The Hunger Games
This is exactly what I look for in a trailer. It shows a lot without giving away much of anything. There is a swift momentum that propels the narrative forward, and nary a second is wasted. It hits every note just right. We immediately see that some of the characters live in a dystopian, totalitarian world in which they have almost nothing (note the modest clothing). Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), our heroine, then has to watch as her sister is chosen in an evidently terrible lottery. While the specifics of the situation are still unclear (to those who’ve not read the books), the viewer still acutely feels the magnitude of this situation. Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place, and her modest home is quickly contrasted with the lavish excess of the Capitol. From there, she is caught up in the pageantry that is the Hunger Games, an annual tribute in which teenagers from every district are thrown into a battle (I’m glossing over the details a bit) that will only have one survivor. The trailer then ramps up the intensity until the very point at which the Hunger Games begin. Lawrence is amazing in what little she does here, and in only two minutes I found myself caring about her character. That’s what a trailer should do.
Brave
This was quite a week for archer heroines. Brave is a Pixar movie, so it couldn’t possibly be bad. That’s all I have to go on thus far though. Scottish accent aside, there is nothing in this trailer that excites me about this movie. Honestly, I don’t totally know what’s going on. The open is classic Pixar, but after that the trailer is all over the place. Princess Merida is the first born, so she has to prove her worth. That’s reasonable. She isn’t allowed to actually participate though because she’s a lady. I can follow that as well. From there though, things get weird. A scrawny “warrior” is inexplicably presented to another princess (or is it the queen?). Immediately after, Merida declares that she wants her freedom, her mother asks if she is willing to sacrifice for that freedom, and Merida rides a horse to some remote part of the forest. She becomes involved in what may or may not be strange magical enchantments, and an inexplicable fighting montage follows. There’s slapping, someone diving on and biting someone else, children (Merida’s siblings?) hitting someone in the foot with a club, and an old man mooning a younger man. Also, there are tiny bears that frighten a woman into a concussion. I don’t know how any of these events correlate with each other. They obviously have something to do with Merida’s magical meddling and the task she has to complete, but I have no idea how or why. I also don’t really care. I’ll pay attention to the next trailer because Pixar’s Pixar, but this trailer does little to help the film’s cause.
Mirror, Mirror
To be honest, when I first watched this trailer I had to double check that it was not just a re-release of a movie that came out in the ‘90s. It looks decidedly un-HD, and there is a grainy quality to the video that just doesn’t happen today. Julia Roberts’ presence hints at that reality as well. Setting that aside, the trailer is perfectly ordinary. The Evil Queen is of course terribly vain, and she takes issue with Snow White’s existence. Nothing new there. Armie Hammer plays an un-litigious Prince Alcott (I’m still stuck on The Social Network with him, let me know if you’re not), who is the Evil Queen’s love interest. He is tasked with tracking down rebels who Snow White has taken league with. They have a run-in, and the two young beautiful people naturally feel some attraction. Snow White makes a comment about how she, as a princess, is rescuing a prince, but that is the only fresh part of that sequence. Ultimately, it looks like a tame version of a classic story, complete with an uninspired love triangle. Admittedly, the puppy love potion joke is enjoyable. That is the only part of the trailer that really gets a rise out of me though.
Snow White and the Huntsman
These two trailers demand to be contrasted, so I will do just that. At this point, the term “gritty reimagining” has become a Hollywood cliché. That is totally what happened to this film though. Beginning with a Tron-esque score over scenes of battle, it immediately differentiates itself from Mirror, Mirror. Whereas Julia Roberts’ Evil Queen is a vain bitch who is threatened by Snow White, Charlize Theron’s Evil Queen is a sadistic bitch who needs to eat Snow White’s heart to live forever. Seriously. She then sends Chris Hemsworth’s Eric the Huntsman into the forest to find Snow White. His nearly-feral attitude is a far cry from the sterile prince Armie Hammer plays, and it appears to be perfect for this film. Everything is dark, everything is dangerous, and Charlize plays the Evil Queen with seductive hatred. While being “dark” is not nearly enough to make a good movie, it certainly intrigues me in this trailer. It’s more style than substance so far (does Kristen Stewart even speak?), but that’s enough to pull me in.
Dan Spritz / Cherry On Top / @DanSpritz
