Complete with all the sci-fi intrigue, high definition imagery and confusing plot elements you could desire, we’re got two recent trailers – one domestic and one international – for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. We next revisit two films we’ve previous featured: revisionist fairly tale Snow White and the Huntsman, which reveals more of Charlize Theron’s evil queen and medieval battles, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which pretty much just has more axe swinging. We wrap things up with Chernobyl Diaries, an (understandably) Eastern European-set horror flick from Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli, about a group of teens who get stranded in the now-abandoned city. They are, however, not alone at the site of the 1986 catastrophe. It’s never a disaster on Player Affinity – it’s Trailer Tracker.
Prometheus
Revisiting (in come capacity) his ground-breaking 1979 outer-space horror flick, director Ridley Scott brings us the long-awaited Alien prequel/not an Alien prequel/may have some tie-ins to Alien/is set in the Alien universe, Prometheus. Regardless of the connections, it’s great to see Scott back in the genre that gave him his big break some 30 years ago. Though we have had some great sci-fi flicks in recent years including the rebirth of Star Trek, Oscar-nominee District 9 and low-budget mind-bender Moon to name a few, we have not had an offering that has evoked Alien and Aliens in such a bleak, relentless way. Prometheus (which is the name of the spaceship) collects an abundance of sensational acting talent which includes Michael Fassbender, Noomie Rapace, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Idris Elba and plops them dead center in a vast extraterrestrial world. Scott shot this film in 3D and the footage on display promises that this is the rare occasion where such an approach is warranted.
The domestic trailer for Prometheus begins with our film’s setup, whereby a series of ancient cave paintings from around the world reveal a star map to a distant planet. After the crew’s arrival, the trailer descends into a nightmarish montage of impending doom with a techno-scream echoing over the escalating events. The international trailer is more straightforward and narrative-oriented and contains some additional footage that may hint at the fate at some of our astronauts. Both, however, are impeccably crafted, riveting and hint at some of Ridley Scott’s finest work in years. As I mentioned, there is no official word on how involved this film will be in the “Alien” mythos, though there are certainly clues that will be the case (the appearance of the famed “Space Jockey” from the original Alien, being the strongest of such indicators). Regardless of whether or not this will reveal some formerly unknown facts about the acid-spitting Xenomorphs, Prometheus promises to be a science fiction epic for a new generation.
Snow White and the Huntsman
This second modern take on the “Snow White” fairytale (Mirror, Mirror comes out in just two weeks) continues to impress in its second full-length trailer, which promises a slew of stylized combat and a sinister (but sultry) Charlize Theron in her first villainous role as Queen Ravenna. There have been truly countless offerings as of late that employ some instance of super-stylized action and visuals (just look at our next trailer) but Snow White and the Huntsman boasts a unique style, which if directly compared to another film, would come off as insulting to what director Rupert Sanders has crafted. Gorgeous panoramic shots, a look at the enchanted forest and still very little of lead Kristen Stewart make for a wonderful trailer – I jest, Kristen.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Attention loggers everywhere! You have been performing your trade incorrectly for centuries. The correct technique to swing an axe is to twirl it about your head a dozen or so times in a blurred fury and then bring it down on your target in the midst of a leap – or perhaps that only pertains to vampire slaying. It’s nothing but undead-killing glory in the second spot for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which promises a deliciously tongue-in-cheek action film, all while satisfying gore hounds everywhere. Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov directs this slightly liberal take on American history and even if the movie is a mess, hopefully the set pieces compensate.
Chernobyl Diaries
Oren Peli has been on roll since he single-handily brought back the found-footage movie with Paranormal Activity, having produced three movies and a television series since 2008, with four more on the way. Among this quartet of 2012 up-and-comers is Chernobyl Diaries, and though not a found footage offering, continues the ghostly streak that has made the Israeli-native a household name in the genre. In “Chernobyl,” a group of American teens opts to venture to the abandoned city for some off-road tourism. But after their car is inexplicably disabled, they are forced to reside in the dead city – dead in more ways than one. The setting is the greatest asset this horror flick has to boast as where else can you place your protagonists in such a vast ghost town. Chernobyl Diaries radiates into theaters on May 25.
