Trailer Hitch
By BOP Staff
March 29, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Brett Beach: I got off some splendid laughs (and I have never seen any iterations of the TV series). It looks to me like Burton is in Mars Attacks! mode, which promises at the very least bizarre humor, memorable set pieces, and hopefully a willingness to not care too much if some audiences find it offputting or simply ridiculous. Without a big name like Depp anchoring it, I would probably peg this to make about as much as Mars did. But their partnership can convince viewers to take a chance on almost anything.
Max Braden: I've also never seen the original series so I was wondering where the setup was going. Burton's films have always had a quirky sense of "I'm weird and I know it" but I think they've been more sincerely drama than comedy. Dark Shadows pushes the line on the comedy right up to silliness and reminds me of Death Becomes Her. At first I was concerned it wouldn't work, but I was laughing by the end. It's more like Barry Sonnenfeld's version of The Addams Family geared for a more mature audience but still accessible to kids. I can't decide if I'm more interested in Eva Green's performance or in Chloe Moretz's performance.
Reagen Sulewski: Wait a minute...This film is set in 1972, yet uses Barry White's My First, My Last, My Everything, which was written in 1974? What sorcery is this?! Personally I find this whole thing baffling, as it's all over the place in tone, from camp to parody to farce, and audiences have never really responded well to camp in a big way. I guess Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are spending their blockbuster cards on a pet project, and it's good they're seemingly enjoying themselves, but expecting us to indulge them on this is probably a mistake.
Edwin Davies: Before seeing the trailer, I was worried that Burton was going to treat the source material in an overly serious manner, which doesn't seem fitting since, based on what I've heard, the Dark Shadows TV show is pretty awful. I was delighted to see that they have gone for a light, campy tone that seems like it could be, well, fun. There are a lot of crazy elements on display, which makes me think that, even with Depp and Burton, it might not be a big hit, but then again it feels like something they've made for a laugh, which appeals to me. I've gone from having no interest in it to being actually quite excited to check it out.
Shalimar Sahota: Visually there is some crazy stuff going on here, and I like the use of the 1970s tracks, but I'm a little lost as to the goal of Depp's character Barnabas, unless it's just him making do with life in 1972. I understand that Burton and Depp are fans of the original TV series, which would explain the film's existence, but I don't know if I'd want to join them on this ride.
Kim Hollis: Okay, so I'll admit to being the only person from BOP who has watched the original series. It used to air on the channel formerly known as Sci-Fi, and although I will readily agree that it was not "good," it was also weirdly, compellingly watchable. The main character, Barnabas Collins, was supposed to be some sort of sexy, irresistible vampire man, but he was mostly just creepy. The show moved around in time, with "present"-day characters seeing ghosts while seances would take us back to the 1700s, before Barnabas was a vampire and in love with a girl named Josette. A jealous witch curses him, Josette falls off a cliff (or something) and in modern times, Vampire Barnabas encounters a woman who looks just like his lost love. It was all very serious and thoroughly soapy.
The first time I saw the trailer for the Depp/Burton movie, I wasn't sure what to think. I'll just say that I was nonplussed and leave it at that. But now, I've probably seen it about a dozen more times in various places (on TV and in the theater), and I'm finding myself excited about it. It's campy, silly and funny, and while it really bears only a superficial resemblance to the show, I really like that they're not taking this seriously at all. It's kind of a nice antidote to all the vampire pop culture that's been inundating us lately.
Prometheus (Trailer 2)
Bruce Hall: Loved it. Seriously. The mystery, the lies, Guy Pearce, all of it. Ridley Scott is a genius. This trailer blew me away, and made me spill beer all over my keyboard. No, really, I had to take apart my $150 keyboard and clean it with rubbing alcohol. The last time that happened was when Doom 3 came out. James Cameron brang it, but the film franchise devoted entirely to hubris had already been broughten - by Ridley Scott. And now he's brought it again. Yea, verily, there was much rejoicing.
Max Braden: I'm positive on it, as I generally am on origin of species stories. It reminds me of Stargate and the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where they're all racing to find the origins of life in the universe. Rapace looks fantastic and a long way from her look as Lisbeth Salander. Fassbender is also a great choice for his role. And the visuals are excellent. I think I'd be promoting its association with Alien heavily to help get older audiences to pay more attention to it, but regardless, it's going to be huge.
Felix Quinonez: I have to say, I was not at all excited about this movie. I love the Alien movies and I love Ridley Scott (sometimes) but the project just seemed like they were trying to revisit something that I had already seen enough of. But this trailer totally changed my mind. I think they got just about everything right. They set up the story enough while still being mysterious and without giving too much away. It shows off the awesome cast and it definitely got me excited about it. I did a complete 180 on Prometheus in about two and half minutes. Now that's a trailer done right!
Shalimar Sahota: Brilliantly edited, offering just the right amount of clues, intrigue and suspense to get you talking. There's so much "stuff" going on in the latter half of this trailer that you can talk theories up until the day of release... and you'll probably be wrong about most of them. The shot of Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw clasping her hands together stands out to me more than any other moment, suggesting just how emotionally turbulent their mission has become. If I wasn't already excited about Prometheus, this trailer would have me convinced to hand over my money to find out what's going on. The international trailer which has been launched is also just as good.
David Mumpower: Prometheus was a project that moderately excited me due to the Alien prequel rumors. This latest trailer, on the other hand, blows my damn mind. Seriously, this is one of the hottest ads we've had since Avatar. It has grandiose scale, scintillating aesthetics and that lingering promise of what fate will befall everyone shown. I love the way that the story told in the trailer hints that mankind's natural curiosity about the unknown creates a Pandora's Box scenario. These are explorers interpreting artifacts and cave writings, attempting to discover long hidden secrets. The topicality of it is off the charts with the recent Antarctica water research and James Cameron's journey to the bottom of the ocean. We have a desperate need to learn the unknown and it's going to get these people's guts ripped out from the inside. The Prometheus full length trailer builds a mystery while acknowledging the inevitable fate of its cast. This is a masterpiece, one that places the movie at the forefront of the "second" tier blockbusters this summer. I can easily envision this becoming the Rise of the Planet of the Apes of 2012.
Kim Hollis: This movie wasn't even really on my radar before this trailer. I like Alien/Aliens, but I'm not an ardent fan or anything. Also, Ridley Scott has been on a pretty "meh" streak lately, so I didn't have much hope that Prometheus would do anything to set itself apart. This trailer is amazing, though. It teases everything just perfectly without giving much away. Even without the Alien connection, I think I'd be very interested to see the film.