When the original trailer for Lionsgate’s Power Rangers debuted, I was all set to write up a TMB article for it but then it turned out to be nothing, really. Not spectacular but it had a bit of young adult adaptation about it (à la Hunger Games, Divergent, Chronicle, etc) and the following slew of toy reveals were not helping the image of the movie at all but as the release date creeped closer and no new trailer, expectant fans were growing even more concerned about the movie. Now, with just 9 weeks until theatrical release, a second trailer finally emerges so let’s see what we can expect…

Wow. Okay, that wasn’t terrible! I think everyone assumed that this was going to be a shit-show but that trailer was pretty cool! I don’t even mind the use of Kanye West’s Power, even if Saints Row did it first and better.

Five Teenagers With Attitude

The first trailer showed a lot more of the cast doing their thing in a desaturated Breakfast Club kind-of way but we got some revealing snippets of dialogue that give some insight to the personalities and I’m on board with a bunch of snarky gits taking the piss out of each other during training sessions.

Front and (Command) Center

Bryan Cranston was announced early doors as the Rangers’ blue-domed mentor and this is his first appearance. I like it! It’s different but it looks damn cool and Cranston (who is no stranger to the Power Rangers franchise) gives a powerful delivery to the lines we hear. Assisting Zordon, we have Bill Hader (of Saturday Night Live fame) as Alpha 5 and much like everything else in the trailer, looks better in motion than in concept art or toy form.

Back to Action!

The teaser trailer was light on suit action but we get plenty in this one as we see Jason assisting a helpless civilian from some rubble and Billy delivering some devastating kicks to a Putty monster. The suits look sooooo much better in motion than I’d expected.

Green with Evil

From her initial reveal to now, I’ve been in love with Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa. She exudes an aura of wickedness and power and we get to see plenty of that with this trailer. Speculation at this moment points toward her being the Green Ranger at some point and I would be totally down for that but given her more hands-on approach to world conquering and her line from the teaser “I’ve killed Rangers before“, she may not need the power boost.

We need Megazord power!

Oh boy, the Bandai toys did not do these mechs justice. They look great in motion for what is sure to be the climax of the film. Hell, even Goldar looks good in spite of his terrible toy design. We can only hope the filmmakers took a few cues from Pacific Rim when it came to the final kaiju fight.

My final thoughts on this trailer are really positive! I was going to give the movie the benefit of the doubt despite all of the associated media giving me cause for concern but I think, come March 24th, we’re going to see a truly morphenomenal movie!

Okay, DC… You got me. After the debacle that was Man of Steel and the awfulness that was Batman v Superman; I was ready to write DC off all together but as this year’s San Diego Comic Con has shown… Maybe there’s still some hope for the world’s most iconic heroes and who better to bring that hope than Wonder Woman?

She’s Beauty, She’s Grace…

Holy cow, Gal Gadot is gorgeous! Maybe I didn’t see it in BvS because the movie was bad and the promo shots of her weren’t fantastic but seeing this lady in motion sends my heart aflutter. Whether in her finest gown (with matching sword) or on the battlefield, Gal exudes femininity like a physical aura of awesome.

… She’ll kick you in the face.

And lady knows how to beat an ass or two, that’s for damn sure! While traditionally a peaceful emissary for the Amazons, Diana is no stranger to combat and she certainly gets to show that with multiple shots of swordplay, close combat, lasso tricks and taking heavy machine gun fire like a champ!

Secret Origins

This line is pretty indicative of the way they could be going with Diana’s origin and that’s great. Because she’s had, like, six in her 75 years of publication and having one of the more mythical ones is a good step. Unless that’s just the story Hippolyta (Diana’s mother) told her… Which would also be interesting!

Take me down to the Paradise City…

Diana’s people, the Amazons, inhabit the hidden island of Themyscira (aka Paradise Island) and we get a nice few shots of the island, it’s people and their culture and I’m getting a very Thor-ish vibe from it.

Pine-ing for Fjords

Chris Pine is Steve Trevor; first man to set foot on Themyscira/Paradise Island and designated damsel for the movie. Pine’s a good choice because while he is charming, he can also play clueless and inept for laughs equally well. Which is another thing…

Candy is Dandy

There’s HUMOUR! Oh glorious gods of Olympus; there are jokes in a DC movie! Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) is Steve’s secretary and one of Diana’s closest human friends. Great to see a long neglected character get some real screen time.

To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Sure, Wonder Woman appears to be aping Marvel’s earlier outings with Thor and Captain America but is that a really bad thing? Given how dire MoS and BvS were; DC are clearly going for a more Marvelous approach and just look at the response on social media – people are responding positively to it! People are hyped for Wonder Woman and I’ll gladly count myself among that crowd!

Wonder Woman will be spinning into theatres June 2nd 2017! Be sure to keep your eyes glued to Doom though because Aaron will be looking at something in a whole different League!

When I was growing up, and even to this day, Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favourite movies. It’s science fiction, it’s comedy and, most of all, it’s a stunningly timeless piece of media so when the idea was being knocked about that it would be rebooted; suffice to say there were nay-sayers. When it was revealed it’d be an all-female cast, even more-so. But this could be star just about anyone and I’d still be excited. Why?

Cos it’s fucking GHOSTBUSTERS. So now we’ve got first footage of the Paul Feig produced requel (reboot/sequel, eh?) starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth — what’s the verdict?

History doesn’t repeat; it rhymes

My biggest fear was that the cast would be carbon copies of their predecessors and while the archetypes are there, each lady appears to be an amalgamation of different characters. McCarthy is the Ray analog but she’s also the Venkman, spurring the team to assemble. Wiig is a mix of Egon and Ray in her curiosity and scientific background. McKinnon is Egon with Venkman’s playfulness and Jones has Winston’s everyman status but with Ray’s excitable nature.

Yes, there are similarities present but once the film rolls around, I’m sure each character will have more depth to them.

The Big Twinkie
Speaking of character fusions, Chris Hemsworth appears to be pulling double duty as both the Ghostbusters’ receptionist and as the designated possessed person, so a mix of Janine and Luis. Here’s hoping he’s going full Annie Potts and will just be a hot glasses-wearing snark machine for the movie.

We got the tools; we got the talent

One thing I’ve always loved about Ghostbusters was the tech and I’ve always said that as long as the science is cool in this movie then I’ll be happy and from what I’ve seen, I’m real happy. Yes, the packs are different but all the variations on display here have appeared in other Ghostbusters media in one form or another. The current packs and trap look similar to those used in Extreme Ghostbusters (sans the terrible beam effects) and the proton pistols, shotgun and gauntlet have made appearances in the 2009 video game (which I highly recommend) and the IDW comic book series, which is super fun if you don’t mind the art style.

Spook Central

The driving plot point is that someone or something is riling up the ghost population and it’s enough to warrant a new team to answer the call. It’s got shades of Ghostbusters II and Extreme Ghostbusters and I’m interested to see where it goes. While the spooks aren’t all practical or stop-motion, they are visually striking, which is great. Plus we do get a quick peek at one of the many returning cast members in the form of the green spud, Slimer.

So what’s the verdict? I’m optimistic! Sure there’s some hints at the kind of humour modern audiences eat up and I hate but hopefully that’s just trailer-bait and the movie itself will have more of a sardonic, gallows sense of humour like the original. Apart from that; I’m loving what I’m seeing — and hearing with the tinkling piano and funky remix of the Who You Gonna Call? Theme song. Seriously, it gave me goosebumps!

You can make the call for yourself when Ghostbusters appears in theaters this summer!

JJ and his amazing friend Jason are here to talk about what everyone is talking about…TRAILERS! The guys go into why The Force Awakens seems to have more life than the last batch of Star Wars product and Star Wars Rebels seems to be a good indicator of things to come. The guys then hit Batman V Superman and the new FF trailer as well before talking a bit about The Babadook! (mild spoilers, only. In fact reeeeeeeeeealy mild)

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The positives are that after over 7 years of work, the film is finally here. Paul Rudd gets to be a super-hero. Michael Douglas is in a Marvel movie as Hank Pym. Evangeline Lilly gets to be in a movie without elf ears or having to make gooey eyes at a dwarf.

I’m a little nervous, as you can probably tell, but I still have hope. A full two and a half minute trailer has been released today. Lets take a look shall we?

– Talk To The Animals, Walk With The Animals

Ant-Man’s ant power is something that is mostly forgotten about these days in the comics but it did feature much more heavily in the early days of his comic appearances. They seem to be a big part of this movie now too.

– Out of the Way of the Gun

Moments like this, of Ant-Man literally dodging a bullet make this film feel like a contender. Lots of people have talked about selling the idea of Ant-Man and his powers being a difficult prospect. Shots like this are cool enough to calm some of those nerves.

– Jackets Are Everywhere

This bit is kind of confusing. Yellowjacket was the alias for Hank Pym for a period in the comics, and not a bad guy. Darren Cross is a villain in the comics but he did not have an Ant-Man-like suit. They’ve arrived at this bit and it’s not the worst thing in the world but it is too familiar. The Iron Man films made a point of making his bad guys have his technology. It’s a morality tale about power and responsibility (don’t tell Spidey) and, well, we’ve seen it before. It’s a bit disappointing for them to take the same tact this time. I know Pym doesn’t exactly have a great rogues gallery but I think they could have done better.

– Revenge of the Fat Controller

We’ve all had this nightmare, right? Just me? OK.

I will say though, I wonder how people will react to the ridiculousness of what looks to be the final battle of the film.

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Overall: Oh god, I’m really not sure. This could go either way. I doubt it will be a huge flop, Marvel is a trusted brand at this point and people love Rudd, but it could be the first Marvel film to under perform. I worry. I worry. This trailer did not reassure me.

The Fantastic Four. Marvel’s First Family; Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm were forever transformed by cosmic rays into the Fantastic Four! There’s been one failed attempt at a movie, two more that weren’t great and now a brand new reboot from director Josh Trank (Director of the fascinating Chronicle) and written by Simon Kinberg (Writer of X-Men: The Last Stand, Days of Future Past and Star Wars: Rebels). Can these two bring us a unique and awe-inspiring take on the Fantastic Four? Here’s a hint:

 
Highlight of The Trailer

It does not bode well when the Marvel logo (not even the fancy new 3D one) elicits the biggest smile for the next 2 minutes. And what’s with that narrator? I didn’t know Tony Todd was in this movie! (Spoilers: He’s not. Boo-urns.)

Fresh Faces

Here are your Fantastic Four! These young pups are the latest heroes on the scene, given “daunting” new powers after teleporting to a parallel universe. Hoo boy. Let’s run down these cats. Miles Teller (Reed Richards) is known for starring in Divergent, so he’s right at home here, it looks like the same movie. Kate Mara (Sue Storm) was a US Marshal in Iron Man 2 and that’s the only thing I’ve seen her in. Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm), despite the backlash against his casting, seems like a solid actor plus he was in The Boondocks so that wins him points with me and finally Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm. Billy Elliot is The Thing. I don’t even need to make a joke, it writes itself.

Power Play

We all know the powers of the Fantastic Four by now so how do they look from what little we see? Not too shabby! We don’t get much (Johnny being the most notable) but Reed looks stretchy without looking like ropey CGI, Sue seems to have a similar effect to Jessica Alba but it’s invisibility, what can you do? Johnny’s flames are a little more subdued than Chris Evans but that’s not a bad thing and The Thing is not a rubber suit. That’s all I can say because there’s TWO shots of him.

Money Shot

Admittedly, that does look cool. (If a little Mass Effect-y.)

The teaser gives us nothing in terms of plot, just a lot of shots of science and military men looking stern while the narrator tries to make is overdose on gravitas but we get plenty of shots of the heroes and that’s that. I’m probably not going to see this. Mildly interesting familial dynamics and different takes on power sets I’ve seen before aren’t enough to draw me in but we’ll see what the general public things when The Fantastic Four hits screens on August 6th 2015.

There are some bright spots though. It’s being directed by Alan Taylor who did the quite good Thor 2 and a half dozen Game of Thrones episodes. The latter brings us to Emilia Clarke in her biggest movie role to date as the younger Sarah Connor. Add to that the returning Arnie, Matt Smith, and Angry Monkey Sequel‘s Jason Clarke you’ve got a pretty decent cast.

But it could still go all wrong. Just ask Christian Bale.

– I Am Sarah Connor of The House Targaryen

I have a lot of respect for Emilia Clarke both professionally and as a person. She’s a reasonable likeness for Linda Hamilton in Terminator 1 (bar the hair) but doesn’t quite have the same Viking warrior presence of her in Terminator 2 so I guess that should probably give you our timeline.

– Eye Know What You Are

Always nice to see a T-1000. Sure, not if one was really after you, but in the movies they’re great.

– Hey Arnold

Look at the Play-Doh head on him! He looks like a Stretch Armstrong.

– Flipping Hell

Ugh! I hate these sort of ridiculous effects. Nothing is going to make a bus do these kind of gymnastics. If I’m supposed to be invested in a film, I need to believe in that world. I know this may seem silly to mention in a film with robots from the future but that’s a technology I can understand and get into. Bus back-flips are just dumb.

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Overall: I still don’t know. This could be pants. Matt Smith was in all the promo photo-shoots for the film but nowhere to be seen in the trailer which is suspicious. Arnold’s involvement at this point is almost a distraction. I don’t know. I just don’t know.

Ow! Stop throwing stuff, I had to! It’s in my contract! So, Mad Max, huh? It’s post-SDCC 2014 and THIS is what I have to work with… No Avengers 2? No Batman vs Superman trailer… Yes, there’s a teaser, but it’s literally just Bats and Supes glaring at each other. There’s also that Deadpool vid knocking around which is bloody awesome but it’s sadly just test footage so I’m not covering it.

Mad Max, an Australian dystopian post-apocalypse movie franchise directed by the guy who made Babe and Happy Feet, George Miller and starring the Jew-hating buddy-cop Mel Gibson. The first three were critically acclaimed and this fourth installment has been in development for LONGER THAN I’VE BEEN ALIVE. But now it’s coming and it stars Tom Hardy so let’s see what the craic is.

“You merely adopted the sand; I was born in it, moulded by it.”
Tom Hardy, adopting yet another ludicrous accent (sorry, Australia!) is our Mad Max and he certainly looks the part. Hell, he even spends most of the trailer getting his ass kicked, which is what my memory of Mad Max is. Did he ever actually win a fight in the other movies? Hmm.

Imperius Regina
Charlize Theron plays Imperator Furiosa, possibly the antagonist, possibly an ally, the trailer is giving me bupkis in that regard but it’s a strong look for her.

Sand and Explosions!
That’s about as Mad Max as you can get. The look of the movie is very cool, having the vehicles designed by screenwriter and British comics artist Brendan McCarthy.

Can’t say much more about this trailer. It’s Mad Max, it looks like Mad Max and there’s nothing really given away other than “this is Mad Max as anything.” You can expected Mad Max: Fury Road to screech onto our screens May 15, 2015. Now, rack off!

First envisioned as a backdoor pilot, the Scarlet Speedster’s two-parter appearance on Arrow was so well received that they’re giving him a full pilot to himself to further expand his story. As an off-shoot of Arrow, The Flash is stepping into an already established universe. Many of the DC’s made up cities are present, lots of references to companies and individuals comic fans know but thankfully, this 5 minute extended trailer shows off what we can expect from The Flash’s second television attempt.

“Save me, Barry!”

Grant Gustin (of Glee fame, apparently) plays Barry Allen and when he showed up in Arrow, he was instantly an endearing bumbler who was always running late, a knowing juxtaposition to his upcoming role. He helped Ollie defeat the baddie of the week, gave him a compound for his new mask and, at the end of it all, was struck by lightning and dowsed in chemicals. A running subplot in Arrow up to that point was that a particle accelerator was due to come online in Central City and I thought that’s how his powers manifested and, seemingly, that is a possible explanation but I do love that they recreated possibly the silliest origin story ever. Speaking of…

Secret Origins

The mysterious “man in the lightning” is obviously Professor Zoom, aka the Reverse Flash and he is responsible for the death of Barry’s mother. Interestingly, there’s also a character called Eddie Thawne in the show, a transfer to Central City’s Police Depratment. I’m not saying they’re connected. Not at all. *whistles*

Flash Fact!

In an interesting nod, John Wesley Shipp has a role in the pilot. For the uninformed, John Wesley Shipp was The Flash in the original 90’s live action series and appears to be playing Barry’s father, who is framed for the murder of his wife. That’s some nice work, producers!

This Ship sails itself

Candice Patton plays Iris West, Barry’s love interest and best friend. I predict season long sexual tensions and emotional tumblr posts. Her father is a detective for the CCPD and also acts as a surrogate father to Barry.

Five Day Forecast

The Particle Accelerator incident seems to have trigger metahuman abilities in many inhabitants of Central City, nicely setting up a more super-powered villain of the week formula. First up is Weather Wizard, a shit-tier member of The Flash’s Rogues. Call me when Captain Cold shows up!

Of note, Barry’s STAR Lab cohorts are also named characters! Specifically; Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow, the Justice Leaguer Vibe and the villainess Killer Frost, respectively. Will we see them develop powers? Here’s hoping!

Lightspeed Rescue

The Flash costume is pretty good, especially for a TV show and the efffects for his super speed look so much better than Smallville’s attempts but there’s still a little bit of that badness present. At the very least, his fast-paced superheroics look much more dynamic.

Guest-Starring: Green Arrow!

Stephen Amnell reprises his role as Ollie Queen/The Arrow, offering up some advice to the rookie hero and seems to be pretty up beat, all things considered. (If you’re not watching Arrow, you really ought to be!)

So that’s our first glimpse at The Flash and I’m excited! Springboarding off of the strong foundation that is Arrow, The Flash is set to be a good alternative to the broody vigilante with a more colourful set of characters and adventures. The Flash is set to premiere this Fall on the CW Network!

Gotham is a prequel series, not tying into any future cinematic universe DC is trying to build but as a general mythos builder. Kinda sounds like Smallville, and there are a fair few similarities in that respect but hopefully we won’t have anything nearly that rubbish.

“I moustache you a question.”

Ben McKenzie (best known for his lead role in The O.C.) is playing a fresh-faced Jim Gordon, assigned to the high profile murder case of Thomas and Martha Wayne. From what little we see, this Jim is a bit rough and tumble, a war veteran and shows the makings of the Jim Gordon we know.

A load of Bullocks

Donal Logue (Sons of Anarchy, Vikings) is Harvey Bullock, Jim’s new partner and seeming mentor as he’s got a couple years on him at least.

Something fishy about her…

Jada Pinkett Smith (Yes, Will Smith’s wife) plays Fish Mooney, a rather oddly named original character, as far as I can tell. Never heard the name before and if she is a DC character, she is VERY obscure. Mooney is a sadistic crime boss.

“Why do we fall, Master Bruce?”

What could be the biggest flaw in this show is the introduction of younger versions of established DC characters. Most importantly, a young Bruce Wayne. The young actor is David Mazouz and, unfortunately, I’ve never seen anything he’s been in but he seems to get what a young Bruce Wayne would sound like. We don’t see him in the trailer but apparently Sean Pertwee will play Alfred and after Michael Caine’s performance, I’m looking forward to more funny British butlers.

Muppet Babies

This is where I start to worry about these younger characters. A young Oswald Cobblepot? Sure, I can buy that. Edward Nygma as a GCPD forensic scientist? Ehhhhh, okay… Tween Selina Kyle in a psuedo-Catwoman attire sneaking around Wayne Manor? Hey, that’s a little on the nose there, pal. Baby Poison Ivy?

No, fuck right off, that’s stupid. She wasn’t even shown in any other part of the trailer just “Before Posion Ivy” and cut to a little blond girl watering plants. Even JL8 has more subtlety than that.

Overall, I’ll give Gotham a shot. If Arrow has taught me anything, it’s that DC shows can work out and be really damn good. This could be the closest thing we’ll get to seeing a Gotham Central TV show and I know a fair few DOOM staffers would love to see that happen. Then again, this is Fox so we’re all expecting this to get cancelled, right? Gotham should be hitting our screens later this year.