Buzzworthy: The best and worst movie trailers from Comic-Con
For fans of movie trailers, Comic-Con International is one of the most exciting events of the year, right alongside Super Bowl Sunday. Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which traditionally releases many of the most highly anticipated trailers) skipped this summer’s just-concluded convention, plenty of other buzzworthy promotional clips were released. Here are the 10 best and worst, ranked from most promising to least.
‘GLASS’
Among the many delightful shocks in M. Night Shyamalan’s 2017 sleeper hit, “Split,” was the revelation at the end that it wasn’t just a one-off horror movie, that Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a killer with multiple personalities, existed in the same realm as the characters from the writer-director’s 2000 cult favorite, “Unbreakable.” “Glass” brings together Crumb with the men of extraordinary ability — David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) — from “Unbreakable.” In the sly conceit set up by the trailer, they’re being studied in a hospital by a psychiatrist (Sarah Paulson) who specializes in what might best be called superhero
derangement syndrome. Like “Split,” “Glass” will be released in January; it could be a much-needed dose of fun after the year-end onslaught of heavyweight Oscar contenders. (Jan. 18)
‘SHAZAM!’
If there’s been one element missing from movies based on DC Comics, it’s wit. That situation may be rectified, if the zany trailer for “Shazam!” is any indication. It’s the origin story of how a foster child, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), uses the titular incantation to transform into the namesake superhero (Zachary Levi). The story seems to play less like a cartoonish action movie and more like a giddy riff on “Big,” as Billy grows up in a huge way and revels in his newfound powers. (April 5)
‘ASSASSINATION NATION’
The provocative, visceral trailer for this satirical teen thriller suggests it’s the demon spawn of “Heathers” and “The Purge” — and that’s not a bad thing. Violence and chaos break loose in the not coincidentally named town of Salem after a data hack exposes the seamy texts, photos and secrets of the residents. A group of high school girls takes up arms to resist the deadly misogyny unleashed by the breach. This Sundance Film Festival favorite was written and directed by Sam Levinson, a son of the writer-director Barry Levinson, best known for kinder, gentler films like “Rain Man” and “Diner.” It looks as if the apple has fallen extremely far from the tree. (Sept. 21)
‘OVERLORD’
The biggest name associated with this project is the producer J.J. Abrams, but that doesn’t tell you much. He successfully restarted the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” film series, but he also puts his name on a fair amount of junk, like the justifiably short-lived TV shows “Roadies” and “Believe.” Based on the trailer, “Overlord” has a fresh concept — American soldiers fighting Nazi zombies during World War II — and a cast of stars waiting to happen, including Jovan Adepo (“Fences”), Wyatt Russell and John Magaro. It’s hard to tell if the movie will be any good, but set to the tune of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells,” the trailer is a devilishly gory blast. (Nov. 9)
‘ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL’
In this adaptation of a popular Japanese manga, Alita (Rosa Salazar) is an amnesiac cyborg saved from a scrap heap by a doctor in a dystopian future. All she remembers are her lethal combat skills, which she uses to fight enemies and seek the truth about her past. The cast includes the Oscar winners Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali and Jennifer Connelly. The powerhouse team behind the cameras includes the producers James Cameron and Jon Landau (“Titanic,” “Avatar”) and the director Robert Rodriguez (“Sin City”). Going by the familiar trailer, it’s too soon to say whether the film will win over fans. (Dec. 21)
‘GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS’
The latest effort to reboot the Japanese horror series (the last two tries didn’t really take) isn’t due for nearly a year, so it’s not a surprise that we see precious little footage of the title creature himself, nor of his nemeses Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah. Instead the trailer focuses on the film’s impressive cast: Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”), Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Zhang Ziyi. Now that’s a monster lineup. (May 31)
‘FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD’
In 2016, Warner Bros., having run out of Harry Potter books to film, sought to extend the Wizarding World franchise with the prequel spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them,” which J.K. Rowling adapted from her book. The film was considered a success, although it didn’t conjure up quite as much critical or fan enthusiasm as its predecessors. The trailer for this sequel-to-the-prequel focuses on the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, who has lately been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The addition of Jude Law as the younger Professor Dumbledore might spark some interest, although Law hasn’t exactly been on a hot streak either. Most intriguing is Zoë Kravitz as a fresh love interest for our hero, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). It remains to be seen if Kravitz can bring the magic back. (Nov. 16)
‘AQUAMAN’
After his underwhelming appearances in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League,” Jason Momoa’s sea-dwelling superhero finally gets his own movie. The trailer, which features spectacular visuals, trumpets the name of the director James Wan, a big draw in horror (“Saw,” “The Conjuring”) who moved into action movies with the 2015 car-crash smash “Furious 7.” Yet the plot — Aquaman battles his half brother (Patrick Wilson) to be king of the undersea world — makes the film seem like DC’s blatant attempt to clone Marvel’s “Thor” franchise, only with a trident instead of a hammer. (Dec. 21)
‘WELCOME TO MARWEN’
Less than a month after releasing a confusing initial trailer for this inspirational drama based on a true story, Universal and DreamWorks put out a second clip that’s more straightforward. But it still avoids a crucial fact about Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell). He’s the artist who was nearly beaten to death and healed himself psychologically by creating World War II dioramas that depicted him and female commandos triumphing over Nazis. But what you won’t see in the trailer is his penchant for wearing women’s shoes and stockings, which reportedly was the reason he was attacked. “Welcome to Marwen” could be this year’s version of Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing,” an unorthodox movie by a major filmmaker (in this case, “Forrest Gump” Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis) that’s so high-concept it flies over the heads of mainstream audiences. (Dec. 21)
‘ROBIN HOOD’
The umpteenth incarnation of this tale raises several questions, all of which begin with “why.” Why make another version of the rob-from-the-rich bandit’s tale when no less than Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe tried and failed to breathe new life into the character less than a decade ago? Why cast Taron Egerton in the title role when, despite his agreeable performances in the “Kingsman” movies, no one has ever said, “Hey, let’s go see that new Taron Egerton movie tonight”? Why give Ben Mendelsohn another stock-villain part as the Sheriff of Nottingham, after he’s done bad guys to death in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Ready Player One,” the Netflix drama “Bloodline” and the Australian film “Animal Kingdom”? Why shoot some scenes in a slo-mo style that hasn’t felt innovative since “The Matrix” and “300”? (Nov. 21)