In a world where the need to grab moviegoers' attention is paramount, the skill to create a good movie trailer is definitely a necessity and an art form. How many times have you been fooled into watching something because the trailer looked spectacular? How many times have we sworn afterwards that the entire plot was in the trailer itself? Indeed, trailers, and likewise, movie posters, create the buzz that can make a flick a must-see. And don't even get me started on being suckered by the description of rental boxes.
When I saw the trailer for Furious 7 with cars flying out of airplanes, I knew I had to watch -- like I wasn't already but the trailer really sealed the deal. Same for the extended trailer for The Dark Knight Rises when it was originally shown in front of Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol. It was basically the first six minutes of the film and didn't even feature Batman. Instead it was our first look at Bane and his bad ass, intense mumbling self. Watching that airplane scene in IMAX was so worth the price of admission (sorry Ghost Protocol).
Recently, the two trailers that have made me jump up and down in anticipation were for White God, a foreign film from Hungry (go figure) whose trailer was simply mind-blowing and Mad Max: Fury Road. After I watched the White God trailer, I watched it again, ran and made a friend watch and swore this was going to be Planet of the Apes with dogs! What could be better? OK, truth be told, I'm a total dog person. And just this week I watched the new Mad Max: Fury Road trailer over and over. Director George Miller and cinematographer John Seale have created (by first impression) a post apocalypse that looks simply gorgeous. And once again, Tom Hardy shines even though I question his accent but who cares? This movie, even without Mad Mel himself, looks amazing. Sign me up now.
White God, which opens in Los Angeles this week with a national rollout to follow, is an intense and visceral tale. There were over 200 feral canines running around the streets of Budapest, and even more impressive was that director Kornél Mundruczó never once used CGI. The trailer first broke my heart as there's a lost dog roaming the streets, but then all hell breaks loose. The text in the trailer really helps build the intensity...."Alone...Apart...Afraid...And the only way to get back is to rise up." See, I was already thinking canine takeover.
"The film is an outstanding example of the singular cooperation between two species," Mundruczó said. "It was also an uplifting experience because each dog that appeared in the film came to us from shelters, and after the shooting ended, they were all adopted and found new homes.
White God definitely has its own style. It almost plays like a silent film, filled with intense and barbaric moments that may make you look away. It's pacing is patient and the story slowly builds before launching into a rabid climax. While it's not Planet of the Apes with dogs, nor is it a riveting horror films with 200 Cujos on the loose, it didn't wholly live up to the trailer but it did deliver a solid and intense narrative. I think with the new Mad Max film, which hits theaters May 15, you definitely know what you're going to get and I for one can't wait to get some post-apocalyptic fight to the death mayhem.
Click here to watch the White God trailer.
Click here to watch the Mad Max: Fury Road trailer.