Comic-Con Trailer Reviews: Aquaman, Fantastic Beasts, Godzilla, Shazam and Glass

While I have yet to attend a Comic-Con the pictures make it seem like everyone is having a fabulous time. I may go one day, but in the meantime I’ll have to settle for the trailers released later than the Comic-Con public. Over the weekend trailers for upcoming television shows and movies were released and some of them I cannot wait to see. I’m going to take a look at five of the trailers released for upcoming films, what I think may happen in the film, the overall feel of the trailer and if I think the film will do well.

1. Aquaman. After his successful film debut in Justice League Aquaman is finally getting his own live-action feature film. Arthur Curry (Jason Moma) is the half human and half-Atlatean ruler of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. His father was a lighthouse keeper named Thomas (Temuera Morrison) while his mother is Queen Atlanta (Nicole Kidman) who washed up ashore. Arthur receives word from Mera (Amber Herd), a beautiful warrior, that his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) wants to start a war with the surface world. In addition to potentially overthrowing his brother Arthur also meets another foe in David Kane, aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Manteen II), a ruthless mercenary and treasure hunter. I know director James Wan wanted to wait until the trailer was perfect before releasing it; and boy was it worth it. The special effects, particularly in Atlantis, were breathtaking. The actors looked incredible in their respective roles; I cannot wait to see more of Moma and Herd from their time in Justice League while also looking very much forward to Wilson, Manteen and Kidman debuts. I can only hope the movie is as good as the trailer made it look. I know most DC films have not been received very well by audiences and critics, but maybe Aquaman can break the cycle like Wonder Woman did.
2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. I have made no secret of my love for Harry Potter recently, so it is probably no surprise to you how excited I am for this. Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has escaped from custody since the last time the audience saw him and seems to be gathering followers for an uprising against the non-magic people (Muggle or No-Majs, whatever you wish to call them). Needing help in stopping his former friend (and possibly more than that) a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) recruits his former student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in his quest. Returning from the first film is Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), an American auror and Newt’s love interest, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger) a no-Maj who had his memory erased after the events of the first film but obviously something made him remember, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) Tina’s legilimens (ability to read minds) sister and Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) a young man with a something very dark inside of him (and was thought to have died in the last film.) We also meet Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), Newt’s ex whom he still has feelings for (if you recognize the last name you know why this relationship did not work out) and we also finally have eyes on a character mentioned in the first book. Much like its predecessors the special effects look absolutely wonderful, the characters we have loved in the first film are back (I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown) and I’m thrilled to see some of the newer characters and how they contribute to the story. I was genuinely surprised by the first film, I’ll go more into that one day, so I genuinely hope the sequel does just as well.
3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Now I’m not gonna lie, monster movies have never really been something I’m into; I haven’t really seen a full Godzilla movie but I plan to someday. In the meantime the sequel to the 2014 will be out next year and boy does it look fantastic. Humans seem to be on the verge of extinction and Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) seems to have the solution: unleash the rightful rulers of Earth. Those just happen to be monsters called the Titans: Godzilla, Monthra, Rodan and King Ghidorah. Also staring Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobbie Brown, Bradley Whitford, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins and Thomas Middleditch humanity must now fight against god like creatures.  My exact thoughts were (in the most sarcastic voice possible) “oh yeah cause releasing gigantic monsters is humanity’s only hope GREAT IDEA!” The effects for this film are stunning; let’s hope the story matches and they don’t kill off the top star within the first twenty minutes like in 2014. I do not know if I’m gonna see this in theaters, I have a little catching up to do on my monsters, but it will not surprise me if at the end of the film we get a surprise of a certain gigantic ape.
4. Shazam! I was familiar with this hero maybe a little more than some of the other people I’ve seen reacting to this trailer, so I think this is a great opportunity for audiences to become familiar with one of DC’s arguably most underrated heroes. Billy Batson (Asher Angel) runs away from foster home after foster home until finally forced to settle with the Vasquez family. He does become close with one of his foster brothers Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) a disabled superhero fan. One day, after defending Freddy from bullies, Billy gets on a subway and gets transported to another realm. An ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou) has chosen Billy to be a champion, and all he has to do is say his name: Shazam. When Billy does he is transformed into an adult (Zachary Levi) with multiple superpowers; including super strength, flight and is bulletproof. Along with Freddy Billy has to handle his new abilities, but it won’t be long before a threat to his abilities comes forward. Once again I won’t lie and say I’m on the fence when it comes to this film. Shazam, otherwise known as Captain Marvel but will not be called that for obvious reason, is very similar to Superman (which is why there have been multiple stories of them coming to blows) so I know there is going to be that comparison. When I heard Zachery Levi was cast I wasn’t completly convinced he could be Shazam; although remembering he has done child-like characters before erased those thoughts. I’m gonna wait and see the film before I fully judge Levi’s performance. I know Mark Strong is set to be the bad guy, but the trailer did not focus on him so I’m not entirely sure what he is going to do. The film does seem to be more light-hearted and funny compared to DC’s recent works, which fits in with the Shazam character. I do plan on watching the movie, but for now I’m on the fence about Shazam!
5. Glass. I originally wasn’t going to do this as I have not seen the prior films, but it has been one of the most talked about trailers so I feel obligated. Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) specializes in those who believe they are superheroes. Her latest patients: David Dunn (Bruce Willis) a security guard with superhero strength, invulnerability and has the psychological ability to see what horrible things people have done by a simple touch, Elijah Price aka Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) a brilliant mass murderer with fragile bones and Kevin Wendell Crumbs aka The Horde (James McAvoy) a man with over 20 personalities in him including a personality known as The Beast (a sociopath and a cannibal.) The film will see how all three men are connected. While I have not seen Unbreakable or Split yet I have seen enough peaks to know how creepy Glass, Dunn and especially Crumbs are; when I saw the trailer for Split I had chills down my spine. It looks like the film takes place back and forth; it appears we are going to find out how these three men know each other and how they ended up in the psych ward (which from the trailer looks freaky.) McAvoy, Willis and Jackson are three very great actors and I know they are going to be just as great in their respective roles. Sarah Paulson is also a fine actress and from what I’ve seen in the trailer she seems to be just as good as she usually is. I am not sure if I’ll watch Glass when it is in theaters, but we’ll see.

Those are my thoughts on the trailers released from Comic-Con, what are yours? Please leave your thoughts below on what you are looking forward to.

Why I Love Harry Potter Plus Quick Reviews of the Films

Isn’t it amazing as you grow older how much stays from your childhood with you; unlike trading in that favorite toy for a cell phone or tablet. However in my case one thing from my childhood has been a part of me for a very long time, and has not gone away: Harry Potter. In honor of the eight movies making their debut on the USA and SyFy network I will be explaining my love for the magical franchise, give a quick recap of the films plot and finally what I thought about the film itself; I will give more details in full reviews of the films at a later time, but I wanted to do a little bit of an appetizer in honor of the premieres tonight. If you have not read any of the books or seen the films, here is a massive spoiler alert. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.

Let me start off by saying I actually did not get into Harry Potter for the longest time. My mom had read the first I believe four books and for years kept pushing for me to read them; like many young kids I thought “If my mom likes this how cool can it be?” However in 2001 the trailer for the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone dropped. The very second I expressed an interest in the film my mother shoved the first book into my hands. Giving in I sat down and read; it took me a couple of years before I finished the first four books by the inspiring and amazing J.K Rowling. From then on I was completely into Harry Potter. My parents would get the latest book and I would watch the films as soon as I (and whomever I could find) possibly could if not immediately. My friends still loved the books and films even as new franchises began to become obsessions in high school. As I got older my love for the franchise never died, and it still has not. I have met people who have never even read the books and I often encourage them to give it a shot before watching the films. I’ll elaborate on that a little later. In the meantime let’s go over the eight films based on the seven Harry Potter books.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone. The very first one to start off an incredible adventure. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has lived with his verbally abusive guardians, the Dursleys: Uncle Vernon (Richard Griffiths), Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) and cousin Dudley (Harry Melling), for as long as he can remember, that was until owl keep dropping off letters to his home addressed to him. Despite the best efforts from his guardians, Harry discovers the truth; he is a wizard like his dead parents (James and Lily) and is famous for somehow surviving as an infant against the darkest wizard of all time: Lord Voldemort (otherwise addressed as You Know Who or He who Must Not Be Named) who seems to have died after trying to kill Harry; leaving the boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Harry is accepted and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (a gorgeous castle) where, after convincing the responsible party, is sorted into the Gryffindor house instead of Slytherin. Harry soon makes true friends in Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), a red head multi generation wizard, and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) a brilliant witch with non-magic (otherwise called Muggles) parents among a few others including Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) a clumsy and forgetful student; he also discovers a natural talent for the wizarding game Quidditch and earns the position as Seeker. Harry as well begins bonds with some of the teachers and staff at the school, including Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) the groundskeeper, Professor Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) the head of his house and one of the teachers and Professor Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris) the headmaster of the school. Harry also makes enemies in fellow student Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), a very spoiled and jealous child, and one of his professors Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) who seems to have a grudge against Harry. Harry, along with Ron and Hermione soon discover a secret hidden in the school, an object known as the Philosopher’s, or Sorcerer’s, stone which has the ability to grant the user immortality. Harry believes Snape wants to use the stone to bring Voldemort back to life and he, along with Ron and Hermione, decide to stop him. Other characters introduced are members of Ron’s family: doting yet strict mother Molly (Julia Waters) and three of his elder brothers Percy (Chris Rankin) and twins Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps). The film was very exciting to watch, bringing the characters I had come to love to life. While I knew everything wasn’t going to be exactly like the book the changes did not bother me as much as I thought it was going to do. I enjoyed the performances of the cast, especially Daniel’s, Rupert’s and Emma’s despite it being their first films.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts and discover their school is in danger. Students are being petrified (literally) by an unknown creature and the only clue is the bloody message “The Chamber of Secrets is Open, Enemies of the Heir Beware.” Believing it to mean the heir of the house of Slytherin and Hogwarts may shut down Harry Ron and Hermione set out to find the responsible party before it is too late. Harry soon discovers he has the ability to talk to snakes, which has (almost) everyone believing he is the heir, until someone close to him gets attacked. Harry also finds an enchanted diary belonging to a student named Tom Riddle over 50 years ago when the Chamber was first opened and a student was killed. The audience is also properly introduced to important characters: Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), Ron’s young sister who has a crush on Harry, Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) Ron’s father who loves learning about Muggles, Dobby (Toby Jones) a house elf determined to protect Harry and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs) Draco’s father who was once a follower of Voldemort. I really enjoyed figuring out the mystery in the book and seeing it on-screen was nothing less than great.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry, Ron and Hermione return for their third year, but this time have to be cautious. Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), an alleged follower of Voldemort, has escaped the inescapable prison Azkaban and seems to be going after Harry. The castle is being guarded by creatures known as Dementors searching for Black against Dumbledore’s (now portrayed by Michael Gambon after Harris’s death) wishes. The trio’s friendship (specifically Ron and Hermione’s) is tested multiple times, but soon make-up after Hagrid, now the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, is nearly sacked after one of his creatures, a Hippogrif called Buckbeak, attacks Malfoy (he provoked it). Instead Buckbeak is sentenced to death. Harry soon learns the truth about Sirius thanks in part to one of his teachers, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). Other characters introduced are Sybill Trelawney (Emma Thompson) an eccentric teacher and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) someone with a connection to Harry’s parents. For the longest time this seemed to be everyone’s favorite Potter book, but I thought the film adaption was a little odd. New parts of the castle changed and more casual clothing was worn by the students when not in class, which I had not really pictured when reading. Nonetheless I thought everyone did a fabulous job.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After attending the Quidditch World Cup our trio returns with exciting news at Hogwarts. The Triwizard Tournament featuring the wizarding schools Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons has returned. Three students, over the age of 17, from each school will be picked by the Goblet of Fire and participate in three deadly tasks. From Durmstrang is Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianvski) a famous Quidditch player who also develops a crush on Hermione (much to Ron’s displeasure). From Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) a beautiful girl Ron has a crush on (much to Hermione’s displeasure). From Hogwarts it is Hufflepuff seventh year student Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) a handsome young man whose girlfriend, Ravenclaw student Cho Chang (Katie Leung), Harry has a crush on. However the Goblet pulls out another name: Harry Potter. Despite being underage Harry has no choice but to participate; it also temporarily damages his friendship with Ron. During the final task Harry is forced to witness to the return of his greatest enemy: Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). The film also introduces Alastor “Mad-Eyed” Moody (Brendan Gleeson) a wizard with a big reputation and Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) a nosy reporter for the wizarding paper, The Daily Prophet, who exploits “secrets” even if they are not true. It also introduces a magical item known as the Pensive which has the ability to go into a person’s memories. This was the most exciting Harry Potter film I had seen until the final one as the Triwizard tournament was portrayed as exciting as it appeared in the book, not to mention the first battle between Harry and Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes was perfect as the Dark Lord; an excellent start to an iconic villain.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry is treated as an outcast by many at Hogwarts; the Ministry of Magic has convinced the entire wizarding world that Voldemort is not back and Harry is mad. Very few people actually believe Harry; Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Cho (who now has feelings for Harry), Ravenclaw oddball student Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) and members of the group known as the Order of the Phoenix; a group which has reformed due to Voldemort’s return. New Defense against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) is placed at Hogwarts by the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) to see if Dumbledore is planning anything against the Ministry and uses her power to basically take over the school. Harry and his friends form a secret group to help those who actually believe in him, called Dumbledore’s Army, teaching them defensive spells to prepare for battle. When someone close to Harry is threatened by Voldemort he, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna travel to Ministry to stop Voldemort. Other characters introduced are Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) the colorful member of the Order of the Phoenix, Kingsley Shackleboat (George Harris) another member of the Order and Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), one of Voldemort’s most loyal (and insane) followers (they are called Deatheaters) whom Harry and Neville hold a deep hatred to. The book as well as the film changed the game for Harry and his friends as they realize they are at war with not just Voldemort but the government. I thought for the longest time it was Daniel Radcliffe’s best performance as Harry, until the last film.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Now that the world knows Voldemort is back his grip on the wizarding and Muggle world gets tighter every passing day. Harry begins to suspect Voldemort has recruited Draco into the Deatheaters and has a mission for him at Hogwarts. Harry gets a new potions book which includes hints to help him do much better; the author is called the Half Blood Prince. Harry goes with Dumbledore as they explore Voldemort’s past to find a way to destroy him; which is in the form of Horcruxes: magical items Voldemort has placed pieces of his soul in so he can never die. Meanwhile Ron (despite being clearly in love with Hermione) begins to date fellow student Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave) much to the anger and sadness of Hermione (who is in love with him) while Harry realizes he is in love with Ginny. It ends with someone close to Harry making a big sacrifice and a possible traitor exposed. If I’m being honest this is the weakest of the Potter books and films, but it was nonetheless enjoyable.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2. The last book was split into two films as it would have been impossible to cover all the material in one film. Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to find the remaining Horcruxes and destroy them; in turn destroying Voldemort. The trio nearly has a major rift in the first part before coming to terms with the greater good. Harry also discovers the secrets Dumbledore kept from him and just how deep the connection between himself and Voldemort is. We also get the most epic battle at Hogwarts between the students and staff against the Deatheaters. An epic conclusion to an epic franchise.

I will go into more details of each film at a later date, but I wanted to give just a taste of my thoughts on the most successful franchises in book and film history. Of course there has been a spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well as the play on Broadway Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but those are for another day. Before I conclude there is one thing I must say: before you watch the film READ THE BOOKS; I cannot stress that enough! The books go into details that are barely covered in film; for those who do not read it might be confusing how the gang goes from point a to point b quickly. Do not forget all eight films will premiere tonight and into the weekend on the USA and SyFy networks. These are some of my favorite books and films and I hope they will be yours as well.