A Shi... Er, Shed-Load Of Trailers, Part II!

Welcome to part two of my new-and-recent-trailers review… as I mentioned in the first part, I’m not necessarily that keen on seeing all of these movies, but one way or another they’ve perked my interest. Anyway, let’s take a look…

Low-budget sci-fi horror Monsters caused something of a stir at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, as is already being referred to as the next District 9. The film revolves around a NASA space probe crashing in Mexico, where a huge quarantine area is set up to contain… well, monsters clearly! This teaser doesn’t show much monster action… but maybe that’s a good thing.



Disney’s 1982 sci-fi hit Tron boasted some ground-breaking computer effects, and has something of a cult following. I’ve actually only ever seen bits of it, but I’m fully aware of its popular appeal. As such, the major buzz that has built up around tardy sequel Tron: Legacy is not all that surprizing. Original stars Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner return, the CG glimpsed so far is very impressive and the film’s score comes courtesy of French electro duo Daft Punk. Here’s the latest trailer.



Directed by John Curran, Stone stars Robert De Niro as a parole officer who finds himself the target for manipulation by Edward Norton’s prison inmate, who convinces his wife (Milla Jovovich) to seduce De Niro. Norton has previously worked with both De Niro (2001’s The Score) and Curran (on the acclaimed 2006 period piece The Painted Veil). Some of the more dramatic moments in this trailer seem a little overcooked and flaky, but considering the talent involved – not to mention the fact that trailers are not always a good representation of a film – let’s not be too hasty to judge just yet.



Based on the DC Comics’ mini-series of the same name, Red sees a bunch of former CIA agents forced out of retirement thanks to an assassination attempt. An impressive cast (including Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and – yay! – Ernest Borgnine!) and some humorous touches could lift this above your average comic action adventure.



Another DC Comics property coming to the screen is Green Lantern, one of their lesser-known but still popular superheroes. Trailer is a little silly, mind.



…And sticking with the, er, theme of green superheroes… classic man of mystery The Green Hornet is coming to the screen, with Seth Rogan (no, really) in the title role. Jay Chou plays martial-arts sidekick Kato, Cameron Diaz plays the love interest and Christoph Waltz plays the villain. Trailer is stylish, with some nice gadgets and action sequences on display, but the ‘flip’ tone is a bit off-putting. Hmmm.



Like Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear is a sweet, life-affirming character who has inspired blind adoration from several generations of cartoon fans. Also like Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear has been turned into a modern live-action flick. Oh dear. Actually, there is perhaps a hint of mild wittiness evident in this trailer... but still, I don't buy it. Also – and particularly post-Avatar – the faces of Yogi (voiced by Dan Ackroyd) and sidekick Boo-Boo (voiced – ingeniously – by Justin Timberlake) are perhaps just not quite convincing enough to integrate well with live-action.



That’s it for this little trailer round-up. Bye for now!