Trailer Round-Up #1 (March 2019)

Welcome to Trailer Round-Up, where I take you through all the latest film trailers (or at least, all the ones that interest me) released this month and review them in no particular order. Let's dive in!

Hellboy (2019) Trailer #2



I was in the minority in liking the first trailer for Neil Marshall's reboot of the Hellboy franchise, starring David Harbour (Stranger Things). I thought it had a fun tone complemented by a bit of ultraviolence. Many, however, criticised it for being 'too fun' (really?), and that is almost certainly where this trailer sprung from. It still has a few jokes but the humour is definitely toned down. It also cements the film's rating as MA for anyone who was unsure given the f-bombs and even more bloody violence. Yeah, I didn't like it. I hope the finished film is closer in tone to the first trailer in this, because taking away the humour just leaves you with a generic horror/fantasy movie. Additionally, David Harbour seems to be a bit of a problem. I know he can act, we all saw that on Stranger Things, but he seems kind of stiff here. I'd blame some of that on the writing (that last joke goes on for way too long), but still...

Midsommar Teaser Trailer



Midsommar is the second film from writer/director Ari Aster, who brought us Hereditary last year (which I still haven't seen). It's another horror movie, and this one's pretty notable for looking like it's going to be set in all daylight, as opposed to the shadows we're used to from the genre. This trailer's pretty great. It gives you just enough information to get excited, but tells you very little about the plot. I'm also intrigued by the fact that the bars on the top and bottom of the screen (in the widescreen aspect ratio) are white rather than black. It made the trailer look a bit like a Karsten Runquist video, but I'm interested to see if it's just a marketing thing or if it's actually going to be in the finished film. Although if the film is actually projected properly at the cinema than we won't see them anyway.

Brightburn Trailer #2



I wasn't exactly impressed by the first Brightburn trailer and I can say the same for the second. From the cinematography that seems copy-and-pasted from Zack Snyder's Man of Steel to the forced jumpscares, it just looks bad. It did give me a bit of unintentional comedy though, with this bit at 0:33 through to 0:43. Do kids really still stand in a circle and push the weird kid around? What's the coach doing in all this? 'He's a creep!'? It's hilarious.

Dark Phoenix Trailer #2



Yeah, this one wasn't great, either. The marketing team for this movie seems to be determined to spoil it, maybe because they were about to be laid off. Spoiling the death of Mystique seems strange, especially since it's not like that's the premise of the movie. Even apart from that, Magneto and Professor X seem to be doing the same storyline that they do in literally every X-Men film. That being said, James McAvoy seems to be doing great, as always. I wish he'd gotten an Oscar nomination (or even a win maybe?) for Split, and I hope he gets one for Glass. It'll never happen, but he's a great actor. What was I talking about again?

Toy Story 4 Trailer #1



Look, I know I'm not alone in wishing that Pixar would just go back to making original films rather than sequels. Sequels aren't inherently a bad thing, but if all you're going to do with a sequel is just rehash the same story, there's really no point. Toy Story 2 still holds the crown of being the best of Pixar's sequels. It's original, it explores new themes and introduces new characters, and it's just generally really good: everything a sequel should be. Toy Story 3 (in my unpopular opinion) squandered this progress. It's not a bad movie by any means, but it's literally the same story as 2. Observe:
1. The toys go to a new location.
2. They meet some new toys, one or more of which are disillusioned with their roles because they were abandoned by their child.
3. This is seen in a flashback.
4. One or more of our protagonists is tempted into the new toy's way of life and to leave Andy/Bonnie.
5. The leader of the new toys reveals a sinister side, meaning that the protagonists must escape them (perhaps in an action scene involving a conveyor belt).
6. They live happily ever after.
It's the same story. Now look at 4. It's the same story again! Every time they revisit these characters (for reasons apparent to them only, probably involving money), they just take the same script and swap the characters around. Woody was tempted to the 'dark side' in 2, and Buzz was in 3, so now it's Woody's turn again. What is this? Do people not notice this?
That being said I do like the visual humour in the thumbnail for this trailer. Notice how Forky (a spork), is looking confusedly between a fork and a spoon. I'm assuming this a gender identity joke and it's fairly funny once you notice it.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco Trailer #1



The Last Black Man in San Francisco was a Sundance 2019 film, and, if I'm not mistaken, one of A24's only (if not the only) acquisitions from that festival. The trailer looked pretty good. It didn't look groundbreaking but it could be pretty charming. The reviews out of Sundance were pretty good; I know because this trailer absolutely bashes you over the head with them. A24 is choosing to release this in the American summer, a tad strange given that it's too early to really be in the awards race (that being said, the past couple of years have given us Get Out and Black Panther, both February releases that went on to win Oscars in major categories). Plus, releasing it in the summer amidst heavy hitters like the three films I'm about to talk about seems counter-intuitive in terms of making money back on your investment. The film probably wasn't too expensive to make but they're setting it up to flop.

John Wick: Chapter Three - Parabellum Trailer #2



This was a good trailer. I've really liked the use of classical music in the trailers for Chapter Three. It helps set it apart from all the other action movies on the market. This looks like it'll be a good cap for a trilogy that's managed to remain fairly consistent in tone throughout. The fight scenes still look really well-choreographed and it looks well-shot, as with the other two films set in Wick's world.
Plus, Keanu Reeves.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Teaser Trailer




The latest film from Quentin Tarantino looks great. This was everything a teaser trailer should be; it's fast, has a good energy, maintains a tone, and, above all, tells you absolutely nothing. It looks like this'll be an homage to the city of Los Angeles and the good ol' days of Hollywood. DiCaprio looks great, Pitt looks great, Mike Moh's impression of Bruce Lee is spot-on (and his placement in the story is more accurate than you might think. Lee was indeed hanging around Hollywood at that point, doing the fight choreography for one Sharon Tate. When she was murdered, Roman Polanski actually suspected him.). The film just looks like a really fun ride.

Avengers: Endgame Trailer #2



The biggest trailer of this month is probably advertising the biggest film of 2019. This was a pretty good trailer, too. I'm glad to see the Russo Brothers utilising colour a bit more this time. Their previous efforts for Marvel Studios have left me a little underwhelmed on the visual front (particularly that airport fight scene in Civil War). I really liked the music in this trailer, and I liked how it built to the crescendo of Tony being back with the team. It is a slight shame that they spoiled that he does in fact get back from space, especially given how wonderfully tight-lipped the marketing for this film has been, but I guess it's no big surprise. I just want to get a couple of predictions out of the way so that I can be all 'I told you so' if I'm right.
- The film will not have a main antagonist in the traditional sense.
- Thanos will either be defeated in the first act or be so cocky in the irreversible nature of his actions that he'll give the Gauntlet to the Avengers.
- Time travel stuff...
- A la Back to the Future: Part II, the Avengers will accidentally mess something up in the past and be confronted with a dystopian alternate present.


Those were the trailers that came out this month. What was your favourite? Mine was probably Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, although I really enjoyed the trailers for Endgame and John Wick 3, and was intrigued by Midsommar. Last Black Man... looked alright, and the rest I could do without.

Thanks for reading.