New Movie Trailers

Friday was an excellent day for the world of movies: Quantum of Solace was released along with the new Star Trek trailer, there’s a new Watchmen trailer out, and there’s a new Harry Potter trailer out. All three trailers look stunning in HD. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am very excited about these three movies. Hurry up 2009. On a side note, it doesn’t feel like it should be the end of the year yet.

Anyway. First up: Star Trek. I can’t expound enough on how awesome it looks. Everything about the Enterprise looks amazing: being built, flying, being shot at. All of the young reincarnations of the beloved original characters = great. I’m a Simon Pegg fan and I’m eager to see what he’ll do as Scotty. Even the robo-cop in the opening of the trailer is cool. Everything is so mind-blowingly cool about it. I really can’t wait much longer for this movie. My temperature is rising just writing this, so moving on.

Next up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m going to put on my wizard hat and nerd out for a while. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. No lie. I think I finished books six and seven in a week. Granted, it was just this summer, so I’m a little behind the times, but that can’t change a good story. I also read the books out of order… But looking back on it, the first three are pretty much stand-alone titles. I read the second one first after I watched the first movie, skipped the third and read the fourth after the third movie then read five through seven. Basically, I substituted the first and third book for the movie, not something I would normally do or advise anyone else to do. But I have read them all now and and couldn’t get enough. I plan on reading Half-Blood Prince again before the movie comes out. Back to the trailer. Epic (a word that is sadly on the verge of blasphemous overuse) is written all over this trailer. And dear lord if you have read the book, it is precisely that. It’s unclear to me whether John Williams is doing this Harry Potter or not. I always enjoy Williams, even if he steals his own themes. The updated version of his original Harry Potter theme in the trailer is all the more monumental and totally awe-inspiring. And the smoke effects are just friggin’ magical. The visuals in the Harry Potter movies have always impressed me and it seems they’ve kept the same team (or forced the same style upon different teams) of visual effects people and subtly tweaked things with each successive installment. No complaints there. I do have one complaint about this trailer: when Harry is looking at a smiling girl and Hermione scorns him. He says, “But, I am the chosen one.” I like the delivery here, but he kills it only a second later. She hits him with a roll of paper, or parchment :-), and he says, “Umm…kidding.” The “kidding” bothers me. Radcliffe only bothers me on occasions like this, where it seems more like Daniel than Harry. Otherwise, I think he does a great job as Harry Potter and acting amidst so much CGI. Other than this one complaint, I am pumped for the next Harry Potter movie. Pumped I say. This was supposed to be short so I’ll wrap this one up. More thoughts on HP later.

Removing wizard hat and donning superhero costume.

Last, but DEFINITELY not least: Watchmen. I have a super-boner for Watchmen. The novel is pure genius. Sorry Rowling, but this one gets rated above Potter on my list. And I’m certain the movie is going to be every bit as enjoyable as the novel. I have very high hopes for this movie and I can honestly say I have no fear of them being let down in the slightest. That’s how good it’s going to be. Every character looks faithfully recreated from the pages of the novel. Dreiberg seems especially perfected. In my mind, Dr. Manhattan was more stoic and detached in the novel than in what we’ve seen so far of the movie, but I still think he will be amazing. I also think it’s pretty cool that they used a Muse song in the trailer. And the way it’s cut it matches the visual aspect of it nicely: “…you will burn…” with the shot of the Silk Spectre II and the fiery background. I love that album. The Smashing Pumpkins song in the previous trailers is ultra cool as well.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS] And I’m eager to see the different ending. When I first heard about it, I was furious, but after hearing that it rated highly in test screening, many of the viewers being faithful Watchmen fans, I was relieved and am now curious. And after thinking about it, if the original ending was left, “the casual moviegoer” may walk out highly dissatisfied. But this could happen with the new ending anyway. I don’t know since I haven’t seen it. [END POSSIBLE SPOILERS] Either way, the novel is remarkable and I have no doubt that the movie will be too. I encourage everyone to read the novel. Even if it’s after you see the movie next spring, read it. You will chunk your pants.

M