Trailer Tuesday: The Avengers Super Bowl Trailer

Not an official poster, but still a sweet fan attempt. 

It's that time of the year again, when America celebrates its national, irrelevantly named sport in the annual football play-offs. While I may be scratching my head at the sheer hype around this (coming from a purely British point of view), I struggle to deny the awesomeness of the many trailers that get rolled out through the ad-breaks. Last year I covered the Captain America Super-Bowl spot, and this year I guess it's only fitting if I do the same for its "OMGWTFTHISISGOINGTOBESOAMAZING" predecessor, in the shape of The Avengers. 


   It may only be a minute in length, but by-jove it's SO tantalising for the ol' Nerd Glands (is that or thing, or does it just sound dirty?). Anyway, let's get on with this:

• 0:11 - After a brief into featuring the usual "Citizens running from explosions" and a lead in from Captain America, we're treated to the brief appearance of the Quinn-Jet (or at least something along those lines). This may or may not be on the mighty Helicarrier (a flying aircraft carrier)...
• 0:14 - More of NY getting bombed, but this time we can see the secret aliens behind it; flying bike things, eh? More on them later.
• 0:17 - The Chrysler Building as an electric conductor for Thor (supposedly)? That's some powerful voltage...
•  0:26 - Thor also gets to ride a jet himself, Norse style (which involves surfing it like a frigging bad-ass).

• 0:30 - Whoa, whoa, whoa: pause your players a second! That right there is our currently unknown alien force that allies with main villain, Loki. So, Bipedal: Check; Greyishly Skinned: Check; Lightly Armoured: Check; Tribal-Looking: Check; and 3 Toes: Check. Conclusion: Uncertain (still). While producer, Kevin Feige, has said that the alien menace have been in the comics, it's hard to determine exactly which ones from this. Feige also stated that their actual identity isn't going to be "impactful", teasing perhaps a lesser known race (no Skrulls for sure, then). My money is on the Badoon, a race of war-hungry, reptilian creatures with no superpowers to speak of, but a high disregard for the female gender. Now this is where my theory comes into play; the Badoon look like they have their spines on their front, and if you look at the armour of the aliens at this point, they look like they have a part running down that area. Also, the Badoon despise and enslave the females of their planet, and Writer/Director/My God, Joss Whedon is renown for his strong, female characters (just don't ask him why). For him, who better to write in as villains, than a race that opposes the very things he stands for? Of course that's just one idea, and there are dozens of other speculative thoughts out there (the name Thanos has been thrown around a lot...)

• 0:36 - Iron Man's little battle here looks to be one of the film's finest action sequences, with some beautifully colourful CGI in play, as well as some realistically shaky camera work (not unlike Whedon's Serenity flight sequences).
• 0:42 - Oooh, the money shot. Our six heroes in a badass, surround pan - yep even the Hulk's there. Have I mentioned yet that I'm rather excited for this movie?
• 0:50 - Ah, time for some Tony "Snark", courtesy of Whedon's Wit: "Earth's Mightiest Heroes, type thing" and "We have a Hulk" are certain to become quote classics. And may I say that Loki looks lusciously dapper in that Green/Black outfit of his, while Stark's Black Sabbath T-Shirt is another great example of Whedon's work; pop-cult references all the way, baby!
• 0:56 - And SMASH time. Hulk's new CGI upgrade and Motion Capture system sure does show here, in a great Jump'n'Smash example of rage. 
• 1:00 - Le fin... for now. Note: For Americans, that May 4th is correct, but here in the UK we have been blessed with an April 27th release. Midnight launch, anyone?

                                                                                                                                               

This is in fact the third trailer for The Avengers that I've broken down so far, but what can I say? April 27th, hurry the heck up! For more on The Avengers, as well as Trailers, Reviews and other kinds of Entertainment Awesome, make sure you stick with me, right here, at Dude Meister Blogs.

ATR

HULK SMASH OTHER PUNY TRAILERS!

Trailer Tuesday: Snow White Showdown

You get 75 years of no Snow White and then TWO come at once!

Next year sees the arrival of not just one, but two Snow White films in our cinemas. And, as if begging for a back to back comparison, have both released trailers in the last few weeks. While one opts for action and maturity, the other goes for comedy and campness; but which is better? There's only one way to find out: FIGHT! Watch them one after the other and make your mind up, based upon your own views, preferences and analysis of the trailers! I go for option A, by the way.



Snow White and the Huntsman brings us a darker take on the classic tale, with Twilight's (ugh..) Kristen Stewart playing a hardened Snow, looking to bring battle to the Evil Queen (the glamorous Charlize Theron). Along the way she's teaming up with the Huntsman, (or Thor as most will know him with Chris Hemsworth) picking up the axe to kill stuff with the help of his Dwarf buddies (yeah, I think they're with him in this adaptation). Honestly, I like it. I think if I can get over the fact that it's Stewart playing it, I reckon we could have a really kick-ass Snow White on the cards. And the unique portrayal of the mirror looks awesome, while the Dwarves (just glimpsed) are going the LOTR route (not midgets, basically). Cool Stuff.

And now we have the complete opposite:



Mirror, Mirror enters the family/comedy territory with its charming new spin on the tale, splicing it in with elements from other fairy-tales (like Cinderella, Robin Hood). Relative unknown (unless you've seen Abduction, ugh...) Lily Collins takes on the role of Snow White here, with a more traditional characterisation. And who can miss Julia Roberts as the narcissistic Queen, who looks to be as Pantomime as they come, while Armie Hammer (The Social Network) lends his pretty boy looks to Prince Charming. I hear Sean Bean drops by at some point too, and a few recognisable Dwarves occupy their designated roles.
   Tarsem Singh (Immortals) directs, so at least we know it will look good. Hopefully that will make up for the flat falling jokes and cringe radiating from this trailer. "Snow way!"? Yikes. Julia... what are you doing?

Ah well. I guess we shall truly see which is The Fairest of Them All when they release next year:
Snow White and the Huntsman: June 1st
Mirror, Mirror: March 16th

ATR

Want More Trailers?

Trailer Wednesday: The Avengers

HELL-FRIGGIN-YES! The OFFICIAL trailer for The Avengers has arrived and is jam packed with awesome. I think I can skip the synopsis, so shall we begin?
(Full screen please. It deserves it!)



Breakdown, anyone? Hit the jump for it!

RE:View: Thor

 

    The God of Thunder gets the Hollywood treatment in Marvel's latest comic-book adaptation of the mighty Thor. Directed by Kenneth Brannagh and boasting a high-profile supporting cast of Natalie Portman and Sir Anthony Hopkins, Thor aims to take the super-hero movie by storm with it's whizzy effects and complex Norse back-story. But does it live up to the hype and expectation? Will it leave you hammered with disappointment, or struck with excitement? And, most importantly, can it manage to pull off fantasy-like Norse costumes without coming off overwhelmingly camp?

Trailer Tuesday: Thor

I am a horrible person...

Yeah that's right, I broke a promise; another Marvel movie. And, I'm sorry about that, but they literally only just released this. What could I do? I had no choice, you got to believe me! It was either this or Mars Needs Moms... And beside, this formula's been working so far, so why not again? I hope you find some mercy deep down in your hearts and forgive me. Please, just grant me one more chance...

Okay, groveling over, lets get down to business.

"The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth." - Wikipedia Plot Summary

Here, for proper link with bigger screen and better quality. 

• 0:08-0:15 - Thor's crash site, or soon to be crashsite, is being checked over by who we can only assume to be S.H.I.E.L.D., the group behind assembling The Avengers. This is actually the site glimpsed at the end of Iron Man 2, once the credits had rolled, where the agent finds the hammer, Mjolnir. 
• 0:16 - A storm is brewing... The same storm that Thor falls from to crash down onto Earth.
• 0:22 - 0:26 - Warp speed, anyone? No, this must be Thor falling from the skies.
• 0:30 - Natalie Portman as Jane Foster with her friend, Darcy, and Dad(?) finding Chris Hemsworth's Thor for the first time. As you can see, he's not very happy about just being hit by their car, old viking speak included.
• 0:37 - And I don't think he's going to be very happy about being tazered either...
•  0:47 - Thor's been taken to hospital and he still does not look happy...
• 0:50 - Definitely not happy now that he's throwing doctors around. First glimpse of his impressive strength though.
• 0:54 - One for the ladies; ripped Hemsworth. Kat Dennings' Darcy definitely approves...
• 1:02 - The ladies certainty have a lot of questions for the weird, semi-god, homeless viking man they've just found. Can't think why.
• 1:07 - INTERNET MEME ALERT! Thor, at a small-town diner, is rather impressed with his coffee and smashes it on the floor for more. Just read some comments on the actual Youtube link to see how popular it's become. My favourite is "I like this woman, ANOTHER *smashes Natalie Portman*". 
• 1:13 - A close encounter with Portman gets Thor talking about magic and shit. Stay off drugs, kids.
• 1:18 - Epic ice place: where Thor comes from, Asgard, I'm guessing.
• 1:19-1:22 - Action time! Thor faces off against some Frost Giants. Not the use of his hammer, Mjolnir, as a boomerang. Whether these section will be in flashbacks or not, is unknown, but I think it is.
• 1:25 - Hello big futuristic city! Asgard in all its glory.
• 1:29 - Thor kneels before Zod Odin (the legendary Anthony Hopkins), his father, and swears to protect the innocent.
• 1:32 - Frost Giant army. Looking chilly. And I do believe that's their King, Ymir, standing at the front.
• 1:34 - Close up of Mjolnir.
• 1:35 - Meet Loki, the movie's antagonist. He's the adopted brother of Thor and has all kinds of crazy-ass abilities. Here's hoping for an awesome showdown at the end of the film.
• 1:39 - Loki all suited up. By the sounds of it, he wants to destroy humanity with that staff he just picked up! 
• 1:42 - Is it a man? Is it a robot? Is it a god?
• 1:51 - No, it's... a suit of armour? Yeah, it's called Destroyer. Basically it's this thing controlled by the almighty leader of Asgard (Thor's daddio), Odin. But he's not actually in it, he just controls it. So either Odin is testing Thor, to see if he will protect the people, or Loki's somehow got hold of it and is attacking. Either way, looks like an awesome fight's in store, especially after it blows cars up.
• 1:56 - STOP!
• 1:57 - HAMMER TIME!
• 1:58-2:04 - Various explosions, battles and people running.
• 2:05 - Now this has been quite a topic of controversy. This is the Norse sentry, Heimdall, who stands on the rainbow bridge, Bifrost, and keeps Asgard safe from attack. But the problem is he's being played by a Black actor (I so wanted to just put Blacktor.) and this wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for this:  "Heimdall was said to be the 'brightest of the Gods' or the 'whitest of the Gods'". Now, I'm not bothered in the slightest of who plays him, but some hardcore mythologists are getting pretty pissed about the fact that all Norsemen were white and he's obviously not. I can see where they are coming from, but seriously, who cares? It's just a film and if he plays the role well then it's fine. And the irony is that it's the RAINBOW bridge he sits on. Something of many colours...
• 2:06 - That's the rainbow bridge i just mentioned, called Bifrost. Kind of trippy, right?
• 2:08-2:12  - Lots of hitting and fighting, including old timer Odin (Hopkins) getting in on some.
• 2:15 - King of the Frost Giants, Ymir, unleashes some crazy yeti dog for Thor to deal with.
• 2:27 - May 6th, 3D, Curtain.

So there you go, that's Thor. It does look pretty awesome, but out of the 3 Marvel movies coming this year, this is the one I'm least hyped for. Should still be good though. Well, hopefully that'll end my streak of Marvel movie trailers and I should be back next week with something different. Honest this time.

Oh, and sorry for the delay on the next RE:View. It'll be coming, by Friday at the latest. Still more doodles and quotes to come too, so stick around, you might just learn something.