Trailers that were better than their movies
Avatar The Last Airbender is coming out this week. I won't say much about it, needless to say I'm hesitant since seeing the trailers. It's clearly going to be a different feel from the tv show I've come to know and love. Watching the trailers though got me to thinking about other trailers I've seen in the past. Sometimes a trailer ends up being significantly better than the movie it's advertising. They get you excited, then the movies disappoint. So I've done a quick list which I've been thinking about posting for a while of some of my favourite trailers. The rules to this list: I have to have seen the movie, it has to be a movie I was legitimately excited for. So without further ado:
Manda's Top 5 Trailers that were Better Than Their Movies:
5. The New World: www.youtube.com/watch
Okay, yes, it's Pocahontas. But I was really intrigued. They got a 14 year old to play Pocahontas, already making it more historically acurate than the Disney version. They included John Rolfe, another history point. Most of you who know me know that music plays a big part with me in movies, and for trailers it's much the same thing. This trailer featured big, epic, history changing music that very clearly indicated what this movie would be about. Or so I thought.
This was a trailer that was not so much better than the movie, but just vastly different, which is why it's on the bottom of the list. I actually enjoyed the movie, but it was such a different experience from what I was expecting. It had a much more experimental feel to it, with little to no music (the music that was there was also very different from the traielr music, it had a much more classical feel to it). It was a beautifully shot movie, had some nice performances in it, and a message in the end that I thought was a lot more subtle and complex than the usual "Yup, we ruined their culture and their land". The idea that Pocahontas views her changes from a free running native to colonized citizen as a natural part of life as opposed to a horrible transformation is a much more interesting one. She sees John Smith in the end, and knows that she can't go back to him simply because she's a different person than she was at the beginning of the film.
But the trailer painted a much different, more action packed picture and for that I put it on the list simply because it's a well-made trailer that I will watch over and over again.
4. Elizabeth: The Golden Age: www.youtube.com/watch
Another historical epic. I liked the first Elizabeth movie and upon seeing this epic and beautiful trailer, I was pretty revved up to see the second one. It looked exciting. It looked pretty. It looked sad. it looked like it had some pretty kick ass performances in it. And I love historical dramas. I love the very idea of court and the sheer number of subtle rules that people followed in order to get by. And I love Elizabeth I, one of the most inspiring yet frightening monarchs around. The sheer amount of strength it must have taken for her to rule a country, not get murdered, maintain her demeanor and remain resolutely alone is astounding to think about.
But the movie gave me none of that subtlety. It was the least subtle movie. Cate Blanchett practically giggled like a school girl everytime the male love interest entered a room and...well, I mean, I can see her feeling like that, but in her world to act that way in public would have put cracks in that image she needed to uphold of herself. The idea of this film is not that Elizabeth defended her country from the Spanish because they threatened the country, but because the called her a ho-bag one time. And while that can certainly contribute, it can't be the sole reason. Add to that an annoying soundtrack, some hitting over the head symbolism and just a general sloppy movie and you've got a movie that pales in comparison to the promises of the trailer.
3. The Time Traveller's Wife: www.youtube.com/watch
I don't read romance novels. I only occcasionally watch romantic type movies. They are gooey and unrealistic and the only reason romantic anything ever works for me is when there's a good supporting cast of characters to focus on to take away from the oh so lovey dovey goo eyes that the leads are giving each other. Nyree leant me the Time Traveller's Wife, assuring me that I would love it so so much, and I have to admit I was skeptical. Today it's the only romance novel I swear by. Of course that might be because of the time travelling science fiction aspect of it, but it's also because it's just damn well written. Poetic and tragic and complex. So when I heard they were making a movie, I got excited. And when I saw the trailer, I got a bit more excited. This trailer pretty much encompasses every great part of the movie and gets the essence down pat.
Unfortunately, for me, the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations. It flittered, it left out things that well shouldn't have been left out which kind of made the lead characters seem more like whiny bitches.
2. 9: www.youtube.com/watch
When I first saw this trailer, I got ridiculously excited. This looked like an original, dark and epic cartoon that a lot of CGI movies tend to steer away from. What made it even better? The song. Dan was awesome enough to find it and download it for me and it's one of the best things to listen to while doing...well, anything. It makes whatever you're doing that much more epic. The animation looked great, not much of the story was given away but enough was dangled there to keep you wanting more, and it just plain looked kick ass.
That's about where it ended. I actually had reservations about this movie when I saw that it was based on a short film. I looked up the short film on Youtube, which you should definately check out because it is just phenomenal (www.youtube.com/watch) and when I watched it I immediately began to wonder about the movie. The short film...is just so good. It works wonderfully as a short film, perfectly edited with a storyline that's concise and wrapped up. A lot of story is actually told using very simple visual techniques and I loved it. So of course I began to wonder how 1. This could be extended to an 80 minute movie and 2. How the addition of voice actors would affect it, because the voiceless characters of the short film actually seemed like a better choice.
Unfortunately, my fears were justified. What was mysterious and suspenseful in the first film had to be spelled out for the feature length. No story element was left up to the viewer. The voice acting was just jarring and well...in some cases, badly done. I'm looking at you, Jennifer Connolly. Stick to what you know.
But despite my problems with the film, I still go back to look at the trailer every so often because it's just plain awesome to watch. To me, this trailer actually condensed the movie to what it ought to be.
1. The Golden Compass:
www.youtube.com/watch
Here's the problem with one of your all-time favourite book being adapted for film: you're going to get high expectations. And when you see the trailer, those expectations will skyrocket even more. The teaser trailer for the Golden Compass got me more excited than I can describe. I always try to keep my excitement in check with these types of movies that I'm already 50% invested in because of the book alone. But it was hard with the Golden Compass. It was one of those books that I randomly picked up at a book fair at my old elementary school. Technically I was considered too old for it, but my mom got a certain number of free books for running it and it looked interesting enough so I brought it home. Good lord, what a great decision.
The Golden Compass remains one of my favourite books. It's complex, dark, fantastical, and every character loveable. So when I saw all my favourite characters in that trailer, needless to say my excitement grew about 110%. Yet I still had reservations. I always keep in mind that the movie won't live up to my expectations, that there will be things I wish had been done differently or plot points I wish had been kept in. And Phillip Pullman wrote a very dense book. Still, that little teaser trailer gave me hope.
But not only did the movie not live up to my expectations as an adaptation, it didn't live up to my expectations as a good piece of film in general. It was all over the place, two-dimensional, and the filmmakers decision to skirt around a lot of the controversy surrounding the book was foolish and not well thought out. They spelled everything out for you, telling you what "dust" is in an opening monologue when in the series they spend 3 books trying to figure out what it is. They have Nicole Kidman be the absolute most obvious villain. Sure, she was pretty obvious in the book as well, but when she was around others she wasn't evil eyeing her way around a room.
And worst, worst of all, they completely eliminated the ending. I'm not saying changed, I'm saying eliminated from the movie entirely, ending it on the most anti-climatic note ever. The end of the Golden Compass is in my opinion one of the most shocking, plot twisting, tragic moments of children's literature and the fact that they cut short of that moment in the film is just plain robbery. But they filmed it! That's the kicker, they actually filmed it. You know how I know that? The trailers! For those of us who know the books, it was very obvious that the scenes in the trailer were from that last chapter, and THOSE were teh scenes that got me most excited. I felt cheated.
But I will always have that trailer to show me the movie that might have been. It was well put together, the music swept you along and it gave you enough of a sense of the story to get you excited. I can always dream :).
Honourable Mention: Twilight (Yes, when I first saw the trailer for twilight, I'll admit, I thought it looked fun. And a couple of my friends loved the series it was based on and up until that point I had never even heard of it. So why isn't it on the list? Well, because I read the book shortly after and discovered it was a steaming pile of crap and avoided the theatre altogether. So yeah. Thankfully that sword was dodged).
Let me know what trailers you have in mind when you think of movie disappointments!
Manda's Top 5 Trailers that were Better Than Their Movies:
5. The New World: www.youtube.com/watch
Okay, yes, it's Pocahontas. But I was really intrigued. They got a 14 year old to play Pocahontas, already making it more historically acurate than the Disney version. They included John Rolfe, another history point. Most of you who know me know that music plays a big part with me in movies, and for trailers it's much the same thing. This trailer featured big, epic, history changing music that very clearly indicated what this movie would be about. Or so I thought.
This was a trailer that was not so much better than the movie, but just vastly different, which is why it's on the bottom of the list. I actually enjoyed the movie, but it was such a different experience from what I was expecting. It had a much more experimental feel to it, with little to no music (the music that was there was also very different from the traielr music, it had a much more classical feel to it). It was a beautifully shot movie, had some nice performances in it, and a message in the end that I thought was a lot more subtle and complex than the usual "Yup, we ruined their culture and their land". The idea that Pocahontas views her changes from a free running native to colonized citizen as a natural part of life as opposed to a horrible transformation is a much more interesting one. She sees John Smith in the end, and knows that she can't go back to him simply because she's a different person than she was at the beginning of the film.
But the trailer painted a much different, more action packed picture and for that I put it on the list simply because it's a well-made trailer that I will watch over and over again.
4. Elizabeth: The Golden Age: www.youtube.com/watch
Another historical epic. I liked the first Elizabeth movie and upon seeing this epic and beautiful trailer, I was pretty revved up to see the second one. It looked exciting. It looked pretty. It looked sad. it looked like it had some pretty kick ass performances in it. And I love historical dramas. I love the very idea of court and the sheer number of subtle rules that people followed in order to get by. And I love Elizabeth I, one of the most inspiring yet frightening monarchs around. The sheer amount of strength it must have taken for her to rule a country, not get murdered, maintain her demeanor and remain resolutely alone is astounding to think about.
But the movie gave me none of that subtlety. It was the least subtle movie. Cate Blanchett practically giggled like a school girl everytime the male love interest entered a room and...well, I mean, I can see her feeling like that, but in her world to act that way in public would have put cracks in that image she needed to uphold of herself. The idea of this film is not that Elizabeth defended her country from the Spanish because they threatened the country, but because the called her a ho-bag one time. And while that can certainly contribute, it can't be the sole reason. Add to that an annoying soundtrack, some hitting over the head symbolism and just a general sloppy movie and you've got a movie that pales in comparison to the promises of the trailer.
3. The Time Traveller's Wife: www.youtube.com/watch
I don't read romance novels. I only occcasionally watch romantic type movies. They are gooey and unrealistic and the only reason romantic anything ever works for me is when there's a good supporting cast of characters to focus on to take away from the oh so lovey dovey goo eyes that the leads are giving each other. Nyree leant me the Time Traveller's Wife, assuring me that I would love it so so much, and I have to admit I was skeptical. Today it's the only romance novel I swear by. Of course that might be because of the time travelling science fiction aspect of it, but it's also because it's just damn well written. Poetic and tragic and complex. So when I heard they were making a movie, I got excited. And when I saw the trailer, I got a bit more excited. This trailer pretty much encompasses every great part of the movie and gets the essence down pat.
Unfortunately, for me, the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations. It flittered, it left out things that well shouldn't have been left out which kind of made the lead characters seem more like whiny bitches.
2. 9: www.youtube.com/watch
When I first saw this trailer, I got ridiculously excited. This looked like an original, dark and epic cartoon that a lot of CGI movies tend to steer away from. What made it even better? The song. Dan was awesome enough to find it and download it for me and it's one of the best things to listen to while doing...well, anything. It makes whatever you're doing that much more epic. The animation looked great, not much of the story was given away but enough was dangled there to keep you wanting more, and it just plain looked kick ass.
That's about where it ended. I actually had reservations about this movie when I saw that it was based on a short film. I looked up the short film on Youtube, which you should definately check out because it is just phenomenal (www.youtube.com/watch) and when I watched it I immediately began to wonder about the movie. The short film...is just so good. It works wonderfully as a short film, perfectly edited with a storyline that's concise and wrapped up. A lot of story is actually told using very simple visual techniques and I loved it. So of course I began to wonder how 1. This could be extended to an 80 minute movie and 2. How the addition of voice actors would affect it, because the voiceless characters of the short film actually seemed like a better choice.
Unfortunately, my fears were justified. What was mysterious and suspenseful in the first film had to be spelled out for the feature length. No story element was left up to the viewer. The voice acting was just jarring and well...in some cases, badly done. I'm looking at you, Jennifer Connolly. Stick to what you know.
But despite my problems with the film, I still go back to look at the trailer every so often because it's just plain awesome to watch. To me, this trailer actually condensed the movie to what it ought to be.
1. The Golden Compass:
www.youtube.com/watch
Here's the problem with one of your all-time favourite book being adapted for film: you're going to get high expectations. And when you see the trailer, those expectations will skyrocket even more. The teaser trailer for the Golden Compass got me more excited than I can describe. I always try to keep my excitement in check with these types of movies that I'm already 50% invested in because of the book alone. But it was hard with the Golden Compass. It was one of those books that I randomly picked up at a book fair at my old elementary school. Technically I was considered too old for it, but my mom got a certain number of free books for running it and it looked interesting enough so I brought it home. Good lord, what a great decision.
The Golden Compass remains one of my favourite books. It's complex, dark, fantastical, and every character loveable. So when I saw all my favourite characters in that trailer, needless to say my excitement grew about 110%. Yet I still had reservations. I always keep in mind that the movie won't live up to my expectations, that there will be things I wish had been done differently or plot points I wish had been kept in. And Phillip Pullman wrote a very dense book. Still, that little teaser trailer gave me hope.
But not only did the movie not live up to my expectations as an adaptation, it didn't live up to my expectations as a good piece of film in general. It was all over the place, two-dimensional, and the filmmakers decision to skirt around a lot of the controversy surrounding the book was foolish and not well thought out. They spelled everything out for you, telling you what "dust" is in an opening monologue when in the series they spend 3 books trying to figure out what it is. They have Nicole Kidman be the absolute most obvious villain. Sure, she was pretty obvious in the book as well, but when she was around others she wasn't evil eyeing her way around a room.
And worst, worst of all, they completely eliminated the ending. I'm not saying changed, I'm saying eliminated from the movie entirely, ending it on the most anti-climatic note ever. The end of the Golden Compass is in my opinion one of the most shocking, plot twisting, tragic moments of children's literature and the fact that they cut short of that moment in the film is just plain robbery. But they filmed it! That's the kicker, they actually filmed it. You know how I know that? The trailers! For those of us who know the books, it was very obvious that the scenes in the trailer were from that last chapter, and THOSE were teh scenes that got me most excited. I felt cheated.
But I will always have that trailer to show me the movie that might have been. It was well put together, the music swept you along and it gave you enough of a sense of the story to get you excited. I can always dream :).
Honourable Mention: Twilight (Yes, when I first saw the trailer for twilight, I'll admit, I thought it looked fun. And a couple of my friends loved the series it was based on and up until that point I had never even heard of it. So why isn't it on the list? Well, because I read the book shortly after and discovered it was a steaming pile of crap and avoided the theatre altogether. So yeah. Thankfully that sword was dodged).
Let me know what trailers you have in mind when you think of movie disappointments!