Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Review

Here is the review for the awesome new Desolation of Smaug trailer, and JT is back to offer his opinion as well in our usual rundown of trailers with HD screen caps. Wow, this trailer is amazing compared to all of the other trailers for either Hobbit film. The tone is darker and more epic, plus there will apparently be a few epic battles. Again the Elves are back, which is arguably just as much a good thing as it is bad. On one hand Elves are cool and Legolas is a fan-favorite, on the other the hand Elves could overshadow the other characters like Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin. However, I will give Peter Jackson the benefit of the doubt because he has done well so far. Now there is even more controversy over the addition of Tauriel's character now that she is obvious going to be a romantic interest for Legolas, as well as being an entirely new character not from Tolkien's lore. This change is somewhat similar to giving Arwen a larger role in the Lord of Rings, except Arwen was actually mentioned in the book. The original rumor is that Tauriel was going to be a romantic interest for Kíli or one of the other Dwarves, however that is either going to not happen or there will be some crazy awkward "love triangle" between the character, which I hope is not the case. Now, Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug sounds awesome! At first I could hardly tell it was Cumberbatch but after listening to it more, his distinct voice was clearly present. Also I really like the part when Bilbo starts to tell Gandalf what he could in the cave, and Gandalf is like "Good, you'll need it." For some reason the inflection in his voice reminded me more of his role as Magneto than Gandalf but it was still cool. As for my anticipation for the movie as a whole, I cannot wait to see it because I am certain it will be better than the first.

JT: By the looks of this trailer, Peter Jackson and crew would rather have us believe Tolkien wrote a story called Elves: The Forgotten Action Heroes (with cameos by New Zealand, A wandering crazy man and a troop of height-challenged guys with beards and huge appetites). But really, kidding aside, this is a very strong trailer for an action epic. If I had no clue what the story was, I would probably go see this movie and like it. However, since I am me and I do know what it's about, I have the usual purist reservations, although to a lesser degree than for the slapstick fumble that was the first one.

Things that are cool: All those random action scenes (basically the whole trailer)! Bilbo! Gandalf! Bard! Beorn! Smaug!

Things that are not cool: Eyebrow shots. Eyebrows that are not the same color as the hair above it; come on, people it's creepy to look at. romance, implied, assumed, imagined, or real. The Hobbit is not the sort of story that likes that kind of thing. Inventing characters, then telling us there would be no romance, then implying that there is, for no reason. Overdone Legolas beatdowns. Yes, it's going to be fun on the big screen, but believe it, shield- and elephant-trunk surfing have denied Orlando Bloom any future credibility as an action star, even in the same role.

JT: There is confusion on whether this Lake-Town, Dale, or Dol Goldur. For my part the question is who's in the boat and I doubt that Dol Goldur has that much water.

James: For some reason I really like Thorin's armor, it looks awesome with the red cape/cloak thing.
JT: I expect a suitably epic Howard Shore theme to accompany this shot.

James: Even more Legolas killing things, did someone forget that he is not the star of the film? Oh wait, he basically is.
JT: That's the problem right there. And no, he will never live down the surfing on the elephant trunk and the shield. Welcome to Legolas Lives: The action movie that should not be.

James: Other than the obvious fact that Tauriel is not mentioned by Legolas in the Lord of Rings, I wonder what dark secret she has that makes it so that Thranduil does not want her to give Legolas false hope.
JT: Can't help you there. The whole being an invented character business is really messing her up. The speculation is that she's simply not worthy to be making googly-eyes at the prince of Mirkwood.

James: Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman looks like he is a cool character, albeit one that still looks like the Pirates of the Caribbean version of Orlando Bloom.
JT: Did I tell you Bard is awesome? Even in his limited role, he's one of my favorite characters.

James: An army of darkness approaches, hopefully the battles in this and third film will be on par with that of the Lord of the Rings because the world needs an epic fantasy battle.
JT: You can have your movie-centric opinion (no offense intended) but actually, making this battle terribly big might just be annoying, since it's primarily just a throw-in to make the move three hours long.

 James: This is literally one of those blink-and-you-will-miss-it type shots with the Eye of Sauron.
JT: What in Middle-Earth is the flaming eyeball doing in the Hobbit movie? Blatant cross-references are not cool. To whom it may concern, the main Hobbit story has nothing whatsoever to do with Sauron, except that Gandalf engineered the quest in order to rob Sauron of the ability to destroy the north with a mind-controlled dragon. 

James: This scene has the type of humor that I like opposed to the slapstick kind that was a little overbearing in the first Hobbit film.
JT: Exactly my thoughts. And if Bilbo's line is "I found it" or words to that effect, this one of those key moments that's dropped in to make the fans cheer. In the story Bilbo claimed he had simply found it w/o mentioning Gollum until much later. But Gandalf knew he was lying and began to suspect that he had the master ring on him.

James: I hope no one has arachnophobia because there are going to be even more creepy spiders in the Hobbit than the Lord of the Rings. Plus, they actually look more anatomically than the Shelob from the Return of the King in that Shelob was more of a wasp hybrid wit the stinger on the tail.
JT: Bilbo is supposed to be invisible! This scene is great b/c of the image you get from imagining a bunch enormous spiders chasing a floating sword.

James: I have no idea what that thing is, but it looks cool.
JT: Well, James, should I explain or not? Most of the readers probably know anyway.

James: The Bard actually has his Bow in this shot. I hope he is as cool as character as he looks.

James: This battle looks like it is going to be epic!
JT: It will also be three minutes or less, because this is a flashback.

JT: Not a great picture of the hoard under the mountain, although it does convey the sense that it's far bigger.

JT: Smaug's head! And he's red. Not what I hoped for but I'm sure it will look great. Is this because he was drawn in red on the map?

James: This is the closet thing we have to a good look at "CumberSmaug," hopefully the future will continue to be this obscure so when he is revealed in the movie in full, it will make for a better effect.

JT: Fear not! The future is only two months long!

What did you think of the trailer? Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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Thor: The Dark World Trailer Review.

 

Now my review for the Loki movie trailer. Oh, wait, I meant Thor: The Dark World trailer, but it is easy to confuse since Loki has a lot of screen time in the trailer. Basically, this trailer was all kinds of awesome, it is a near perfect trailer, it does not reveal too much of the plot, and at the same time gives us enough to get excited about. The trailers shows that there will be great action, drama, and some good humor. My only slight concern is that there are a few too many characters but, if all the characters are balanced well, it could turn out brilliantly, maybe the best movie of the year.

With all the destruction happening on Earth, where is SHIELD and the Avengers? Maybe there will either be a cameo by Captain American and/or SHIELD since those are the only logical choices, although that is highly unlikely. What also makes me excited as a Doctor Who fan is that Christopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed looks like a cool villain. Even though it will never happen, I really wish Hiddleston would get an Oscar nod for his portrayal of Loki, both in the Avengers and Thor, his performance was impeccable.

At Comic-Con I have heard that some major spoilers where revealed, however I have managed to avoid them for the most part, and this will be the last trailer of the movie that I will watch before seeing the film. 

JT: And the outsider is back! I'm happy to say that I haven't run across any spoilers, so I have no clue what is happening, without even a comic storyline to work it out from. First off, I could not hear a word anybody said in that trailer. Not complete sentences, anyway. I hope the trailer music is the real score, because it sounds like a worthy successor. I'm a bit skeptical of it because after seeing the first one my siblings are claiming Hemsworth is the most wooden actor alive...As for me I don't know the difference. What's good: Hiddleston stole the show in the first story, so I have no doubt he will do it again. That awesome music. More of Heimdall. More banter between Loki and everyone else, in other words more Loki like everyone else says. What makes me go Why?: Half this trailer is Thor/Jane romance. That one-second shirtless Thor shot. Don't tell me you haven't guessed where that's coming from...The enormous spaceship which appears to be attacking in reverse, which we already pointed out in the first trailer. Where's Odin? (even though I already guessed he was going to disappear) etc.

 

 

James: Loki is magic prison, people really like to put Loki in cages, also he is wearing an entirely different costume that the one in the previous trailer, maybe this is later.
JT: Maybe he just has a coat on. It could be cold in the box. But I doubt it's like Loki to trash the room. Any chance it's someone else?

 James: It is difficult to tell what is happening in the background, maybe those are Malekith's men.
JT: It looks like other prisoners who are still in prison while Loki is chatting with Thor.

 James: Asgard is looking spectacular!

James: Idris Elba finally gets to take his helmet off. I hope he gets to have a larger role because he is one of better around today.
JT: Trying to tell Thor not to go to Earth? Sorry I couldn't make out the dialogue...

 James: It clearly shows what was hinted at in the previous trailer with Loki handcuffed and Thor with Jane.
JT: Thor is walking Loki to Mount Doom so he can sacrifice him...:) I do not see Jane...Oh yeah there she is in Thor's armpit...

JT: Tell me Loki isn't saying "This is your enemy" or "How do you like this pit of doom" or something like that...

James: This is the beginning of the "Everyone threatens Loki, and Loki doesn't give a crap" scene.
JT:...Which feels a little long, even if it does flash by...


James: Jaimie Alexander as Sif appears to have more of a role in the film.
JT: Because she's a warrior too. Wouldn't you want to be in there menacing the evil ice giant with everyone else?

 
James: Loki being slapped, great scene, I like that Jane is referring what happened in New York which happened about a year later by the time the movie starts.

JT: Meme face!

James: Brothers in arms, fighting till the end. This scene probably takes place not long after he releases Loki from prison, although Loki is unchained so maybe it takes place later.
JT: There's no reason why Thor couldn't break the chains right after getting Loki out, although it's possible that he's still bound, you just can't see his hands right now. Also, did anybody else look at Thor and see William Wallace instead? :)

James: That Viking boat looks awesome, the prop department for this movie has done an awesome job from what we can see in the trailer.

 James: Malekith's armor appears a little odd, but I like it.
JT: To me it resembles a hybrid of Azog and one of those horror movies where attackers wear ski masks...

James: This appears to be an Asian inspired place in Asgard. Look at the armored guys behind the Asian girl, kind of Samurai like.

James: Epic purple lightening! I wonder if he can make some Purple Rain.

James: I wonder if Malekith captures Thor's mother, Frigga, and that is one of the reasons why Thor needs Loki's help. It also makes me think does Loki still care for his adopted mother?
JT: Why? Loki made clear in Avengers that he doesn't consider himself part of Asgard any more. I doubt that he cares for anyone in it. And why would they take Frigga when they clearly really wanted Jane?

James: This may be some kind of Dark Elf ritual that for some reason requires Jane, either that or he is just killing her with a circle of his men watching.
JT: Vegas odds on Thor showing up after the job is done? Pretty good...

 James: This is probably part Malekith's attack on the Asgardian kingdom.
JT: But still why is he driving in reverse? Otherwise that is the silliest spaceship design ever...

James: Stellan Skarsgård is back as Dr. Erik Selvig, and I am glad because he was a likeable guy in the first Thor movie.


James: Loki vs. Malekith, this should be interesting.

JT: If a giant hammer flies down the street, does anybody notice? Do they even care?

  James: Hammer time!

JT: Balrog! Thing! Stone Giant! Every rocklike creature and final battle you can think of!

James: It is good to see some humor, although Hemsworth sounds a little different than before, maybe it is just me.

What do you think of the new trailer? Please comment below. 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer Review.

 

The teaser trailer for How to Train Your Dragon 2 has been released, and while it is only a teaser, I have to say that it makes me kind of excited for the film. Call me crazy, but the first How to Train Your Dragon is one of my favorite animated films and one of the few that managed to have a surprisingly mature story and mix it with a unique fantasy world. As for the teaser itself, there is not much to it other than Hiccup is older, several years older. While that may have surprised some viewers, I knew about that several months back but its seems like a logical move and maybe the film will be a little more mature as well. Also Hiccup's armor is very cool, it looks like something out of Skyrim. Basically, 2014 appears to be a great year for animated films, with this and The Lego Movie, compared to this year where I do not even see one animated movie that captures my attention. What did you think of the teaser? Are you a fan of the previous film? Please comment below.

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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The Lego Movie Trailer Review.

 

The Lego Movie, a real theatrically released movie about Legos and here is the awesome trailer and Batman is in it! This trailer has a very strong Wreck-It Ralph vibe with all the Lego references. Lego  were my favorite toy when I was a kid and I had a gigantic collection of many of the vintage Legos and anything Star Wars related so this trailer actually makes me very excited. Similar to the reason I enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph so much with all the video game references, The Lego Movie appears to have a ton of Lego references, which is awesome! Normally animated films are not my style, however there seems to be one every year that catches my interest like Wreck-It Ralph did last year, and The Lego Movie will be the animated film for me next year. Something else that makes me excited is that they choose the live-action comedy directing tea, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed 21 Jump Street, which I have not seen. However, making an unconventional like that can really work like  Rich Moore did for Wreck-It Ralph because he had done more adult comedies like the Simpsons. Making a usually adult humor director clean-up his humor often creates a really funny film. The voice cast is spectacular, Chris Pratt, who will star in the upcoming Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film, is the star of the film and I like what his part from the trailer. Just look at the cast:, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Nesson, and Morgan Freeman, seriously top notch casting.

What I find kind of funny is that this is the closest thing we are going to get to a Justice League movie with Wonder Woman making her first big screen appearance in Lego form and the first Superman/Batman appearance ever. Batman will be playing a major part in the story, however the aforementioned probably will not.  

When I first heard about the film I expected something akin to the glossy appearance of the cut scenes in the Lego video games, however it surprised me with a stop-motion-animation type style, which is awesome and makes me actually excited. Before I started this blog my brother and I made Lego stop-motion short films, which you can see here, )also please remember that we made most of them 6-7 years ago so the voice acting is rubbish) and the animation style of the trailer looks amazing. Even though it is computer generated, it looks an awful lot like stop motion.

Overall I think the trailer looks great, it should be funny and packed with Lego jokes. Below are some screen caps. So, what did you think of the trailer? Please comment below.

 

 

Superman, voiced by Channing Tatum, this will be the first time Superman and Batman are on the big screen.

Wonder Woman's first theatrical appearance and it ends up being just a cameo in Lego form. Will she ever get her know movie or, at least, a Justice League appearance?

 Perfect attention to detail, the broken thing on the helmet is great, because that was always the first thing that broke on those guys.

 Major mistake, the few white guys from NBA All-Stars series were pale, not yellow skinned. Why didn't notice this? I can confirm this because I know them.

Best part of the trailer!

 

What did you think? Please comment below.

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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