I haven't done a trailer post for a while, for obvious reasons. I figured that now would be a good time, in order to reorient myself for the oncoming movie year and beyond. There are several high profile trailers I never got around to discussing in any capacity, so here we go. All links lead to Trailer Addict:
Dune - Let's get the big one out of the way first. This was my most anticipated film of last year, and it's my most anticipated film of this year too. The cast looks great. Arrakis looks gorgeous. I'm fully convinced that Denis Villeneuve has it in him to pull this off. There's a lot of fan-baiting going on here, with the inclusion of the Litany Against Fear, and the Pink Floyd track, but I think it should look plenty intriguing to newcomers. I can't wait to see the sandworms in action. And I really hope Timothy Chalamet and Zendaya can pull in enough of the kids to get the sequel made.
The Batman - I can't tell much from the first teaser, honestly, except that Matt Reeves has seriously doubled down on the dark and gritty aesthetic of the Christopher Nolan films. This looks like a David Fincher thriller starring a guy in a cape, and it's giving off even less kid-friendly vibes than "Joker" somehow. That worries me. No wonder Warners so quickly announced that "The Batman" is a standalone film, and not part of the DCEU continuity. Robert Pattinson as our newest Batman is not a bad choice at all, especially after "Tenet," but I'm still having a tough time reconciling the idea in my head. The hair doesn't help. Boy, does it not help.
Suicide Squad - It's all about Polka Dot Man. I just can't get over that the new James Gunn redo/sequel/whatever of "Suicide Squad" features David Dastmalchian as the ridiculous Batman villain Polka Dot Man. Polka Dot Man! Because of Gunn's track record, I'm tentatively looking forward to this. And, well, he's bringing so many more fun people over to play - John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Nathan Fillion, and of course Michael Rooker. And it's good to see that Margot Robbie and Viola Davis are sticking around from the last go around. And Jared Leto is nowhere in sight. There's no way that this one can be worse than the first attempt at "Suicide Squad," right? Right?!
Chaos Walking - The long delayed Doug Liman film has run into all kinds of production trouble behind the scenes, and is reported to be a giant mess. However, it looks pretty intriguing from the footage we've seen so far. People's thoughts being projected visually and audibly is an interesting new idea, though it reminds me an awful lot of "Annihilation" with its iridescent Shimmer-like projections. This is one of several projects featuring Tom Holland in leading roles, as filmmakers try to capitalize off his Marvel stardom. It'll also be a big test for Daisy Ridley, as she enters her post- "Star Wars" career.
Raya and the Last Dragon - The trailer doesn't show the dragon, which had its design leaked a while ago, and frankly looks very concerning. I was hoping that seeing the design in motion would assuage some of my fears, but no luck yet. Instead, the teaser trailer introduces us to Raya, a new Disney action heroine who hails from South Asia this time. The visuals seem to be mostly Thai inspired, and are inadvertently echoing a lot of "Avatar: the Last Airbender." I've never been able to get much of a useful impression out of Disney's trailers, since they keep so much close to the vest, so put this in the "wait and see category."
Judas and the Black Messiah - Finally, this is easily the best trailer I've seen in the past few months. It's a wonderfully tense look at the assassination of Fred Hampton, one of the leaders of the Black Panther party in 1969. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield look amazing. This is already far more interesting and more powerful than Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7," where Hampton also appeared. It's one of several recent profiles of figures from the black power movement, and I hope to see more.
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