Wow, you get sick for one weekend and suddenly Hollywood releases three massive trailers in as many days. It’s the hand that the universe has dealt us though, so let’s not get all stressed out about it. The last few weeks has seen us bombarded with superhero trailers, but this time it was all about next year’s other major franchises: Star Trek, Independence Day and Harry Potter.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Let’s kick off with the trailer that hit first. Our first glimpse of Independence Day: Resurgence is promising. Down precisely one Will Smith, veteran film maker Roland Emmerich returns to the franchise that put him in the big leagues in what looks like a solid summer blockbuster.
Don’t expect to be massively surprised by this movie, but expect to have fun with it. Apart from Smith it looks like everyone from the original flick will at least be making an appearance, including Bill Pullman as (now former) President Whitmore. If we don’t get another stirring speech from him this time round it will be a let down.
Meanwhile, original co-lead Jeff Goldblum is back in what looks to be a pretty meaty role, and has apparently helped Earth adopt a bunch of alien technology. He’ll be joined by Liam Hemsworth. Unlike his brother Chris (aka Thor), Liam hasn’t quite found that movie star role yet, but Goldblum seems like the kind of guy who could elevate him if they have chemistry.
Star Trek Beyond
Moving on, Star Trek Beyond was by far the shortest teaser of the three, which could be a be a bad sign if we’re reading into this sort of thing. On the other hand the alien designs look great and there’s nothing in there that suggests the same level of awfulness as Star Trek: Into Darkness.
Looks okay, doesn’t it? Time will tell of course, but Simon Pegg’s script seems to have transformed the series into something of an action comedy. This would certainly suit Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, though we are left wondering how much like a Star Trek film it will really feel like.
Still, Pegg is known as a fan of the series, so we’ll presumably get enough well thought out nods to the old TV shows to keep trekkers happy. Zero Idris Elba as the villain in this trailer though. Let’s hope they’re not doing the whole mystery box thing again like they did with Benedict Cumberbatch.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Finally, if Star Trek Beyond was the shortest trailer, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the one that actually revealed the least. For anyone who grew up with the Harry Potter books it was a little frustrating. Very little by way of film footage or dialogue was on offer from this prequel to the Potter series scripted by J. .K. Rowling herself.
What we do get is a witch with an American accent (that’s going to take a little getting used to), some shots of 1920s New York and the basic synopsis of the film. It looks like at least the first of this new trilogy will deal with a bunch of dangerous magical creatures running wild in the big apple.
Eddie Redmayne as lead Newt Scamander and Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein (the American witch we mentioned just now) look like they’re delivering solid performances here. Plus 1920s New York fits Rowling’s anachronistic wizarding world vibe perfectly. Let’s hope Rowling doesn’t fall into the same trap as The Hobbit films by trying to set up the Potter movies that have already been released.
There you have it then; three trailers in three days. Let’s hope Hollywood chills out for a few weeks so we can get on with Christmas time and ignoring our families in peace.
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