I was shocked at the amount of movies coming out this year that peaked my interest. Nearly 30 at last count. It's as if Hollywood is trying to pack as much movies as it can before The Avengers: Rise of Ultron comes out next year.
That being said, only a quarter of that amount has trailers currently available, so there will probably be a future trailer post later in the summer. Without further ado, in order of their release date, here's a sampling of movies for 2014!
300: Rise of An Empire
This is actually the third trailer for this movie but this one reveals more of the plot, specifically the prequel parts as we see how Xerxes becomes the "God-King".
I'm not feeling the same level of badass-ness from our new lead, Sullivan Stapleton, as I did with Gerald Butler, though. It's the voice, in my opinion. It doesn't have that same thunderous bellow that Butler had when he yelled. I am interested as his character, Themistocles, is an Athenian, a kingdom that King Leonidas slandered as a bunch of philosophers and "boy-lovers". I'm curious to see if the Athenians have any different combat tactics than their Spartan counterparts.
Also, I love the addition in this particular trailer of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" playing in the background. A bit strange though as it's an anti-war song but awesome nonetheless. Plus, it looks like we're going to see Lena Headly's Queen Gorgo go on a rampage against the Persians. We saw in the first movie she's not afraid to kill, so let's see how she does on the battlefield. If her skill with a blade is as deadly as her sharp tongue on Game of Thrones, I honestly feel bad for the Persians.
Noah
Being raised in a Catholic household, the story of Noah and the Ark is one of the first stories I can recall being told as a child. Though, if this trailer and related materials are anything to go by, this won't be your daddy's Noah. Just look at Russell Crowe, he doesn't look anything like the white-haired, long-bearded Noah I've seen in storybooks. Nor did I picture his family looking like Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson (not that I'm complaining).
Had this just be a standard retelling of the same old story, I'd not even give it a passing glance. But the fact there is an actual villain (Played by Ray Winstone, no less) and there are going to be more fantastical elements, such as multi-armed giant angels, grabbed my attention.
"Angels?", you might ask as they didn't appear in the trailer but there is a French graphic novel adaptation co-written by Darren Aronofsky that's been around the web for a few years called Noe.
Fun fact: Kevin Durand will appear as Og, an angel that helps Noah. This is not the first time he's played an angel, though. However, he's going to look a lot less like Gabriel from Legion:
And more akin to this:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Ah, the first Marvel movie of the year and who better to get things started than good ol' Cap? I was wondering how they were going to do another Captain America movie seeing as he was no longer in the 1940's. It seems like they're going with a more political thriller approach a la the Jason Bourne movies. Being a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., This looks like a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie as well although with more higher-up characters such as Nick Fury and Black Widow.
I'm excited to see not only Winter Soldier on the big screen but also Sam Wilson a.k.a the Falcon. He looks spot on from The Ultimates comics.
Although you could probably just look it up and it's been known amongst comic fans for years now, I can't wait until people who held out on spoilers to find out the Winter Soldier's identity. There's going to be a lot of posts on IMDB reading "IT WAS HIM?!?!1!"
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Oh man, I'm so hyped for this one. My favorite Marvel character on the big screen again and he's brought friends. Well, friends that want to kill him but Oh My God, Electro and Rhino are coming! And Green Goblin. And maybe Black Cat.
That is one of the things that worries me as too many villains was a problem that plagued Spider-Man 3. But I have noticed from the bits they show of the Rhino from this and other trailers that they're all set during the day, making me think he's only going to come out in one scene and the rest of the movie will focus on Electro and Green Goblin. That's only my guess, though.
I'm digging the new comic-accurate Spider-Man costume though and it looks like they really revved up the action for this one. I love the last ten seconds or so of this trailer with Spidey dodging Electro's blasts. Also, this:
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| OMG THE SINISTER SIX ARE COMING |
X-Men: Days of Future Past
A very somber trailer for the third Marvel movie but exciting nonetheless. It's great to see the old X-Men crew again along with the X-Men: First Class team. Though if they're adapting the "Days of Future Past" storyline, things are going to get dark fast. Some fan-favorite characters are also making their film debut as well such as Bishop, Warpath and Blink. Also, Peter Dinklage (My favorite actor from Game of Thrones) as Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinels. That alone has me ecstatic.
There's something about funky 70's Charles Xavier that I really dig. I want a shot of him rolling down the sidewalk with either the Shaft theme or the intro to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" by the Temptations playing in the background. Seriously, play either of those and stare at the picture above.
Not to mention the fact the Sentinels are going to be the villains! There's only been concept art of what they look like so nothing's finalized as of yet. But there was this video that popped up last year:
Maleficent
I'll admit I was really skeptical when I heard they were making a live-action movie about Maleficent, the villain from Sleeping Beauty. But, Good God, did this trailer change my mind. The visual effects, the actors, that haunting rendition of "Once Upon a Dream" by Lana Del Ray. This trailer has everything going for it.
I do have a fondness for this type of story where we see a familiar tale told from another perspective. I'm also a sucker for epic army battles (Thanks, Lord of the Rings). I was a bit shocked to find out that Maleficent's horns are just that, horns, and not part of a headdress. Though it should be noted that in the original tale, she was a fairy, not a human witch or sorceress. How they're going to make her sympathetic is anyone's guess since, as shown in Sleeping Beauty, she cursed a baby girl to die by poking her finger all because she wasn't invited to a birthday party.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Out of all the movies based on Marvel Comics, this is the comic I know next to nothing about. When I first heard the announcement, My reaction was "..........Okay" in the most skeptical and bewildered way possible. "Out of all the comics and characters they have at their disposal, Marvel picked Guardians of the Galaxy? They didn't even have a 90's cartoon!"
Holy poop on a stick, was I wrong! I liked the fact they introduced the members of the Guardians one by one, giving the audience (and myself) a taste of their personalities and back-stories. The film looks...much more comedic than I envisioned. But when two of the members are a talking raccoon and a tree-man, would you expect anything else. Not to mention John C. Reily as a member of the Nova Corps, Marvel's version of the Green Lantern Corps. So, expect to see him fly around and shoot laser blasts from his hands.
The action looks tight too, reminiscent of both Star Wars and the recent Star Trek Films. I can't wait to see more trailers for this one in the future. Before I head to the final trailer, a parting shot:
This movie actually comes out before Guardians of the Galaxy but I had to save it for last. Also, I know the new trailer came out recently, but I'm more partial to this teaser.
Godzilla and I go way back. I've been a fan of his movies since I was in elementary. I watched in both amazement and horror as he reduced Tokyo to rubble in Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I've cried when he fell into the volcano in Godzilla 1985. I cheered when he defeated MechaGodzilla in Terror of MechaGodzilla. I stared confused at the screen when he flew in Godzilla vs. Hedorah.
And that final shot with Godzilla in the dust as he roars? My reaction?
So with that, I leave you with the (paraphrased) words from J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the creators of the atomic bomb, from the San Diego ComicCon Godzilla teaser:
"We knew the world would not be the same. Few people cried... most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. 'Vishnu, takes on his multi-armed form and says:
Holy poop on a stick, was I wrong! I liked the fact they introduced the members of the Guardians one by one, giving the audience (and myself) a taste of their personalities and back-stories. The film looks...much more comedic than I envisioned. But when two of the members are a talking raccoon and a tree-man, would you expect anything else. Not to mention John C. Reily as a member of the Nova Corps, Marvel's version of the Green Lantern Corps. So, expect to see him fly around and shoot laser blasts from his hands.
The action looks tight too, reminiscent of both Star Wars and the recent Star Trek Films. I can't wait to see more trailers for this one in the future. Before I head to the final trailer, a parting shot:
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| OOGA CHAKA OOGA OOGA OOGA CHAKA |
Godzilla
Godzilla and I go way back. I've been a fan of his movies since I was in elementary. I watched in both amazement and horror as he reduced Tokyo to rubble in Godzilla, King of the Monsters. I've cried when he fell into the volcano in Godzilla 1985. I cheered when he defeated MechaGodzilla in Terror of MechaGodzilla. I stared confused at the screen when he flew in Godzilla vs. Hedorah.
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| What has been seen can never be unseen... |
But for all his campiness, I'm a devoted fan for life.
That being said, I love how (thematically) dark they're making this movie, showing Godzilla only in glimpses and the aftermath that he leaves in his path (Those are bodies by the train at the 1:40 mark, you know). It makes me think more of a natural disaster rather than a giant monster. The creepy music from 2001: A Space Odyssey certainly doesn't lighten the tone either.  |
| Who else do you know that owns a plush Godzilla? |
And that final shot with Godzilla in the dust as he roars? My reaction?
So with that, I leave you with the (paraphrased) words from J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the creators of the atomic bomb, from the San Diego ComicCon Godzilla teaser:
"We knew the world would not be the same. Few people cried... most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. 'Vishnu, takes on his multi-armed form and says:
