Movie Better Be Better Than This Trailer…

The trailer for Men in Black: International does not have enough aliens. A petty complaint, but it’s a major draw of the franchise. And that’s only one complaint. It does not communicate the MIB being a secretive organization well and half of the scenes seem to be an excuse to call back to the old films. The car, the guns, the Worms, all of it: fan service. This trailer twists what had been a rather unique sci-fi movie—way back when—into just an action comedy with neat looking guns.

It does have one saving grace though. Chris Hemsworth. He’s quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite actors. It’s a long list, admittedly, but he’s just a blast to watch. The new Ghostbusters gave him a fun turn as a villain. Thor: Ragnarok cemented him in my mind as a comedic actor. He looks like he’ll be great in this, too. I have no issue with the cast, any of them, or the acting. It’s the one ray of sunshine. Even if the script is shoddy, at least the actors seem to be having a blast—and that can turn a mediocre film into at least a pleasant watch.

A Trailer For A Remake We Really Didn’t Need

Ah, I see we don’t have a dearth of remakes here. Hellboy is an odd beast—pun intended. The first movie had such a distinct flair and visual flavor that it seared its way into my memory long after I saw it. Nostalgia glasses are thick from Guillermo del Toro’s creations. And that’s not going to help this movie’s reception. The trailer shows a comedic action movie with some mythological elements. It looks a lot like a fantasy version of the new Men in Black movie. Perhaps that’s just a problem with all modern movies, or how they make trailers nowadays—but it’s worrying. It looks oatmeal bland.

And that’s disappointing. Hellboy, as a concept, gives you a lot of room for imagination. The franchise is fertile creative ground. Now, I am judging harshly; this is the first of the trailers. But the plot seems like some standard monster invasion/demonic apocalypse rigamarole. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had that in a single episode.

And then there’s the new actor. I liked Ron Pearlman, and his voice was excellent to get across what the original movie wanted. I’m not inherently against this new guy, though. However, I don’t find his costume as naturalistic looking. This could be nostalgia—looking back at Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army shows some real flaws in the effects. I just have trouble believing that the arm is a massive piece of stone and not painted foam.

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Out of the two films, I’m much more excited about Men in Black: International, because Men in Black (1997) is one of my all-time favorite movies.

But, taken by themselves, these trailers…

Look, there’re too many remakes—I’m not going to argue against that. There are. It’s a problem. Some of them are pretty good. Some are not.

I don’t have high hopes for these.

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