Well, another Super Bowl has come and gone – congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on their victory, and good job to the San Francisco 49ers, too. But for people like me, who are cinephiles and not football fans, the main thing that the Big Game has to offer is the new TV spots for upcoming movies. This year, there were seven movie spots during Super Bowl XLVII, and on this week’s Trailer Trashin’, I’m going to give my quick takes on all of them.
Iron Man 3
Premise: Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) faces a powerful enemy, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), when he embarks on a quest to find those responsible for destroying his private world. Along the way, he discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: “Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?”
My take: I’m an unabashed fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m already totally jazzed for Iron Man 3. This spot provided a nice tease as we wait for the next full trailer. The action looks great, as expected, and I can’t wait to see Iron Man face off with the Mandarin. And this spot revealed that the imperiled plane we’ve seen previously is none other than Air Force One, which raises all kinds of intriguing possibilities. I’m wondering if Tony might not be able to save all those people, and if he’ll have to face the very real consequences of revealing his superhero identity back in the first film. All in all, a great spot that is only furthering my anxiousness to see the movie.
ANTICIPATION: Come hell or high water, I’ll be there to see it opening weekend.
Release Date: May 3rd, 2013
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, Ashley Hamilton, Wang Xueqi, William Sadler, Fan Bingbing, Stephanie Szostak, and Paul Bettany
Director: Shane Black
Writers: Drew Pearce and Shane Black
Star Trek Into Darkness
Premise: After being called back home, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise finds that a seemingly unstoppable force has attacked Starfleet and left Earth in chaos. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are tasked with leading the deadly manhunt to capture the party responsible and settle an old score.
My take: Along with Pacific Rim and Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness is one of my most anticipated films of summer 2013. The action in this looks insane, especially that shot of the damaged Enterprise falling out of orbit. I’m still curious to see just what Benedict Cumberbatch’s character John Harrison is capable of doing and the exact nature of his plan. If this is going to be Abrams’ last go at Star Trek before he moves on to Star Wars, it looks like he’s going out with a bang. It’s been a long four years, but I feel that it’ll be worth the wait.
ANTICIPATION: Set phasers to “brimming with excitement.”
Release Date: May 17th, 2013
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Alice Eve, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood, Noel Clarke, Peter Weller, Joseph Gatt Nolan North, Sean Blakemore, and Heather Langenkamp
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof
Fast and Furious 6
Premise: After the events of Fast Five, professional criminal Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are wealthy, but their criminal records prevent them from returning to their home country. Following his attempts to apprehend them, Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) offers the crew a deal: he will give them all full pardons for their crimes if they help him take down a lethally skilled mercenary organization led by a criminal mastermind (Luke Evans) and his ruthless second-in-command, Dominic’s thought-dead lover Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez).
My take: In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never seen any of the films in the Fast and the Furious series. I don’t have anything against the films, but the subject matter has just never really interested me. And considering that we’re six movies in now, it seems way too late for me to jump onboard. But I will say that the actual driving action looks pretty cool, especially the stuff with the tank. So even though it’s not my cup of tea, I hope it delivers on what fans of the series want.
ANTICIPATION: I think I’ll stay in the slow lane and let it pass me by for now.
Release Date: May 24th, 2013
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Joe Taslim, Clara Paget, Ela Pataky, Luke Evans, and Gina Carano
Director: Justin Lin
Writer: Chris Morgan
The Lone Ranger
Premise: Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into the Lone Ranger, a legend of justice. The two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
My take: In terms of financially risky films coming out this year, The Lone Ranger is definitely the big one. Disney obviously wants it to be their new Pirates of the Caribbean, but it might end up being their new Prince of Persia. Ultimately, I have the same feeling after this spot that I had after the first trailer, that the action will be cool and it’ll probably be fairly entertaining, but it doesn’t have that “spark” that makes it something special. And unfortunately, that “No/Yes” exchange scene at the end of the spot is the sort of goofiness I was worried about with Depp as Tonto. This still might end up being decent, but for the moment, I’m not expecting much.
ANTICIPATION: This looks like one rodeo I should plan on missing.
Release Date: July 3rd, 2013
Starring: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper, Helena Bonham Carter, Mason Cook, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, James Frain, Harry Treadaway, and Jason E. Hill
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio
Oz the Great and Powerful
Premise: Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. He thinks he’s hit the jackpot, with fame and fortune his for the taking…that is, until he meets the witches Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is really evil before it is too late. Putting his “magical” arts to use through illusion, ingenuity, and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
My take: I’m actually surprised by how excited I am for Oz the Great and Powerful. I love Sam Raimi, and the Land of Oz just seems like the perfect cinematic playground for him. This spot doesn’t have much in the way of new footage, but there are a few things. We’ve got Oscar and some other people traveling inside a version of Glinda’s bubble. There’s another look at the snapping plant-things, which still seem straight out of the Evil Dead trilogy. And finally, there’s another tantalizing glimpse of the Wicked Witch. They promise that “Oz will amaze,” and I really hope they’re right.
ANTICIPATION: We’re off to see the movie, the (possibly) wonderful movie called Oz!
Release Date: March 8th, 2013
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff, Joey King, Abigail Spencer, Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Tony Cox, Tim Holmes, and Martin Klebba
Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire
World War Z
Premise: As a zombie pandemic traverses the globe, United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) travels the world trying to find a way to stop the pandemic that is defeating armies and collapsing governments.
My take: I really wish I didn’t feel so “meh” about this movie. The book it’s based on is awesome, I really like Brad Pitt as an actor, and Marc Forster is a good director. But a movie about a worldwide zombie apocalypse shouldn’t feel this flat. And honestly, I wonder if people who aren’t familiar with the book realize that the story is about zombies, considering there’s not a single shot that focuses on them or indicates their nature. Ultimately, unless it gets good reviews, I’ll wait until World War Z is on Netflix to check it out.
ANTICIPATION: I’m not feeling any urge to shuffle to my local theater to see this.
Release Date: June 21st, 2013
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Lucy Aharish, Julia Levy-Boeken, Matthew Fox, Elyes Gabel, Bryan Cranston, David Morse, and Abigail Hargrove
Director: Marc Forster
Writer: Matthew Michael Carnahan
Snitch
Premise: When a teenage boy is wrongfully arrested for distributing drugs and sentenced to prison for a decade, his father (Dwayne Johnson) makes a deal with the United States Attorney to become an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel, risking his family and his life.
My take: This was my first time seeing anything from Snitch, and I can’t say it did anything to interest me. To me, this is a movie that doesn’t so much look bad as much as it looks terminally generic. I like Dwayne Johnson, and I look forward to seeing him in G.I. Joe: Retaliation next month, but this looks like a misfire for him. The action doesn’t look like anything special, and while the subject matter could be used for a dark, interesting thriller, the PG-13 rating makes me think they’re sanitizing things to reach a wider audience. This may be “inspired by true events,” but it really just feels like a movie that Arnold Schwarzenegger would have starred in back in the 1980s.
ANTICIPATION: Nobody likes a snitch, and I don’t think I’d like this movie.
Release Date: February 22nd, 2013
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Michael Kenneth Williams, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Rafi Gavron, David Harbour, Benjamin Bratt, and Susan Sarandon
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Writers: Justin Haythe and Ric Roman Waugh
Timothy Monforton