In Nolan We Hopefully Trust Again: "Interstellar" Teaser Trailer

It feels like the time when Christopher Nolan was not a source of geek contention is further into the past than it probably is in actuality. Even the months before The Dark Knight Rises were belligerent as geeks engaged in a suddenly more vocal debate between those who deemed the gritty realism of the Dark Knight Trilogy to be either appropriate for the source material or detrimental to the superhero genre. 

Following the divisive response to The Dark Knight Rises, that at the very least was underwhelming compared to the films predecessor, Christopher Nolan became an increasingly contentious figure. Supporting Nolan, even  while admitting any shortcomings, meant one was a delusional and biased fanboy. Conversely, criticizing Nolan was met with vile and even violent reactions. Such was and arguably still is the atmosphere around the internet whenever Nolan's name is brought up.

I do not feel a need to defend or explain myself when it comes to my adoration of Christopher Nolan, but to set the record straight: I absolutely adore The Dark Knight, I love Inception in spite of my criticisms towards the first act of the film, and I find The Dark Knight Rises to be highly entertaining despite unfortunately being Nolan's weakest film. (albeit for reasons no worse than most common blockbusters *goughTheAvengerscough*).

Whatever kind of Nolan fan that makes me, even I was beginning to criticize the filmmaker and found myself yearning for the enthusiasm I once had for him to return. While Man of Steel was a box office success, it was hardly the juggernaut Warner Bros. had been hyping it up to be to say nothing of the mixed-at-best critical reception. Assigning blame between Snyder, Nolan and Goyer for the underwhelming response towards the film seems to remain a unresolved issue among nerds (I personally feel all three individuals were the wrong choice considering the source material). For some time I have been waiting for a new Christopher Nolan film to reinvigorate my support for the director. If the teaser for the 2014 film titled Interstellar is to be believed, I may just get my wish granted.

The Thinking Lens: His Name is Superman

Episode #3

My reaction to the newest trailer for the upcoming film: Man of Steel.

I analyze the latest trailer for Man of Steel and discuss my overall excitement, fears, and hopes for the upcoming Superman film. Are director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan the right choice for Superman? How do Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and the rest of cast seem to be? Will the score by composer Hans Zimmer be worthy of such an iconic superhero? Will we finally see The Last Son of Kryton display the full extent of his super powers? All this and more is explored!

"The Thinking Lens": Commentary on Film, Music, Video Games, Television, Politics and Pop Culture.

Where You Can Find Me
The Thinking Lens Blog: http://thethinkinglens.blogspot.ca/
Tumblr.: http://thethinkinglens.tumblr.com/
Gomiso: http://gomiso.com/u/crisrav1138
last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/SexySeb1138
Film Aficionado: http://crisrav1138.filmaf.com/
letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/crisrav1138

The various use of media material is protected by the Fair Use Clause of the U.S Copyright Act of 1976, which allows for the rebroadcast of copyrighted materials for the purposes of commentary, criticism, satire/parody and education.

Man of Steel: Hope for Superhero Films?

I haven't exactly kept my disdain for Zack Snyder and most of his filmography a secret. 300 and Watchmen were mediocre at best, if I'm being generous, and Sucker Punch appears to encompass every single problem I have with Snyder in terms of style of content. I get that you can dismiss my lack of enthusiasm for the slow-motion, the all CGI worlds, and the horrendous use music/covers at inappropriate times...but you'd be wrong. You can disagree that those traits are even problems to begin with, but insisting they are traits unworthy of criticism is simply mistaken.

So naturally as a HUGE Superman fan whose watched and loved the Richard Donner Superman films, the Superman prequel television series Smallville, the Superman animated series, and countless other related media...I was not elated to hear Snyder would helm Warner Bros. latest attempt to revive the film franchise of the worlds most famous superhero.

Surprisingly, I was also wary of Christopher Nolan being the films guide and story writer. While his grim, gritty, and realistic style is PERFECT for Batman, Superman is a character designed to inspire hope, bring brightness, and clearly exhibit abilities beyond the realm of reality. So this didn't feel like a right fit for either Snyder or Nolan, much less the combination of both artists. However in recent months, since the success of The Avengers to be exact, I've come to appreciate this teaming up of Snyder and Nolan.

I have to get say out of the gate: I really love The Avengers. It's a fun, exciting, and humorous popcorn ride filled with visual awe and a great cast. It's entertaining without being stupid and delivers on the imagination we all shared when dreaming of a big superhero team-up. Having said that...it is far from a perfect film. Some of the dialogue is pretty awful (The exchange between Loki and Fury about ants having quarrels with boots is laughably bad), the story is predictable and offers little sense of true suspense, dread, or surprise, and the first hour is oddly paced and rushed in terms of character relationships and individual development.

Yet somehow films like Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises can share these exact same traits and be lambasted while The Avengers is praised as a groundbreaking new gold standard for superhero films. Sorry...but no. In terms of costume design...okay, I guess it is the only film with the balls to make them look exactly like the comic books designs......if you ignore films like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or The Fantastic Four films. It certainly isn't the only superhero film to be "light-hearted" and "fun" and I cannot fathom how anyone could consider it to have a better script than The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, or Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Not good enough? Well maybe there is a superhero film that combined a great script with the courage to be all out silly and comic-booky...like the very first big one- Superman: The Movie. The Avengers fine and fun film....but hardly the revolutionary, does things no superhero film has ever done before, gauntlet smashing film that some are making it out to be. 

Now in recent days the new Star Trek Into Darkness teaser and every other genre film that has the audacity to apparently take itself seriously has been criticized by some (idiots) for pursuing a 'Dark Knight' style in a post-Avengers world....because now apparently no matter what film you are, screw characters and story...being goofy and fun is all that matters! 

Suddenly this teaming up of a director with the skills to create engaging stories and characters with another director with an admittedly passionate flare for visual action is beginning to really excite me. Man of Steel needs to really hit the ground running for Superman fans and while the latest trailer doesn't entirely excite me, it does indicate that there is enough there to ensure the future of superhero films will continue on the path of a PRE-Avengers world.

So what stand out about this trailer?

1) The negatives first: I smiled a little when Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent appeared in clothing similar to the Smallville Jonathan as played by John Schneider. However that joy quickly faded when Jonathan suggested that perhaps Clark should have let a bus full of children die in order to protect his secret powers. That really bugged me. In my experience Jonathan Kent has always warned Clark about the dangers of exposing himself, however it was never at the expense of the lives of others. This line just felt very un-Pa-Kent-Like and I very much hope that conversation take a different turn in the final film.

2) Overall the trailer didn't exactly excite me. As I shall explain there are aspects of it worthy of enthusiasm, however for the most part there wasn't much of a "Wow that was cool!" or "I need to see how this turns out!" moment.

3) Now for some positives...the mythic vibe of it all really impresses me. I'm not a fan of the music, but the overall feel of the trailer does emphasize that Superman is a character of epic and godlike stature in appearance and in terms of what the character represents. The shots of Superman in the arctic preparing for and eventually taking off into the sky truly felt like the stuff of legend. 

4) I love that we will appear to experience a story that is deeply personal for Clark Kent/Superman. Moments such as his mother and father comforting and teaching him in times of weakness or uncertainty really capture the important fact that Superman is who is because of the Kent's and how they raised Clark. These scene looks like they will provide some of the most emotional moments of the film.

5) Superman questioning his purpose in the world and whether or nor humanity is ready to accept him provides huge relief that the film will actually have an inner character journey that isn't simplified or easily dismissible. It gives Superman not only an arc for audiences to engage in, but possibly even a reason to rejoice beyond the typical 'hero saves the day' joy as Superman will now have something to prove to himself and the world. These are the types of stories that superhero films can and should aspire to.

Overall the trailer is fine. The aren't many awe inspiring moments but there are signs that the film will succeed in providing solid character and story depth, which frankly is the best sign the film could have given me. For some characters/franchises bright colors, gags every few moments, and fan service is not only fine, but required for a faithful adaptation. However in other cases, treating superhero films, their stories, and their characters like any other great film would, in other words taking them seriously, is more in line with what I hope to see in the future for the genre.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNIGHT

I'll admit that I was never a Star Trek fan. I didn't hate it, I was just never exposed to it. Even to this day my knowledge on the Star Trek universe and the history of the show(s) is limited to character names, catchphrases, how Wrath of Kahn is supposedly the best film of the series, and anything else that can be learned from a quick wikipedia read-through.

Having said that, I was a fan of J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise. The reboot didn't entice me into the world of Star Trek any more than I already was (or wasn't) but the film did do its job as far as I'm concerned. It had great characters, a solid narrative, pathos, and it was an exciting popcorn flick. Now, after an unusual amount of time later, Star Trek Into Darkness is months away and the latest trailer has just made its debut.

There's something about this trailer that feels...ok. I get that this is a teaser and I'll be the first to admit that I complain when people whine about teasers not showing enough material, evidently failing to understand the definition of the word 'tease'. However what IS being presented here is still concrete enough to come to some conclusions. First, there isn't anything presented here that is bad or anywhere near worthy of being hated, in fact the film looks pretty solid and will probably be alright. However there isn't anything remotely noteworthy either.

Perhaps the problem lies in the style of the teaser, which opts for a The Dark Knight-esque vibe involving the villain spewing a monologue questioning the morals, safety, and societal structure of the heroes alongside the quickly getting irritating 'Inception horns'.

Now don't get me wrong, I do not agree AT ALL with this sudden ever growing idea of Christopher Nolan apparently being worst thing to happen not only to film, but just about every other medium as well. However this teasers style ultimately just leaves me with the impression that the film will be just like every other big summer blockbuster. Explosions? Got it. Villain giving ominous speech? Got it. Characters running and screaming in panic as chaos in unleashed amongst the public? Got it.

It also seems weird that with most of the films hype surrounded by the question of who Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing, they don't present him in any way to grab audience interest aside from suggesting he won't be much different than The Joker or Skyfall's Raoul Silva. Granted both aforementioned  characters are great villains, but with so much of this films buzz centered on this mystery, it'll be disappointing if they have little new to offer.

I get that this is a teaser and they may very well simply be going to the old familiar well of promotional techniques to get the average audiences excited for it, but as it stands, for a film that took this long to hit theaters, it doesn't exactly scream 'This is worth the wait!'