Grading this week’s movie trailers

April 22, 2015

Myong Choi,

Film geeks like myself are counting the days (nine, to be exact) until “Avengers: Age of Ultron” opens a huge summer movie season. But the release of some exciting and even controversial trailers this past week triggered endless internet chatter. Let’s take a look at the most buzzworthy, in the order they were released.

“Terminator: Genisys”

Why? Oh why are you showing us so much? The latest trailer reveals that John Connor, the son of Sarah Connor who sent back Kyle Reece to save his mother in the original film, is now … a Terminator. I’m sorry, what?

First of all, that by itself screams of desperation to keep the franchise fresh — but even so, why did you have to show that in the trailer? The trailer for “Terminator: Salvation” did the exact same thing, revealing a crucial plot point. I can’t fathom why this film makes the same mistake.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there are even more surprises the movie has up its sleeve. But I doubt it. Bad enough that they cast the bland-as-stale-ricecake Jai Courtney as Kyle Reece. Ugh, my excitement for this film has dropped considerably.

Trailer Grade: D

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

The trailer opens with the slow reveal of a crashed Star Destroyer on what looks like the deserts of Tatooine, accompanied by that dramatic Star Wars theme music. Then we hear Luke talking about his family’s legacy with the Force.

His father has it. Wait, what? Has it? Not had it? Does that mean Darth Vader is alive somehow? Hmmm …

His sister has it. And now, it has been passed down to his next generation. A few clips of action sequences follow, and it ends with an old and grizzly Han Solo telling Chewie, “We’re home.”

I am now taking out my wallet and handing you my $15. Take my money, please. This trailer is perfection.

Trailer Grade: A+

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

Blah, blah, blah … Hey, was that the voice of the Facebook guy playing Lex Luthor? I dug it! Blah, blah, blah … That was a cool line about “can do” vs. “should do” … when “Jurassic Park” first used it over 20 years ago … blah, blah, blah … someone vandalized the Superman statue! Who? Maybe it was the Batfleck!

Let’s be honest. This first trailer doesn’t show much. Its sole purpose is to get people talking about a film that won’t be released for a whole year. Did it succeed? Sure, but the trailer itself is underwhelming. And aren’t we all getting tired of the Christopher Nolan “Inception”-like percussion and horn-heavy BRAWR!!! sound effects?

Trailer Grade: B-

“Fantastic Four”

Oy. Never mind “Ant Man.” That movie actually looks pretty cool now. Looks like “Fantastic Four” could be Marvel’s first disappointment. This trailer is actually a downgrade from the previous one despite showing more of their powers. The look of the film is just a little off for me and I’m really not looking forward to sitting through yet another origin story for characters we’re all familiar with by now. I really like the core cast and have faith in them. But I got a bad feeling about this one.

Trailer Grade: C

“Jurassic World”

AKA “Chris Pratt: The Raptor Whisperer.” I love Chris Pratt. He’s a huge star in the making and I’m glad he’s here to bring a humorous, light tone to this film because man, does it look dark. I really don’t remember anything about the two sequels before this, but I will always remember the original for the awe and wonder that director Steven Spielberg made us feel before unleashing the horror of the wild dinosaurs. “Jurassic World,” however, looks like a straight-up gore fest with dinos running amok and very little evidence of the heart of the original film.

Trailer Grade: B

“Tomorrowland”

Finally! An original film that’s not a sequel or based on a comic book. Wait … it’s based on a theme park ride? Ugh. Still, “Tomorrowland” looks like it will deliver some great visuals, hopefully with some of the heart and wonder that “Jurassic World” appears to be lacking. I’ve been on board with this film from Day One and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen. I know director Brad Bird will make it one we can’t forget.

Trailer Grade: A-