#trailernomics

The next Superman film, Man of Steel, is preparing to go head to head with the summer blockbusters of 2013. With that competition comes the expectation that this new DC superhero reboot will offer an epic and gritty story for hard-to-please fans. It’s very obvious that Marvel (after its purchase by Disney) has banked on realistic superheros. Marvel’s new line of movie characters display all the foibles of the average person and none of them use their superpowers to solve any of their human problems. If you line up the The Avengers you’ll see exactly what Tony Stark described the group as in their recent multi-million dollar movie: “not a team, a time-bomb”. So what can the most perfect character that DC has to offer show in the name of realism and humanity? Lots.

For almost three straight months now trailers for Oblivion have been preceeding some of the biggest movies of 2013. I've seen them running in front of almost every type of movie possible, from children's flicks to action films. It's become a bit of a running joke for me as to when or if Tom Cruise's voice will break the silence of the darkened theater. When it comes to comparing me to the normal moviegoer I see more than the average number of movies each year so by the time March rolled around I had viewed the Theatrical trailer for Oblivion almost 20 times. I have a theory that seeing a commercial, even a good one, too often can sour the content for you. Oblivion was about to test that theory in a real-world setting.

Star Trek Into Darkness isn't your typical prequel, or sequel for that matter. The odd title isn't a normal subtitle and the entire movie including it is storyline have been debated up and down on Internet forums for the past few months. Fans and critics are unsure if J.J. Abrams is trying to pull a fast one by hiding the identity of the film's antagonist but many signs are now pointing to hints that Benedict Cumberbatch is indeed the famed Khan Noonien Singh from 1982's Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. Mysteries and debates aside the trailers for this film run the gamut from the soulful and heartfelt Official Trailer which was released in December to the versions which are punchy with tons of action. Needless to say when May rolls around fans around the world will be lining up in droves to catch the latest adventure for Kirk and his crew.

Guillermo del Toro has been exciting fans about his giant mecha movie since early 2012 when the first extended session with actors and the cherubic director in Hall H at Comic-Con International shed new light on the then mysterious movie. Guillermo’s films are usually crafted with an excruciating attention to detail and feature protagonists that embody wonder, heroism and honor. Children’s stories, comedies and fairy tales used to be his forte but more recently the Spanish born writer/director has branched out to tackle stories with darker underpinnings and more complicated characters.

Do you ever see a movie trailer and hang your head in shame saying to yourself “dear god who decided to let this one slip through”? For the last few months every time one of these trailers comes up I've been saying exactly that. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is what you might call a severe remodeling of a traditional fairy tale story. The German story that the movie is loosely based on tells of a sister and brother who are tricked by a witch who lives in a house made of candy and has an appetite for cooked kiddies. Hansel and Gretel are imprisoned while the evil witch plans how best to bake them as her stove warms to proper temperature.

Oz: The Great and Powerful initially strikes you as one of those prequel films that you don’t want to be seen made because you hold the original content in such high esteem. The Wizard of Oz (1939) is so revered that huge box sets have been created to celebrate the single movie, stage shows have been written focusing on expanding the original screenplay, and fans have grown an entire subculture. When you see that Walt Disney Pictures is producing the movie you’ll also begin to question if it will cater specifically to children or if it will offer something for the older crowd that helped make the property so popular over the decades.

Peter Jackson got a unique chance and managed to make the original Lord of The Rings trilogy by shooting all three films at once even after encountering his fair share of speedbumps, rights issues, and pre-planning headaches. The success of his grand filmic adaptation of a beloved contemporary literary work allowed him to expand his clout in Hollywood. Jackson’s empire now rivals that of his former idols Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. His new trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit lands in theaters December 14th, the trailers tell a hidden story of a director with a passion for loving interpretations.

RZA and Eli Roth have seen fit to bring you a Kung Fu movie with a whole lotta Kung and a fair bit of F.U. I’ve been waiting to do a Trailernomics for The Man With The Iron Fists since I saw previews for it in theaters before a screening of an unrelated movie. I wasn’t looking for a Kung Fu movie starring RZA, Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu but there it was with harsh cuts, rhythmic music and a grinding siren breathing in my face. Henceforth referred to as Iron Fists for the sake of brevity this movie will hit theaters on November 2nd, 2012 and while it’s not an award winner It may be a perfect example of a pet project for some eccentric actors and directors. RZA is stepping into the light as a debut director for this film which features a mixture of Chinese cult kung fu cinema and American Western aesthetics.

Wreck it Ralph was announced through a carefully planned trailer just before E3 this year and it sent reverberations through the gaming community due in part to some key factors. Like Roger Rabbit before it Wreck it Ralph’s development team was dedicated to acquiring the licensing rights to all of the video game characters they needed to make an adequate homage to a classic & well-loved form of entertainment. They went to many different companies, some of which are still fervent competitors, and asked them if they could use their most beloved mascots to make a movie.

We’ve been treated to Judge Dredd on the big screen pretty recently. If it didn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth that reminds you of Rob Schneider then at the very least you enjoyed some of the action and actual good acting that came from heavy hitters like Jürgen Prochnow, Armand Assante and Max von Sydow. Hollywood in all of its infinite wisdom has decided to remake the Dredd movie this time opting for a grittier and more down-to-earth but drug infested Mega-City One. Dredd 3D is directed by Pete Travis whose feature film directorial debut was Vantage Point. Travis will create the vile world from the original book but put his own spin on the crime & punishment exchange so often featured.