Fandoms Assemble!
Writers at the Boar review the latest trailers from the Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, and Star Wars universe, sharing their expectations and apprehensions for their favourite fandoms…
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
– Su Collins
Life is pretty good for Star Wars fans right now. Just four months after the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the teaser trailer for the first Star Wars spin-off movie, Rogue One dropped. Well, more specifically, and in true Disney fashion, they released a teaser for the teaser trailer and had fans, (including yours truly) refreshing the Good Morning America Twitter page for nearly five hours straight.
But you know what? All was forgiven when the sweet, sweet rendition of ‘The Force Theme’ rung out, and we were transported back to a galaxy far far away once more.
The trailer opens with a girl (Felicity Jones) walking into what looks like the Rebel base on Yavin 4. A voiceover lists criminal offences that we assume are linked to the girl: “Forgery of imperial documents”, “possession of stolen property”, “aggravated assault”, and “resisting arrest”. Before I could even process this information, BOOM! Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly from Episode III). Could Disney’s effort of acknowledging prequel cast be a green light to Ewan Mcgregor reprising his role as Obi Wan Kenobi?
Image: Imgur
Mon Mothma and Jyn’s conversation ends with Jyn boldly stating, “This is a rebellion isn’t it? I rebel”. We’re then immediately graced with shot after shot of elements from the original trilogy – at one point you can even spot a Gonk Droid in the background. Donnie Yen, rumoured to be a blind force user, makes an appearance along with black Stormtroopers, a mysterious, cloaked figure, and Ben Mendelsohn’s Grand Admiral.
THE HYPE IS REAL
To say the trailer was awesome would be an understatement as it certainly surpassed my expectations. The teaser did what it said: it teased the audience, and got us all pumped up for more Star Wars. Who is Jyn? Will she be related to the Skywalkers? Will Vader and Leia be in the movie? What was Porkins up to? These questions will be answered in due course, but for now I’m just going to say this – THE HYPE IS REAL.
Suicide Squad
– Christine Wong
There has been a truckload of hype surrounding the DC Comics movie franchise – almost too much hype. Suicide Squad was to be the cinematic debut of quite a few DC characters fans had been aching to see come to life – mainly, admittedly, Harley Quinn, who has not been majorly portrayed in live-action media. DC Comics had to also compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially the Avengers franchise, in their release of an ensemble cast film.
All the DC Comics fans can hope is that unlike Batman v Superman, the critics take to this film as well as the fans do.
The San Diego Comic Con trailer – the first glimpse of the Squad for the world in July 2015 – fuelled the hype massively, but definitely took on a darker tone and had very little humour. It used a lot of dramatic fade-ins and fade-outs, and didn’t show too much action, preferring to focus on Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) idea that using the Squad came with “built in deniability”. It seemed a touch too humourless, almost stiff, but the mere appearance of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and the stinger of Jared Leto as the Joker had fans roaring for more.
Then came the next two trailers in 2016 – immediately there was a lift in tone. Even the colour scheme of the trailers differs from a grungy red and black to a colourful, almost toxic-rainbow collection of clouds. The 2016 trailers are set to upbeat songs – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘You Don’t Own Me,’ as opposed to the creepier BeeGees cover, ‘I Started A Joke’, of the SDCC trailer. There are shots of just about all the Squad taking part in kicking some butt, as well as more cuts, as opposed to fades for clip transitions, making the trailers very high energy, with various one-liners, like Deadshot’s (Will Smith) “What is this, cheerleading tryouts?” peppered throughout for a chuckle or two.
It definitely also helps that the trailers definitely take advantage of their gorgeous women, with one extremely gratuitous putting-on-clothes clip of Harley Quinn, as well as pre-sorceress Enchantress, portrayed by ex-supermodel Cara Delevingne.
The 2016 trailers are action packed, funny, and contain just the right amount of fan-service. It seems to offset the main criticism of Batman v Superman – that it was too dark and depressing – and so sets for itself a very, very high reputation to uphold. All the DC Comics fans can hope is that unlike Batman v Superman, the critics take to this film as well as the fans do.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
– Louise Griffin
‘You’re an interesting man, Mr Scamander. Just like your suitcase, I think there’s much more to you than meets the eye.’
With these words, the Harry Potter fandom has been launched into a new era. Posted on April 10, the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them teaser trailer has given Potter fans their first real insight into the latest film about the wizarding world after half a decade.
The use of an entirely new setting and cast as well as scenes showing magic that we are unfamiliar with, are a constant reminder that we cannot know what to expect from this era of the wizarding world.
The trailer makes clear nods to the past of Potter. The film being a product of another collaboration between J.K. Rowling, David Heyman and David Yates is certain to reassure fans that the magic of Potter is safe. It is easy to feel nostalgic with the references to Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore, the shots of Newt apparating and, of course, the use of two different versions of Hedwig’s Theme. However, it is evident that the trailer is also setting up a standalone series and distancing these films from Potter. The use of an entirely new setting and cast as well as scenes showing magic that we are unfamiliar with, are a constant reminder that we cannot know what to expect from this era of the wizarding world.
One of the most anticipated elements of the film is the fandom’s introduction to the wizarding world of the USA after years of curiosity about witches and wizards outside of the UK and Europe. The script seems almost teasing as Newt is asked: “first trip to America?”. Beautiful shots of the streets of 1920s New York and the US Ministry of Magic are followed by a fleeting image of an American wizarding newspaper. Political figures are clearly of importance: we are shown a huge portrait of President Seraphina Picquery, a character only previously mentioned on Pottermore, in the Ministry and a shot of her in person towards the end of the trailer. While Eddie Redmayne brings the element of Britishness which was so important to Rowling in the Potter films to Fantastic Beasts, the trailer makes it clear that it is certainly American fans’ turn to see their section of the wizarding world, with numerous shots of rooms laden with American flags and posters of American politicians.
With the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, November will mark the beginning of the next era in the Harry Potter fandom and, although Harry’s story has come to an end, it seems from this trailer that Newt’s will be the perfect continuation of it.
Dr. Strange
-Robyn Guthrie
On the 12 April, Marvel released the new Doctor Strange trailer starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr Stephen Strange. The film is due to be released on November 4 2016.
The trailer begins with some confusing images of Strange in a car crash which severely damages the nerves in his hands. Using an incredible jump cut and a heavy focus on the significance of the loss to Strange, ( through close-ups of his hands before and after mutilation) we are then shown a compressed origin story of how Stephen Strange, a famous and successful surgeon, transforms into the superhero/sorcerer known as Doctor Strange.
Cargill is essentially defending the casting choice with the risk of the potential loss of one of the biggest audiences in the world
The film is different to Marvel’s usual cohort of gods and superheros, which is quite a refreshing and smart move from the franchise. With several of The Avengers characters having their own (entertaining) movies and a sequels, it is only a matter of time before their staple characters start to become repetitive or tedious.
The trailer has received some criticism for its casting of the white actress Tilda Swinton as ‘The Ancient One’, as she is neither ancient, nor Tibetan (the original ethnicity of the comic book character). Although the trailer doesn’t refer to her age, the white-washing of the character deserved an explanation.
In an interview with ‘Double Toasted’, the writer C. Robert Cargill responded by saying that the franchise couldn’t risk a rejection from Chinese cinema because the character “originates from Tibet, so if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people.” China is the second biggest box office in the world, so Cargill is essentially defending the casting choice with the risk of the potential loss of one of the biggest audiences in the world, and compensating or compromising by replacing the powerful male role to a female actress instead.
Having only one trailer really leaves a lot to be desired, but this is definitely an exciting moment for the franchise. You have to watch the trailer at least twice to really take in all the information being thrown at you, but I can’t wait to see what else will be revealed in the coming months.
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