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Fan Fest Favorites: San Diego Comic Con 2018 Trailer Reveals

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One of the most exciting things about San Diego Comic Con is the mass amount of trailers and new footage that release from some of the most anticipated films of the current and following year. While companies like Disney, Marvel, Lionsgate and HBO were nowhere to be found at the convention this year, we still managed to get a ton of amazing footage excite for what’s to come in 2018 and 2019. Here’s a look at some of my favorite highlights this year along with a rating out of 10 as to how I think the film/show looks.

Overlord:

While this trailer didn’t debut at SDCC, it released over the SDCC weekend and deserves to be featured on this list.

This trailer is absolutely nuts. AC/DC, WWII…and zombie creatures? Sign me up! Bad Robot looks to be giving the Cloververse a break after the abysmal Cloverfield Paradox that released on Netflix this year. And, while the Bad Robot reputation to a hit for that film it looks that they have rediscovered their mystery box roots with Overlord. I cannot wait for this film! While the November release seems a bit odd, considering this would be the perfect Halloween movie, I think it’s close enough to Halloween for this to still feel like the perfect holiday film.

I give this trailer a solid 8 out of 10 for the sheer scope, absurdity and intensity of it all.

Bad Robot’s Overlord releases November 9th, 2018.

Godzilla: King Of the Monsters

The rest of this list doesn’t even stand chance compared to this trailer, as this one took the cake for me. I’m a massive Godzilla fan and while I wasn’t a fan of the 2014 film, I was very impressed with the look and feel of Godzilla himself.

With Mike Dougherty behind this sequel, it appears that he has a firm understanding of the material and what this film needs in order to work. While Mothra, King Ghidorah and Rodan worked in the 60’s, it takes some slight tweaking to present these creatures to an audience in order to have them taken seriously. With the whole world in chaos approach, the scope of this film feel perfect for what the end goal will be. In order for these giant monsters to fight, the world needs to be their arena, and Dougherty truly understands that by giving the humans a place to hide while the creatures duke it out.

The trailer is perfectly crafted with amazing music, incredible effects and some powerful looking scenes from some powerhouse actors. This film is easily one of my most antiquated next year and I hope that it makes it on many others list as well.

I give this trailer a 10 out of 10 for the ability to give the audience just enough with giving anything away.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters releases May 31st, 2019.

DC’s Shazam:

I’m not super familiar with the story of Shazam, but, I’m very curious and when DC Universe launches I will do tons of catching up on books I’ve missed over the years. From the moment this film was announced and Zachary Levi got the part of Shazam I was immediately interested in the adaptation. But, once the first few images came out of the suit…I became worried immediately. After having seen the trailer, it all makes sense and this looks like a fun superhero film. DC is definitely exploring the fun side of things and they are really following the Wonder Woman formula in hopes to make quality films again. The jokes worked and the charm is in full effect in the trailer. This looks as if ‘Big’ was remade as a superhero flick and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I give the trailer a 8 out of 10 for the charm, humor and fun look of it all. I will say that the use of the weird Kendrick Lamar remix definitely lost it a point or two from the final score, but, hey…it is what it is.

Shazam releases April 5th, 2019.

DC’s Aquaman:

I’d like to start off by saying this: I love James Wan and I love Jason Mamoa. They are both true talents and I’m a fan of their work.

That being said, this trailer is absurd. The effects are very animated and the look of each scene is very soft and shiny. It reminds me of the Star Wars prequels in that aspect and creates a lot of concern for the what the final product will look like and how it will play. I trust Wan with the source material and am very relieved that the full Aquaman suit will be present in the film, because, I was quite worried that Aquaman would be wearing leather pants underwater for the entire film.

I remember the Aquaman cartoon as a kid and know the idea of this superhero has always been a bit silly. But, when DC has been known for its darkness, this film really comes out of left field. I do have faith that it will wind up being a fun and wild ride, but, as of now this trailer presents that film as a silly and unpolished right that will be very hard for audiences to take seriously.

DC is definitely taking the Marvel approach here with creating fun, larger than life characters and putting life back into their films. It’s a new approach for DC and I’m anxious to see if it pays off.

I give this trailer a 6 out of 10 for silliness of it all and my love for Wan/Mamoa. I am worried about the final product, but, December is quite a ways away and there is plenty of time to tweak effects and such. Plus, Wan appears to have put a lot into this film and I trust the final product will be a spectacle.

DC’s Aquaman releases December 21st, 2018.

DC’s Titans:

I feel like all of the stuff I just said about DC creating fun, larger than life characters really just falls flat on its face when I start talking about the brand new series launching on DC Universe this year.

I had the opportunity to watch the Titans trailer with several folks on the marketing team and DC Universe team. It was a cool experience to see how giddy and proud of this series the team truly is…and, they have every right to be.

While I’ve seen several fans express their disappointment in the series, I have to say that I’m blown away by the size and scope of this show as well as the r-rated nature of it all. The way these characters are portrayed really make for a unique journey for the viewer to take and the cinematic quality of this series really shines through. With the incredible “F*** Batman” line delivered by Robin followed by the well choreographed action that follows…this is a show that has my attention and the folks at DC should be giddy about what they have on their hands. I mean, how could you be mad when Geoff Johns is doing a lot of the writing?

I give this trailer a 8 out of 10 for it’s bold approach to the material, the badass action and the brutal/unrelenting tone of the show. Bring it on, DC Universe…I’m ready for this show.

DC’s Titans releases Fall 2018.

Glass:

M. Night Shyamalan has had a career full of ups and downs. While I’m a fan of his films The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, I do think that he’s strongest when his budget is limited. Split was a solid film, and worked well as a psychological thriller and I’m looking forward to seeing how he can blend Split with Unbreakable.

In recent interviews, M. Night has stated that he wants Glass to be a film made for superhero fans…and, while this trailer is cool and visually pleasing, I just don’t know where it could go besides these three anti-heroes teaming up in a bizarre, colorful film that could wind up being a lackluster entry in the Shyamalan universe.

I’m hoping for the best, but, as a horror filmmaker, M. Night is usually at his best; however, when he branches out things tend to get a bit messy.

We will know how it all turns out sooner rather later when the film releases January 18th, 2019.

Deadly Class:

Syfy is becoming the network to watch with all of the quality shows it’s been pumping out recently. This is the second trailer I’ve seen out of SDCC that is presenting it’s content in 2:35:1 aspect ratio…and, as a film geek I love this! I’m a huge fan of the graphic novel, so the moment I heard this series was in production, I became super excited.

This trailer did not disappoint. It’s stylish, full of action and the ensemble cast looks incredible! This easily became one of my most anticipated series this year, and I really think a lot of people will fall in love with it, just as I fell in love with the books. The Russo Brothers created this series, who many know as the guys behind the Civil War and Avengers films.

I give this trailer a 9 out of 10 for the faithfulness to the source material, the style of the of the show and the energy of the ensemble cast.

Deadly Class releases at some point this year.

Project Blue Book:

One of the biggest surprises to come out of SDCC this year for me was the trailer reveal of History Channel’s ‘Project Blue Book.’ I’m super fascinated by any film or television show revolving around aliens and with History’s track record of incredibly cinematic shows, the hype for ‘Project Blue Book’ is real.

The show stars Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger, Game of Thrones) as a college professor hired by the US Air Force to investigate UFO sightings around the country. The trailer is visually stunning and plays like a modern day horror film, but, it’s also grounded in reality by investigating the psychological aspect of aliens which will make for a compelling drama.

If you haven’t seen this trailer yet, I highly recommend you jump on it…because, this could be one of the best shows of the year.

I give this trailer a 10 out of 10 for its eerie visual style, great performances and ALIENS.

Project Blue Book releases on History Channel at some point this year.

The Walking Dead Season 9:

This has been a sore spot for a lot of fans with Andy and Lauren leaving the show, with the missteps of last season and much more. But, let me just say…this is one of the best trailers I’ve seen for a season of The Walking Dead in years. The writing is damn sharp, the visuals are stunning, the effects are top notch…and there’s so much going on! I cannot wait for Season 9 of The Walking Dead and thing that Angela Kang has a lot of really cool stuff in store for the patient fans who are sticking with the show.

I love the idea of battling allegiances, characters challenging one another and the true peril that seems to be at hand. Plus, two new characters…one of them being Dan Fogler? This is incredible. I know this could be an Ethan Embry situation all over again, but, still…these new cast members have my attention.

So, if you’re still a fan of the show, let’s all rejoice for how great this new season looks and just keep hoping for the best!

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait to long to tune in to the new season.

I give this trailer a 9 out of 10.

The Walking Dead Season 9 releases October 7th, 2018 on AMC.

Do you hear something whispering?

Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald:

Hogwarts is back!

I loved the last Fantastic Beats film, and while it felt a bit contained it was still captivating and dark. This new films looks to broaden the scope a bit and give us the same darkness we loved from the first film and take us on a wild ride with a brand new story.

This trailer is magical, funny, dark and exciting. The effects look fantastic (literally) and I cannot wait to see where this film takes us. Even with a lengthy trailer, the film is still shrouded in mystery and I know there will be twists and turns that will come out of nowhere. It’s just great to see Dumbledore back on screen.

I give this trailer a 8 out of 10 for its magical vibe, visual style and great new characters portrayed by Johnny Depp and Jude Law.

Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald releases November 16th, 2018.

What We Hoped To See: Hellboy, Game of Thrones, First Man, Chaos Walking, Shaft, John Wick, Ad Astra, Captive State and Dark Phoenix.

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