Slowly but surely, the trailers have been piling up for incoming 2021 releases. So, it's time for the first new "Trailers! Trailers!" post in a while. I'm leaving off any trailers for films that have previously released material, like "No Time to Die" and "The Green Knight" and focusing on the more recent highlights and lowlights.
Eternals - This is the most interesting MCU film on the slate for the foreseeable future, because it's so odd and so ambitious. It was a canny move to tie the film directly to the MCU with the little gag in the end, because the rest of this eon-spanning, landscape showcasing, meditative teaser looks so, well, alien. I have all faith in Chloe Zhao to deliver something beautiful, but I have no idea if it'll work as a superhero film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - The first Asian-American leading man in the MCU requires some commentary, but honestly I'm not expecting much out of this. It's a weird coincidence that we have "Shang-Chi," "Mortal Kombat," and "Snake Eyes" coming all in such a short span. I love that all the leads of these films are Asian, but I'm not so happy that it's all kung-fu fighting action scenes again. Fingers crossed.
Annette - Marion Cotillard! Adam Driver! This is Leos Carax's long in the works musical love story. It will be his English language debut, a collaboration with beloved cult band The Sparks, and seems to have something to do with Snow White. There's a lot of anticipation in the air for this one. It'll be Carax's first film since "Holy Motors," and is set to be the opening film for Cannes in July. I have no idea what to expect, and that's delightful.
Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard - I think there's a pretty low probability that this film will be any good, but like the "Venom" sequel, it still offers enough pulpy, humorous pleasures that I'm looking forward to it. I mean, it's a real movie star movie, where Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Selma Hayek will get to banter and be funny. Sometimes that's really all you want out of a flick. The big, long list of fun supporting actors doesn't hurt either.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania - I think the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise is inevitably running out of steam, with Genndy and Adam Sandler both sitting this installment out. Still, they came up with a very good premise for a sequel. Let's de-monsterfy all our familiar monsters for a bit and let wacky hijinks ensue! I can't help noticing that the title may be a little jab at the next "Ant-man" movie too, which I totally approve of.
West Side Story - The first thing that struck me was how similar this looks to the original 1961 film. The color palette and the costuming in particular are a little eyebrow raising. I have no idea how well this will be received, but it's going to be interesting to compare the new "West Side Story" to "In the Heights," which is coming in only a few weeks. Because it's Spielberg this is a presumed Oscar contender, but does the musical hold up fifty years later?
Last Night in Soho - I'm always glad to find Edgar Wright still working, still turning out his original films mostly on his own terms. "Last Night" looks to be absolutely swimming in style, and makes good use of Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin Mackenzie. This is a throwback to old school thrillers, clearly, but it's one that's more high octane than the norm. I love the use of neon and the color palette in particular. This is one of my most anticipated of the year.
Dear Evan Hansen - Oh no. Oh, this is the worst casting mistake I've seen in a long time, and it's probably going to sink the screen adaptation of what was already a really sketchy musical. I know people love Ben Platt, but you can't pass him off as a high school student. It looks ridiculous. And what are Julianne Moore and Amy Adams doing here? After this and "Woman in the Window," these poor women are in desperate need of new representation.
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