X-Men: First Class – released June 1st in the UK
Colourful, sexy, epic, fun! Lots of glimpses of the young cast, 60s setting and stunning action, underpinned by tense snatches of conversation between the commanding central duo - James ‘Professor X’ McAvoy and Michael ‘Magneto’ Fassbender - which not only tease the plot nicely, but also hint at the pair’s fractured destiny. Director Matthew Vaughan and producer Bryan Singer seem to have the X-Men back on track. Here is a piece that promises the weight of Singer’s X-Verse, together with fresh characters and a welcome dash of colour. The sea-based action looks original and epic, and I like the pulsing prog-metal soundtrack here. Let’s hope the proper film score is equally suited to the tone. True to the comic’s? Possibly not. Too cool for school? Hell Yeah!
Green Lantern – released June 17th in the UK
This movie could be a big gamble for DC – competing in a summer dominated by Marvel Studios productions, Green Lantern, a relative unknown outside the comics community, has to stand apart. What we’re offered looks thrilling. Outer space has never looked so good, the appeal of flying through the stars so thrilling and in contrast to many earth based superhero films, this offers plenty of strange new worlds and characters for the genre to explore. Ryan Reynolds seems to be acting with conviction, but will he be lost under all that CGI? Early criticisms of the CGI Lantern suit are still a worry, but when seen in the context of the fully realised CGI world of the Green Lantern Corps, we might just be in for a visual feast on a par with Avatar. Either way it looks like a lot of fun. What do fans of the comic think?
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon – released July 1st in the UK
Having neither found the time, nor inclination to see the first two Transformers movies at the cinema, this trailer had me stand up and take notice. From the Apollo 11 teaser, echoing Alien, to a serious looking Shia LaBeouf, this actually intrigues me. The stakes, with what looks like a full scale invasion, collapsing skyscrapers and a breathless pace, look impossibly high. Whether 2D or 3D, I think I’m sold – and I didn’t even notice the absence of Megan Fox!
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part II – released July 15th in the UK (TBC)
I can’t remember the point when I stopped waiting for each new J.K. Rowling adaptation with eager anticipation. Was it that having completed the books I kind of lost interest, or is it simply that the film series has proved a little inconsistent? Either way, the above trailer has sparked my interest anew. After a relatively dull part one, we’re promised plenty of Wizarding mayhem as seven years worth of plots finally come to a spectacular conclusion. There are glimpses of many minor characters making a welcome return (did you spot Julie Walters in what’s sure to be a stand out moment?), and the effects look better than ever. Hopefully the knockout character moments from the book won’t be lost under all the bluster, and also, hopefully they’ll leave us wanting more rather than simply relieved that it’s all over!
Captain America: The First Avenger – released July 29th in the UK
This trailer promises a pretty faithful re-telling of Captain America’s WWII origins, with a cleverly rendered ‘weedy’ Chris Evan’s volunteering for an experimental procedure to produce the perfect soldier/model. Although the WWII setting has been done to death, ‘The First Avenger’ promises a new take on a classic genre, with tantalising glimpses of Cap in action against not only Nazi soldiers, but also Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull and hordes of Hydra agents. This trailer is stunning on the big screen and the whole thing has than unmistakable Marvel Studios sheen. The reference to Howard Stark also set my fanboy senses tingling. Fingers crossed, this does Thor and Iron Man proud! Roll on the Avengers!
Robert Barton-Ancliffe ran out of time to include Cowboys And Aliens, due out in August. Here at Proud Lion, we have every faith in Jon Favs to deliver something quite special!
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