The Flickering Myth Team react…
Well it was a trailer heavy edition of San Diego Comic Con this year, with Warner Bros releasing the trailers for Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman and Justice League (sort of) for the public to watch online which, Doctor Strange notwithstanding, was not a tactic shared by Marvel. There was also trailers of Louis Theroux’s new documentary and the highly-anticipated Kong: Skull Island. As we usually do here at Flickering Myth, we got together to give our thoughts on the trailers and react to them accordingly.
So, let’s kick off with the non-comic book trailer in Kong Skull Island:
Chris Cooper: Looks decent. Intrigued how Hiddleston will be in a more action orientated film (I don’t think of Loki in that way). Seems as though they really want that King Kong vs Godzilla movie with the size they’re making him!
Luke Owen: I thought this was the best trailer from Comic Con, hands down. Loved the Edwards Godzilla style approach to the character, loved the trailer’s slow build, loved the reveal. This has jumped right up to my most anticipated movie of next year.
Villordsutch: This is all rather interesting indeed, I need to know more about it and they rather wisely doesn’t give it to us.
Jessie Robertson: This looks a lot like the Godzilla trailer from a few years ago, big set pieces, end of the world atmosphere, but with all that Kong flare, curious to see how/what way it varies from the crazy Peter Jackson version but so far, I’m on board.
Gary Collinson: I was very impressed by the trailer. However, I need to see Kong. I’m a little apprehensive that he might look ridiculous given his enormous size.
Helen Murdoch: Strong trailer. Looks exciting, well filmed and lots of action. Excited that Kong is mega huge but… the trailer for Godzilla was amazing and the final product wasn’t great so I’m a bit skeptical.
Hmm – pretty mixed. How will the Justice League sizzle reel/trailer get on?
Chris Cooper: Loved it! Having seen the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and getting a better understanding of everything that went on, this seems logical. A nice vein of humour runs through it too. Affleck looks fantastic and he’s nailing the tone of Bruce Wayne. I like all of them, especially Barry. The little look upwards before saying he needs friends is great. One more Batman mention – the suit looks awesome. Leaner around the neck, he looks far better. It’s a small look but this could be what we’re after.
Luke Owen: Really disappointed to see DC change tracks just because a few fans thought Batman v Superman was “too dark”. This is a total 180 tonally and feels like complete pandering to the ‘hater’ market. It was a good trailer and I enjoyed the Aquaman moments (not so much the Flash moments), but the whole trailer felt a bit too “Marvel” for my liking – which DC shouldn’t be. I also thought Ben Affleck sounded really bad and disinterested, but that is a fairly standard ‘Bruce Wayne voice’.
Villordsutch: I enjoyed the Aquaman scenes, however The Flash moments where quite strained in the humour department. It felt like somebody had been watching one to many Marvel films and tried to capture that spark.
Luke Owen: It was also beat for beat the same as the meeting between Tony Stark and Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War – right down to the billionaire superhero asking an awkward teenage boy to join his superhero buddies in a fight and the awkward teen pretending he’s not who he really is…
Jessie Robertson: It wasn’t really a true trailer, as the scenes used seem very preliminary; Aquaman is a bad ass as he should be and can’t freakin wait to see him on the big screen, but after reviewing The Flash for the last two seasons, I just don’t see anyone else in that part (personal bias).
Tai Freligh: Personally I thought the trailer knocked it out of the park. From interviews previously, Justice League was always going to be lighter in tone. This was decided before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice even came out, but I think because of the reaction to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, this first trailer had to show that the tone was lighter. I really enjoy The Flash on TV and from what I saw on screen am going to enjoy the movie Flash. I think there is room for two interpretations of Barry Allen/The Flash. And FYI…the Bruce and Barry scene was written before Captain America: Civil War came out, but it’s still a good scene. I’m very much looking forward to this!
Anghus Houvouras: Three words: Fan-Freakin’-Tastic. I loved the tone and loved where it takes Batman after the charcoal black darkness of Batman v Superman. I love how Batman has been impacted by his actions and the death of Superman propels him back towards the light, much like that gonzo opening where he rises from the well surrounded by bats. This is a Batman I can get behind. I love the look of pride and relief on his face when The Flash immediately accepts his offer. I love his scenes with Aquaman. And can we talk about Aquaman? The biggest badass in the Justice League is the guy who talks to fish. This footage got me hellaciously excited. This is my number one movie to see in 2017.
Chris Cooper: What Anghus said!
Ricky Church: I liked the teaser/sizzle reel a fair bit. I thought the humour worked well and Ezra Miller seems like he’s going to steal the show, though I do also admit they seem to be making Flash the “Spider-Man” of the group since Barry Allen usually isn’t that quippy. Now While I’m a fan of The Flash TV series and love Grant Gustin’s interpretation, I’m not going to judge Miller against that. And to fans who say one looks better than the other or hate the other simply because they prefer one interpretation over the other, let me say that we’re getting 2 different Flashes in 2 different universes in live action film and television – something we did not think we’d get 5 years ago! I like the improvements on Batman’s costume as well, they’ve made it look leaner and more streamlined. While you can argue the humour is a bit of a tonal departure, it doesn’t bother me too much and I hope it will still be a relatively serious film with a bit more humour peppered in.
Helen Murdoch: Felt a bit try hard. I love the TV DC universe but have found the films underwhelming. I like the casting of Ezra Miller as The Flash and Bruce acting a la Tony Stark worked well. It just felt a little recycled from the Marvel universe set up.
Gary Collinson: I thought it was a solid first look, although I’m not sure it will win over too many Batman v Superman haters despite the tonal shift. The Aquaman stuff was great (especially the shot of the sea swallowing him up), Ezra Miller didn’t annoy me as Barry Allen (although I wasn’t 100% sold on the way he was moving around), and Cyborg… well, he was there.
Well that fared much better than Kong: Skull Island. Finally, here’s what we made of Wonder Woman:
Villordsutch: Quite surprised by this to be honest, I’m now interested in seeing more of what the Wonder Woman film has to offer. However if you’d asked me two weeks back I probably would have pfft’ed in your face.
Chris Cooper: Intrigued. So far I think anyone who questions Gadot needs to have a word with themselves. She’s doing a great job so far and I’m interested in seeing this prequel.
Luke Owen: Pretty weak trailer to be honest. Liked some aspects of it, but the whole trailer felt cold when compared to better trailers shown at the Con. Liked the glowing whip though, that was pretty bad ass. It was utterly laughable when they used that Wonder Woman theme from Batman v Superman again. It was stupid then and it’s still stupid now!
Jessie Robertson: Totally disagreeing with our esteemed Mr. Owen. I thought this was the best trailer I’ve seen this year; it showed off the power, beauty and grace of this character and her World War I action looked absolutely amazing. I even love the theme song.
Ricky Church: I loved this trailer! I thought it was great and showed off a lot of Diana’s best characteristics in a limited amount of time. The action looks awesome – very kinetic and varied – and the movie simply looks beautiful. There are a lot of great shots in this trailer, from an Amazon leaping in the air as she fires her bow and arrows to Wonder Woman climbing out of the trenches, closing in on the very detailed armour she wears, it looks great. I’m really excited to see what Patty Jenkins delivers and Gal Gadot looks like she’ll excel even more in the part!
Helen Murdoch: Pleasantly surprised by this trailer. Whilst I’m not 100% sold on Gal Gadot this trailer was a good mix of action and humour. Loving the time period they’ve gone with.
Gary Collinson: I am with Jessie. It was definitely my favourite trailer from Comic-Con, by some distance, and I really liked the inclusion of the Wonder Woman theme (which I thought was the best piece of music from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). The glowing lasso, Amazons fighting soldiers on the beaches, Wonder Woman in the trenches, the fight scenes… can’t fault it. I am totally sold and looking forward to this more than Justice League.
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I think it’s fair to say that the sizzle reel/trailer for Justice League got the best reaction out of our writers, but that’s not to say Wonder Woman and Kong: Skull Island didn’t get any love. Although there appears to be some debate over the theme music for Wonder Woman…
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