This week two can't-miss trailers (The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit) hit the web, and we also get our first look at The Expendables 2, Clash of the Titans 2, and Jack the Giant Killer. Make sure to check back tomorrow for a run-down of the can't-miss movies we'll have for you on Showcase this weekend.
The Dark Knight Rises
It's not often that a 2-minute trailer can generate as much excitement as the release of full-length blockbuster, but the debut trailer for The Dark Knight Rises has done just that. The movie won't even be released for another 7 months, but already the hype for Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman is building to a deafening crescendo. And guess what? It looks like the film might just live up to the sky-high expectations...because this trailer is awesome. Opening in a "peacetime" Gotham (8 years after the events of The Dark Knight), the trailer introduces the film's central villain, the terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) as well as Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and builds up to Bane's epic attack on a football stadium. Even if you ignore absolutely everything else I write in this entry, you have to check this out:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Following just behind The Dark Knight Rises on the hype-o-meter is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, starring Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and featuring the return of Ian McKellen as Gandalf. As with the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson is directing, with the film version of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel set to be told over two parts. With the same director and many of the stars of LOTR returning (not to mention the fact that the two Hobbit films have a combined budget of $500 million), there is literally no reason to think that this movie and its follow-up won't be good. But don't get too excited - you still have a year to wait, with the film only set for a December 2012 release.
The Expendables 2
If superheroes or fantasy flicks aren't you're thing and you just want all-out old school action, then The Expendables 2 is probably for you. Starring just about every 80's and 90's action superstar you can think of, you can probably expect more of what we saw in The Expendables, only with more explosions and more screen time for Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Oh, and Chuck Norris.
Clash of the Titans: Wrath of the Gods
The first Clash of the Titans has become somewhat famous for being one of the worst examples of sloppy post-production 3D that has ever been inflicted on audiences. I saw the film in theatres, and know from personal experience how bad the 3D was - the movie was decent, but the blurry visuals almost ruined everything. Hopefully the producers of the film learned their lesson and they won't make the same mistake twice. Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson reprise their roles as Perseus, Hades, and Zeus, respectively.
Jack the Giant Killer
Very loosely based on the classic fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Killer tells the story of a young farmhand who mistakenly opens a portal that allows a race of giants to come back to Earth. As the giants fight to claim the land they once held, Jack is forced to battle back (possibly using magic beans, although probably not). Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ian McShane, and Ewan McGregor star.