Author: Megan Williams

Fantasy Island: Trailer Talk

What if you could go to an island that gave you your perfect life and your dearest fantasies? Sounds perfect right? But, as the saying goes and what this film will teach you, be careful what you wish for.

‘Fantasy Island’ is the new horror film by Blumhouse and follows a group of people as they travel to Fantasy Island, a place where each resident’s fantasies are acted out…for better or for worse.

This is basically a new look at the classic story of the Monkey’s Paw, and I am completely ok with that. The film looks like a fun horror film and will hopefully include some good scares. I personally love concepts where a plot in the film, on the surface, seem great but once you investigate it further, it takes a dark turn, and this looks to be no exception.

On top of that, the trailer is well-paced and keeps you interested throughout.

The film will be in cinemas 14^th February 2020.

The enigmatic Mr. Roarke makes the secret dreams of his guests come true at a luxurious tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the visitors must soon solve the island’s mystery in order to escape with their lives.

It was announced in July 2018 that a reimagining of the television series Fantasy Island was being developed at Blumhouse Productions and Sony Pictures, with it being described as a mix of Westworld and The Cabin in the Woods. Jeff Wadlow was set to direct, as well as co-write the screenplay.

In October 2018, Michael Peña, Jimmy O. Yang, Dave Bautista and Lucy Hale joined the cast. In November 2018, during an interview, Wadlow disclosed that Maggie Q, Portia Doubleday and Ryan Hansen had joined the cast, as well as suggesting Bautista may no longer be able to appear in the film.

Michael Rooker, Charlotte McKinney, Parisa Fitz-Henley and Austin Stowell were cast in January 2019. Ryan Hansen later confirmed the film won’t feature the character Tattoo from the television series.

Sonic The Hedgehog Movie: Trailer Talk

A few months ago, the first trailer for ‘Sonic The Hedgehog Movie’ was uploaded to YouTube and was met with outrage mainly due to Sonic’s strange design. It seemed like it was going to portray the character’s design as if it were realistic instead of placing its cartoonish design in the real world, like what ‘Detective Pikachu’ did.

And, after the poor reactions to the first trailer, director Jeff Fowler tweeted that they were delaying the release so that the blue character could be given a whole new makeover.

And, oh wow, my hat goes off to Paramount and the animation department!

The film has now followed in ‘Detective Pikachu’s footsteps and placed Sonic’s cartoonish design in our world, as well as giving us a glimpse of the Green Hill Zone (which looks gorgeous).

While the humour is a little childish, it looks like it’s trying to appeal to fans of all ages, and I appreciate that as this was another worry of mine (who was the target audience?). That answer is now a lot clearer.

Overall, Well done Paramount Pictures, director Jeff Fowler and the animation department: you really have taken fans’ feedback on-board and acted on that. I am now really looking forward to this film!

‘Sonic The Hedgehog Movie’ will be in cinemas 14^th February 2020.

Sonic tries to navigate the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound best friend — a human named Tom Wachowski. They must soon join forces to prevent the evil Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic and using his powers for world domination.

This film was originally scheduled for release on November 8, 2019. However, after negative reaction to Sonic’s design in the first trailer, which was released on April 30, Paramount delayed the film to February 14, 2020, pledging to redesign Sonic.

Bloodshot: Trailer Talk

Comic book adaptations are not new territory in the modern film industry. Marvel and DC films seem to release at least 3-5 films per year. However, the lesser-known comic adaptations are slightly scarce.

Therefore, I always get excited when something that doesn’t belong to the juggernauts of the comic book industry is announced. Enter ‘Bloodshot’.

‘Bloodshot’ is the comic book adaptation of the same name by American publisher Valiant Comics. It stars Vin Diesel as Ray Garrison, a soldier whose body has been recreated with self-healing blood. 

This looks like ‘Deadpool’ meets ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ (yes, both films are also adaptations of comics or manga’s), but this does look like a fun popcorn flick. While there doesn’t appear to be much plot, I highly doubt that’s the focus here; with a very brief synopsis like the one described, and from looking at the trailer, it seems like we’re going to be treated to a violent, bloody action film. And, sometimes, that’s what the film industry needs.

‘Bloodshot’ will be in cinemas 21^st February 2020. 

Bloodshot was created by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton during a wave of popularity for Valiant Comics. The character’s name was suggested by artist David Chlystek. The character first appeared in three panels on the last page of  Eternal Warrior #4 (November 1992), before making his first full appearance in Rai #0 (November 1992) a week later.

Trailer Talk: The Grudge (2020)

One of my favourite films is ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’; while I’m not a fan of the haunted house subgenre, I thought this one was genuinely scary. The American remakes were, surprisingly, also quite good so, after hearing about yet another ‘Grudge’ remake, I was excited to see what new ideas the film would have…

‘The Grudge’ 2020 revolves around a young detective and a single mother who are trying to uncover what happened after a mother murdered her family. However, they discover that the house in question is now haunted by a vengeful spirit that dooms anyone who enters to a violent and painful death. 

After seeing the trailer, this looks like a shot-for-shot remake of the original film. I’m hoping the clips shown have been chosen to just jog people’s memory of what the concept is, but I would like to see some new ideas introduced. The January release date is also worrying; January is notoriously known as ‘the dumping ground for films’ specifically horror films. Therefore, that doesn’t give me much hope that this will be very good.

The trailer promises a ‘twisted new vision’ but, after seeing the trailer, I beg to differ. I just hoping I’m proven wrong.

‘The Grudge’ will be in cinemas 31^st January 2020. 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Final Trailer) – Trailer Talk

Last night saw the release of the final ‘Star Wars’ trailer, a film that’s due to come out at the end of this year and serve as a conclusion to the whole Star Wars saga…or so I hope.

I was a fan of the franchise but, after the disaster of ‘The Last Jedi’, I have given up on Star Wars. The last film in the main storyline backed itself into a dead end, plot-wise, and this trailer has done absolutely nothing to convince me it has anywhere to go.

It’s extremely bland and reminds us of characters and information that we already know from the previous films. The most interesting shot in the 2 minute 30 seconds trailer is one where Rey and Kylo Ren seem to be fighting side-by-side. I’m still hoping the saga ends with Rey joining the Dark Side. 

By now, it’s time for the Jedi to die and it’s time for this franchise to die.

‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ will be in cinemas 20^th December 2019. 

The Rise of Skywalker will see the Resistance face the First Order once more, and the end of the ancient conflict between the Jedi and the Sith. Principal photography began in August 2018 at Pinewood Studios in England, and wrapped in February 2019. The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 20, 2019.

A year after the events of The Last Jedi, the remnants of the Resistance face the First Order once again—while reckoning with the past and their own inner turmoil. Meanwhile, the ancient conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaches its climax, altogether bringing the Skywalker saga to a definitive end.

The visual effects will be provided by Industrial Light & Magic and supervised by Roger Guyett.