Hollywood gave us several trailers last week. Fast X was probably the most shocking, because the movie comes out in May.
And yet, three months before the release date, the first trailer was nowhere to be found. Studios usually tease their upcoming movies six months to a year before they debut.
Some of us expected Universal Pictures to announce a delay. After all, the director, Justin Lin, abandoned Fast X in April 2022, citing creative differences. He probably tried to steer the tenth Fast and Furious film back into the realm of sanity, only for Vin Diesel to insist on leaning into the reality-breaking nonsense we saw in Fast 9.
These movies have become silly cartoons. But they make money. The studio hired Louis Leterrier to finish Fast X, which is a little concerning, because Leterrier made the first two Transporter films, The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans (2010).
Well, the trailer won me over. We have a new villain in Jason Momoa’s Hernan Reyes, a ruthless drug kingpin hellbent on making Dom and his crew pay for his father’s death.
Fast X needs to reconvert the fans Fast 9 alienated. The movie has a budget of $340 million, which makes it the fifth most expensive movie in Hollywood history. It can’t afford to underperform. Even if it falls flat, Fast X will probably make more money than John Wick 4, whose trailer was everything I wanted: fast-paced, stylistic, and epic.
You could feel the mythology oozing from every frame. Chad Stahelski (director) and his team have done an incredible job building this secret realm of kings and assassins hiding beneath the world we know.
Like the Fast and the Furious, each new installment in the John Wick franchise tries to top its predecessors; hence the ninjas on bikes chasing John Wick on a horse through a city street.
The movies have an element of believability that adds to the tension. Ultimately, Keanu Reeves’ Baba Yaga is just a man. If you cut him, he will bleed. Stahelski doesn’t surround Wick with that air of invincibility that makes Vin Diesel’s Dom so dull.
Although, it makes you wonder how much longer the John Wick franchise can last. There’s a limit to the number of people John Wick can kill. John Wick 4 may finally offer the assassin the freedom he sorely desires, but only if he can win a duel against an enigmatic foe.
I was tempted to discuss Creed III. But here’s the thing. I never watched the first two, so I have nothing to say about this new one. I will watch Creed III. I may watch the first two in a few weeks, but only if Creed III (March 3) blows my mind.
I never saw the trailer for The Little Mermaid, because I don’t like Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics. But like Creed III, I may change my tune if The Little Mermaid entertains me. I have heard good things about the live-action Cinderella and Aladdin.
But again, these remakes sound dumb. This brings us to The Flash, which was the best of all these trailers. Some of you preferred the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 trailer. But it was hardly memorable.
On the other hand, The Flash looks fantastic. I went from not caring about this movie to actively anticipating it. Did you
see Kara? Yes, some of us are still sour over Henry Cavill’s departure. But let’s be honest; Supergirl looks incredible. James Gunn called The Flash one of the best comic book movies ever made. I’m starting to believe him.
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Source: The Observer
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