Sometimes it seems like Hollywood doesn’t have its priorities straight anymore. Film studios seem to be preoccupied with nothing but superhero sequels, movies based on board games and interminable rom-coms. But thankfully, there’s still at least one thing they’re good at: distilling a film’s premise into a two-minute clip full of quick cuts, thumping music and dramatic voiceovers. Every week, we'll serve up Hollywood’s hottest trailers without making you pay for a movie ticket. We all know the previews are the best part anyway.
In this week’s batch of trailers, Tony Stark goes dark, Tom Cruise goes off the rails and Chloë Grace Moretz gets covered in pig’s blood.
Iron Man 3
The Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall
Release Date: May 3, 2013
What’s It About?: After Marvel’s confusing trailer for this trailer, our first comprehensive glimpse at Robert Downey Jr.’s next foray into the red and yellow suit was unveiled this week. And this one finds the normally jocular, wisecracking Tony Stark looking dejected and lamenting that “nothing’s been the same since New York” (alluding to the events of The Avengers). What follows is a look at a new, dark Iron Man, culminating in Tony’s seaside fortress crumbling into the Pacific Ocean. We’re also treated to a few glimpses of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, widely considered to be the armored hero’s greatest enemy. This trailer very strongly asserts that the Iron Man franchise is under new management (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black) who will take it in a dark, pensive direction. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing after the entertaining but inconsequential Iron Man 2, but the franchise has always stood out because in a culture saturated with grim superhero reboots, Tony Stark’s playboy lifestyle and endless quips have provided a much-needed respite. To see all that come crumbling down (literally) in this trailer is jarring, and makes me wonder how all of Marvel’s individual film franchises will carry on after the creative peak that was The Avengers. I mean, come on. They even got Robin Scherbatskyin that thing.
Ben Kingsley Apparently Attended: The Bane Institute of Hilariously Unintimidating Villain Speaking Voices.
Jack Reacher
The Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosumand Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog
Release Date: Dec. 21, 2012
What’s It About?: America’s favorite couch-jumper returns as a loose-cannon cop on the edge who doesn’t play by the rules, working to exonerate a military sniper accused of killing five people. In a totally unexpected twist, he finds himself involved in a massive conspiracy that goes WAY BEYOND the accused soldier. What is it with Tom Cruise and truths people don’t think he can handle? And this trailer doesn’t do much to convince us that Jack Reacher will stray from action movie clichés. We’re treated to some disjointed fight sequences and car chases, with very little plot detail or elaboration on what exactly is going on. The “kill the lawyer...psych! just kidding!” fake-out scene at the pay phone is a confusing attempt to get laughs, as is the ending bit with the baseball cap. Not to mention that the tagline – “the law has limits...he doesn’t” - only reinforces the clichéd-ness of Reacher’s “I’m not a normal cop and I have nothing to lose” attitude. It’s been a big year for Cruise – he rode high off the success of the new Mission: Impossible, and then squandered that goodwill by singing Bon Jovi with his shirt off (side note: Rock of Ages is a totally bananas movie that I can recommend to anyone who wants to see Catherine Zeta-Jones sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” with a bunch of church ladies or Alec Baldwin making out with Russell Brand) and getting divorced. That Tom capped it off by starring in a stale action flick is a huge disappointment.
Back to Rock of Ages for a Sec: Paul Giamatti sang “Here I Go Again”! You can rent it on iTunes, you guys! What are you waiting for?
Carrie
The Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Judy Greer
Release Date: March 15, 2013
What’s It About?: A new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic ‘70s novel, Carrie tells the story of a teenage girl (Moretz) in a small town who is tormented by her classmates and her religious fanatic mother (Moore). But let’s be real. You know Carrie for its climax, when the title character gets a bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her at her prom and retaliates by using her newly developed telekinetic powers to destroy the entire town. And this trailer, the first we’ve seen, doesn’t pull any punches – it teases us with a long tracking shot of the burning town with a final close-up on a bloodied Carrie. Revealing how this new version will depict the story’s most famous moment may backfire; most teasers tantalize the audience by only hinting at the most anticipated moment (last week’sZero Dark Thirty trailer is a great example). Carrie is a story that still has a lot to offer, especially in an age where bullying and teen suicides are at the forefront of our culture. Let’s hope this Carrie does more than go for the jugular (literally) and goes beyond the sensationalism the trailer whips up.
It Already Looks Better Than:The famously horrendous stage musical adaptation.