot Worthington before his asking price swells out of control (you could thank Avatar for that, the well-deserving global hit, as I’m sure this one will be). I know they’re playing fast and loose with Perseus’ original confrontation with the snake-haired Medusa, and, by all means, that sounds like the right approach. Using that same thinking, why couldn’t Perseus encounter other gods, other Titans, other great myths? It could make for one fun series of films, and Worthington's Perseus looks like a worthy hero to follow through more than one movie. I predict a nice, very long career of saving the world for him.
“Robin Hood”
Trailer Rating: 2 bites [out of 5]
I was really looking forward to seeing footage from Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, but this teaser trailer is pretty much a letdown. Actually, it’s not so much a trailer as a carefully constructed message: “this isn’t the Robin Hood you’re used to.” Gone are the tights and merriment, the light spirit and that would-be-mustache-twirling evildoer, The Sheriff of Nottingham (he’s still in the film, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even make an appearance in the teaser). Instead, this trailer makes the new approach pretty clear: this is Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, reuniting once more after Gladiator (and 3 films since then), and it’s that kind of treatment—rough, dirty, gritty, and proudly extra-bloody—supposedly, this will be a more realistic spin, tracing the actual historical roots of the Robin Hood legend (thus being the story of the Crusade knight, Robin of Locksley). This particular take could make for a good film, especially since Ridley Scott can do historical epics better than almost anyone (watch the Director’s Cut of Kingdom of Heaven if you get the chance—it’s a masterpiece that I think far surpasses Gladiator).
Too bad this teaser trailer gives us no sense of the overall arc or characters. Crowe is a fine actor, and his presence in a film like this is hard to replicate (Orlando Bloom ran into that problem in Kingdom of Heaven—he’s a good actor as well, but Crowe is more easily believable in command of any army)—he’ll be a more rough-and-tumble Robin Hood than we’re used to, but I think it will work. As will Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, his love interest—she’s too good of an actress to not do justice to this role. But I wanted more of the Merry Men (here looking like the most pissed-off bunch in the Sherwood Forest), more romance, more of the journey of noble knight to outlaw. Oh, well—perhaps that’ll come out in a later trailer. There’s very little shown here after all, and teasers are supposed to just that—tease. The Robin Hood legend is one of those enduring stories—that rascally, charming outlaw stealing from the rich for the greater good, and I eat up almost every version (my favorite: easily Monsieur Hood from Shrek--his riverdance kills me every time!). The story and characters stay around for a reason, and I’m pretty sure this cast and crew won’t mess it up.
This is still on my radar—here’s hoping the next trailer will make it look like a much more interesting film.
Robin Hood hits theaters May 14, 2010.
“Knight and Day”
Trailer Rating: 1 1/2 bites [out of 5]
Easily the worst trailer of the bunch. I’m including it here because it’s a high-profile film, and, not knowing too much besides the basic cast (Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz) and crew (director James Mangold), I honestly thought it would have looked more promising. Sadly, this tone-confused trailer doesn’t give me much hope for this project. Judging by the footage, I think it’s some sort of spy-romantic comedy, aiming for something akin to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but missing the wit and high-wattage star chemistry that made that one a hit. I still contend that Cruise is a good actor, and with the right material, he shines (Jerry Maguire, Minority Report, Valkyrie, Magnolia, even M:i-3). Diaz, on the other hand, I’m not a fan of—she had a few good performances (Being John Malkovich and Vanilla Sky, ironically with Tom Cruise), but her usual choices of soapy chick-flicks have put her off my list of people to watch. Still, she could be charming when she tones down her persona (ie, The Holiday), though it doesn’t look like that here. It mostly looks like two stars chasing former glories…and not exactly succeeding—the jokes are awkward, and the action doesn’t quite gel with the goofy vibe the trailer is trying to sell. I expected better from director James Mangold (the excellent 3:10 to Yuma, Identity, and the very-rewatchable Kate & Leopold). Then again, it’s certainly nice to see Peter Saarsgard and Lost’s Maggie Grace in supporting roles. Who knows? Maybe this is a bad teaser, and the final film will be actually be smart and entertaining. Maybe. It just doesn’t look that way for now.
Knight and Day opens July 2, 2010, in what’s sure to be a very busy summer.
I’ll be back with more trailers in a bit (including the biggie for next year, Iron Man 2). For now, what do you guys think of these? Were you excited to see footage from any of these big upcoming movies?
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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