For many happy fanboys and girls,this year's Comic Con in San Diego is the ultimate bright spot in the pop culture universe and for good reason. A slew of promotional goodies,clips and star packed panels will be awaiting them as part of the big campaigns for upcoming movies and TV shows.
Some of us,however,will be stuck out here in the heart of Heat Wave city with only the promise of the new Batman movie to comfort us. Yet,we can savor a few of the Comic Con delights via the internet by viewing the movie trailers that are now available to us(as well as watch for the special CC versions online).
Let's begin with Dredd,a reboot of the Judge Dredd graphic novels that gave us a rather overwrought Sly Stallone adaptation back in the nineties. This time out,Karl Urban plays the title role along Olivia Thirlby as his new partner Judge Anderson and Lena Headey takes on the villainess position as "Ma-Ma",a drug dealing diva.
Normally,I am not a fan of the remake but in this case,it was clearly justified. This version of Dredd has a more gritty vibe and Urban seems like a good fit to this material,plus I sense a nice Escape From New York kind of energy here. Dredd should do nicely at the box office this September as well as earn a few new fans:
Another remake on the horizon is Total Recall,with Colin Farrell taking the Arnie Schwarzenegger lead in what appears to based a little more on the Phillip K. Dick short story"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" script than the original film was.
Unlike that movie,there is no trip to Mars for the confused hero and since this version is directed by Len Wiseman,Kate Beckinsale has a part to play here as the not so friendly wife.
Similar to Dredd,Total Recall has a remade raw edge that marks it as a different cinematic beast from it's pumped up predecessor. Such a difference,however,is a double edged sword that could drive away more movie goers than it brings in,which is probably why the studio is shipping this out to theaters in August:
For fantasy followers,seeing Peter Jackson work his movie magic on The Hobbit is a total dream come true.
The prelude to the epic Lord of the Rings series is being turned into two movies,with "An Unexpected Journey" arriving by this December and "There and Back Again" shortly afterward. Old and new faces will be showing up in the shire such as Ian McKellen as Gandalf,Martin Freeman as a young Bilbo Baggins and Andy Serkis naturally reprising his classic role as Gollum.
A few may fret that newly created characters are thrown into the mix,along with some that don't originally appear in this story but do in the later films but if it helps to give the audience a wider look at the big picture,so let it be done,folks. We should just be thankful to get another bite of the Tolkien apple,in my humble opinion,that we know will be done right:
For something a bit more animated,Wreck-It Ralph brings a new perspective to the video game world as the title character is a arcade game bad guy who wants to change his image by finding a new game world to live in.
John C. Reilly voices the lead and he's joined by Jane Lynch,Sarah Silverman and Dennis Haybert in a story that salutes the traditional realm of video games along with the present day ones. Classic figures from Q*bert,Street Fighter and Super Mario Bros. pop up here,a sure fire way to get both older gamers and the new blood to join in the fun when the movie debuts in November:
These are only a handful of media wonders to be on display at Comic Con but don't despair if you can't get there this weekend. Chances are,a con will be showing up somewhere near you before the year is out and even if you can't make to one before 2013 starts,the the goodnatured community spirit of Comic Con never dies,it truly multiplies in abundance:
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