Author: Megan Williams

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – Trailer Talk

Arguably the end of the year has belonged to Godzilla: not only was the fantastic Monarch Apple TV series released last month, but Japanese creator studio Toho returned with a new Godzilla film which was incredible. And next year will see Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse continue with ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’.

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ will see the two iconic monsters’ team up to bring down a new threat to humanity. 

While I am a huge fan of the original Godzilla films, I’ve also really enjoyed the American films. They’re fun popcorn flicks with their own story arc that stands out from the Toho films, and the new film looks to follow the same consistency in quality. While the CGI does look a little cartoony compared to 2021’s ‘Godzilla vs Kong’, the visuals of the hidden world that was revealed in that entry are still beautiful and unique. Plus, the film reveals that there were more like Kong living there, including the new threat that appears to be another species of Kong, but three times bigger. 

One aspect that will make this film stand out is Godzilla and King Kong working together for the first time in cinematic history. Considering how the last entry ended this makes sense, but it will still be an incredible and unique experience.

Overall, ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ looks just as fun as the previous entries in Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse franchise. The trailer even leaves fans with a few questions: why is Godzilla’s spikes pink instead of blue, and where did Kong get the ‘Alien’-like arm bracelet from? These are questions that will surely be answered in the film. Either way, I’ve enjoyed the Monsterverse franchise so far, so am excited to see this entry.

What If…? Season 2 – Trailer Talk

Out of all the shows that Marvel have released, the animated show for ‘What If…?’ was one of the best. The animation quality was fantastic, and it was a breath of fresh air to see the unique, stand-alone, stories that the series offered. So, I’m delighted with the news of a season 2.

Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ is a show where each episode reimagines noteworthy and iconic moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in different ways and perspectives. 

The quality in the storytelling and animation only looks to expand further in season 2. Not only is Captain Carter returning (‘what if Agent Carter became Captain America?’) but Strange Supreme, from the first series most devastating episode, is also returning. Knowing this, it’ll be interesting to see how their story arcs progress considering season 1’s finale. 

But the show will take the current timeline into consideration too: Shang-Chi, Hela (from ‘Thor: Ragnarök’) and Scarlet Witch will all feature in their own episodes. Plus, the season will bring in a new overarching story just like the first series did. 

With the first season of ‘What If…?’ being one of the best shows that Marvel has released, I cannot wait for season 2. It looks just as great as the first series in terms of its animation and storytelling qualities and will further expand upon the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe, making it refreshing for fans. 

Pokémon Concierge: Trailer Talk

Scrolling through Netflix’s ‘Worth The Wait’ section a couple of months ago, I spotted something called ‘Pokémon Concierge’. While it was unclear what this was at the time, it had immediately caught my attention and, finally, the first trailer for the series is here!

‘Pokémon Concierge’ is an official collaboration between Netflix and The Pokémon Company. It’s a stop motion series that follows Haru as she starts her new job on a vacation island exclusively for Pokémon.

Stop motion animation is a unique and incredible form of art but is rarely utilized, due to the length of time that it can take for a project to finish. So, it’s delightful to see an anime-styled series using this form of animation. But it’s also a first for the Pokémon company and it looks amazing. By using felt models, the Pokémon themselves look adorable. Furthermore, it’s refreshing to have another stand-alone story away from the usual Pokémon Trainer narrative that the show and games tell. 

The last stand-alone Pokémon film or show was the live action adaptation of ‘Detective Pikachu’ in 2019, so it’s refreshing to see the company tell this type of story again. But it’s ‘Pokémon Concierge’s animation style that has me excited the most; the stop motion animation looks amazing and it’s wonderful to see the company use an animation style that’s, overall, uncommon.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Trailer Talk

Now that the Actors Strike is over, trailers from paused productions can continue, with the first trailer appearing being a ghostly surprise!

‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ follows on after 2021’s ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and sees the main cast having to prevent a second ice age after a discovered ancient artifact unleashes an evil force.

After the fantastic 2021 film resurrected an old foe, it’s great that this entry has an opportunity to write its own original story. And it looks interesting and a lot of fun. Plus, the visuals of the city suddenly changing from a hot summer to something from ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ is creepy; the film has the potential to include some scary scenes.

As well as the main cast from ‘Afterlife’ returning, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson will be returning too! I’m very intrigued with how the film will utilize their characters here; hopefully they’ll be working alongside the ‘Afterlife’ cast to save the world and once again reprise the roles as the Ghostbusters. 

‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ looks to be just fun as the last film in the franchise, but it also has the potential to be creepy. Plus, it’ll be exciting to see the original Ghostbusters unite with the new cast.