• NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.

Thundercats, HOOOOOOOO!

Yes, the trailers for formulaic movies are often formulaic. Also, the sky is often blue, water is often wet, except when it's cold and solid, and that fan-made trailer is full of awesome.

If it were made, I'd watch that movie a dozen times in the middle of the night on HBO...
 

log in or register to remove this ad

I grokked that it was forumalic and I still thought it was awesome. Because its true that every single action trailer runs on this forumla you know its going to take that line before it starts. The impressive bit was the character art, costume, shots and stuff like that when the film doesnt exist. A recut of an existing film for a new trailer with same formula is just stoopid however. Kudos to the guys who made up the footage before it was cookie cut into the ubiquitous script.
 

Yes, the trailers for formulaic movies are often formulaic. Also, the sky is often blue, water is often wet...
...and people on the Internet often think it's witty to recycle stale quips like "also, the sky is blue, water is wet..."

The observation being made wasn't without a point. Personally, I don't see a magic trick being quite as cool once you see the wires or know where the pigeon's hidden--particularly not after the thousandth time you've seen it--but I guess I'm on the losing end for being discerning rather than just sitting back and saying "cooool, dude". At least when it comes to appreciating the trailer; I'd come out ahead on the movie itself, because--and here's the real thrust--a by-the-numbers awesome trailer is all too often is attached to a by-the-numbers awful movie.

I grokked that it was forumalic and I still thought it was awesome. Because its true that every single action trailer runs on this forumla you know its going to take that line before it starts. The impressive bit was the character art, costume, shots and stuff like that when the film doesnt exist. A recut of an existing film for a new trailer with same formula is just stoopid however. Kudos to the guys who made up the footage before it was cookie cut into the ubiquitous script.
The ingenius part was definitely finding suitable lookalikes for the various Thundercat characters. Vin Deisel and Brad Pitt were spot on. Cheetara was definitely a toughie, and he didn't quite nail it. Maybe he could've used some footage of Charlize Theron from Hancock or Aeon Flux (someone oughta get some find some was to get some use outta that film). Or heck, Milla Jovovich from Resident Evil or UltraViolet.
 
Last edited:

...but I guess I'm on the losing end for being discerning rather than just sitting back and saying "cooool, dude". At least when it comes to appreciating the trailer...

Well, in this instance you might be...

Here's how I see it. There's technically good movies and there's technically bad movies. But whether a movie (or trailer) is good or bad doesn't necessarily bear on whether is entertaining or enjoyable. It all depends on the expectations. When I see a formulaic action-movie trailer, such this one for Thudercats, I go into the movie expecting a formulaic action movie with excessive CGI graphics, explosive special effects, and not a whole lot of plot. However, since I'm not expecting a great acting or an intricate plotline, I can still enjoy the movie based on other things, such as well choreographed chases and fights, eye-dazzling special effects, or simple nostalgia.

In that sense, I watch this Thundercats trailer, and think "cooool, dude" because it seems to effectively recapture everything the cartoon of my youth was about... The last of the Thundercats fighting against Mum-Ra and the mutants for controls of Third Earth.

I agree that any formuliac method can get tiresome when overdone or poorly applied, but there are times when it's appropriate.
 

Into the Woods

Remove ads

Top