Remember when summer movies were just plain fun? No need for dark and dreary, just adventure and excitement? No need for deep and poignant emotion, but an excuse to escape the heaviness of real-world problems for two hours? Only one of the new preview releases seems to have that escapist romp vibe, and that film is The Lone Ranger. Nothing serious there–just a goofy Western throwback with just a bit pulled from the classic original. And Johnny Depp doing the kind of crazy characterization that earned him an Oscar nomination in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Who cares if they don’t have futuristic special effects and instead rely on a good old-fashioned train chase scene for their action and adventure? To us it just looks like fun. Check out this fun and action-packed new trailer for The Lone Ranger:
But you can’t have just one trailer and call it a trailer park so we have three more you may or may not want to check out. Next up is the new longer preview for Man of Steel. Man of Steel is starting to crystallize as a film that has a strange casting problem. First, the lead, Henry Cavill, doesn’t seem to carry the mantle of Superman from any previews yet released–the zip, pizzazz, charisma, kindness and power of Christopher Reeve will forever be the comparison for anyone daring to fill the shoes of Clark Kent and his caped alter ego. A chin dimple doesn’t make Superman. Despite the naysayers about Superman Returns, Brandon Routh was a great choice for Superman, mirroring the same elements Reeve brought to the role. If Cavill has any of that same spark it is so far not yet been revealed. And then you have this giant cast that is too big for this film with Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne. Wouldn’t their calibre of acting be better used in another movie? Instead of Zack Snyder presenting a new superhero vision we just have another (yawn) jump-on-the-bandwagon, dark and gloomy Christopher Nolan-inspired film. I’m really just tired of origin stories, especially when they’ve been done before and in a similar way (Zod again?). Would someone please get the Marvel filmmakers to make a DC Comics film? But don’t rely on what we’re thinking. Judge for yourself–here’s the new trailer for Men of Steel:
And clearly J.J. Abrams wants us all to see the entire new Star Trek film before it hits theaters so there are no surprises left for theater watching. Our biggest gripe? We want William Shatner’s always cocky and confident Kirk back. What’s with the unsure, nervous and confused Captain of the Enterprise in all these previews? Why must every other Star Trek movie blow up the Enterprise? Where is the hopeful vision that defines Star Trek for most fans of the several TV series? Ultimately we know of no bigger Star Trek fans so we want the next movie to be great. But taking stories ripped from the headlines and putting them into our summer blockbusters of beloved franchises when we really just want escapist entertainment is just bogging us down. And what is Abrams going to do to the Star Wars franchise when he directs Star Wars VII? We lost track of how many previews have been released, but here’s the next trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness:
Finally, we were hoping for a good adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. With Django Unchained’s Leonardo DiCaprio, Doctor Who’s Carey Mulligan, and Spider-man’s Tobey Maguire, you’d think this would be hard to mess up. The casting sure seems spot-on. But this new trailer is really bogged down with wrong music and a too-long ride of gloom and despair. We’ve been watching previews for this one for so many months that we fear its long overdue release may have been for a reason. But check it out for yourself. Here’s the newest trailer for The Great Gatsby:
The Lone Ranger is in theaters July 3, 2013.
Man of Steel is in theaters June 14, 2013.
Star Trek Into Darkness is in theaters May 17, 2013.
The Great Gatsby is in theaters May 10, 2013.
Can you judge a movie by its trailer? For the sake of the movies above, we hope not!
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
