On Saturday, July 23, Comic-Con, the annual comics convention in San Diego 2016 dropped three trailers for the some of the most anticipated movies of 2017 — “Wonder Woman,” “Justice League” and “Kong: Skull Island.” Now that we have this first look into these highly anticipated cinematic experiences, are they what we expected or are they disappointing? I was able to take a look at all three of these trailers and, to put mildly, we have the right to get pumped!
“Wonder Woman”
Starting with the trailer for “Wonder Woman,” the film looks to be a breath of fresh air for the DC Extended Universe. The character of Wonder Woman had her first live action film debut in this year’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and while Gal Gadot’s portrayal as the Amazonian goddess was quite on point, her inclusion in the film felt rather forced as she was definitely not given the proper attention that she deserved.
Now with the trailer for her upcoming standalone film having dropped, I feel assured that the newest addition to the DC Extended Universe will give Wonder Woman the justice she deserves (no pun intended). Throughout the trailer, we get a glimpse into Wonder Woman’s surprisingly eccentric personality. As a warrior, she is badass and impressive, but we are also able to see a more human side of her by getting a glimpse into her motivations and even some nice comedic moments from her character. The film itself also seems lighter and more colorful than the previous two DC films, helping keep the essence and energy of a comic book. Top it off with some stunning action and additional interesting characters, and the “Wonder Woman” trailer succeeds in getting anyone with a sense of fun ready to strap in for the ride!
“Justice League”
The other big DC movie trailer to drop was for the upcoming “Justice League.” DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s ultra-successful “Avengers,” the buildup to this iconic superhero team may have not been the smoothest, but this trailer may just prove that DC has something special up their sleeves for their mega crossover.
The trailer features a glimpse at Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) searching for new members of their special team, which features The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman.
The best part of this trailer, much like the “Wonder Woman” trailer, is the treatment of its characters. Even characters given much briefer screen time, such as Cyborg and Aquaman, come off as incredibly interesting and are treated seriously in the way they’re designed. A highlight comes from Bruce Wayne’s interaction with Barry Allen (The Flash). This scene alone is enough to get anyone excited, as we see an example of the film’s mind-blowing special effects as well as some comedic banter between these two characters.
The only issue I had with this trailer was that it was surprisingly underwhelming, containing very little action. It also may have been nice to at least give a glimpse of what has happened to Superman who (spoiler alert) dies at the end of “Batman v Superman” and doesn’t appear once in this trailer. However, this is only the first glimpse, and for what it is, there is still enough here to get any superhero nut pumped!
“Kong: Skull Island”
Finally, the trailer I was most looking forward to and enjoyed most: “Kong: Skull Island.” The original “King Kong” from 1933 is one of my favorite movies ever made, as it was the film that inspired me to make my own films and be creative in general. It’s a film that takes wild imagination, beautiful music, stunning stop-motion special effects, and a timeless tale of beauty and beast to create a wonderful magnum opus in the world of cinema that has inspired countless filmmakers over the years.
There have been a host of sequels, crossovers and remakes featuring the giant ape that have varied in quality, yet none have come close to topping the iconic original. Now, after the massive success of their 2014 “Godzilla,” Legendary Pictures has announced they will be make a Kong-Godzilla cinematic universe, similar to the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes, with “Kong: Skull Island” being the next installment in the franchise.
I saw the trailer, and my head nearly exploded with excitement! Where do I begin? First, the casting is perfectly on point. Samuel L. Jackson and John Goodman steal the show, bringing a level of charisma to the trailer with their icy-cold dialogue and brilliant performances. Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson also make appearances during the trailer and, even though they have not uttered a word as of yet, are likely to still bring great energy to the final product.
The highlight of the trailer, hands down, was the appearance of Skull Island and Kong himself. The film appears to bring a new vision to Skull Island that has not been explored before. The stunning visuals and designs look fantastic — from the luscious jungles to the dinosaur bone graveyard. Nothing prepared me, however, for the appearance of King Kong himself. Dear lord. We don’t get a clear view of the behemoth, but we can see that he is bigger than he ever has been before, and, my gosh, it looks awesome.
This could open up a whole new world of abilities and possibilities with Kong’s character, and I hope the film takes full advantage of his incredible size. The trailer for “Kong: Skull Island” evoked just about every excitable emotion a good trailer should have for me. I am beyond prepared to see the eighth wonder of the world take the world by storm yet again!
If this trio of epic trailers have proven anything, it’s that 2017 will be quite an eventful year in the world of cinema! These trailers have succeeded in giving us a new glimpse into the world of these three big movies and we can’t wait to see what other surprises these films will hold. Get pumped y’all — 2017 is coming in a way that’s bigger and better than ever!
Mikael Trench, 18, is a rising freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He is an aspiring filmmaker who specializes in working with stop motion animation. His latest stop motion animated short film, “The Tree That Refused To Fall,” just won viewer’s choice award at the It’s My Life Atlanta Youth Film Festival.
