Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday — and while that means nothing to 99.9% of South Africans, what it does mean is that the entertainment industry blessed us all with the most expensive TV spots and trailers they could promote.
So grab yourself some popcorn and a beverage, because this was a week jam packed with trailers. Are you ready? Let’s go.
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Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, the action guy who has made it out of not one, not two, but five impossible missions.
How much more impossible can it get? Apparently as impossible as losing plutonium and racing against the clock to get it back.
Catch the sixth Mission: Impossible in South African cinemas come 27 July.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The first trailer for this Ant-Man sequel could possibly be the most boring trailer Marvel has ever released.
In it, Paul Rudd teams up with Evangeline Lilly as they get small and make things big and did I mention they’re teaming up? Riveting stuff.
Ant-Man and the Wasp premieres in SA on 6 July.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
This Solo TV spot is actually just a teaser for the trailer set for release later today, but if you’re dying for some more Star Wars content, here it is.
The clip follows Han Solo as he sets his sights on becoming the best pilot in the galaxy. Not only is it the first time we hear Alden Ehrenreich deliver lines as Solo, but it also gives us the first (video) looks at Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Emilia Clarke as Star Wars newcomer Kira.
Solo: A Star Wars Story premieres 25 May 2018.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The second trailer for the Jurassic World sequel is here and it hints at an artificially modified mega-dinosaur to rival all dinosaurs.
Fallen Kingdom takes place four years after the demise of the Jurassic World theme park, when a volcanic eruption threatens the existence of the dinosaurs inhabiting what was left of the island.
The film is out in theatres 8 June.
Avengers: Infinity War
This also technically isn’t a trailer, but it’s Avengers: Infinity War, and let’s face it — you probably want to see it.
Don’t get your hopes up just yet, though: this 30-second TV spot doesn’t feature anything in the way of new plot points, but there are a lot of famous characters looking serious and in trouble, so maybe you can spot your favourite.
Catch Infinity War in cinemas 27 April.
Westworld
HBO’s Westworld is coming back for season two with a strong trailer that benefits from Evan Rachel Wood’s velvety voice and a piano cover of Kanye West’s “Runaway”.
The trailer, which premiered during the Super Bowl, also features robot bulls running in slow-motion so, like, watch it.
The season premieres in the US on 22 April.
Game Night
Starring Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman, Game Night tells of a group of friends whose casual game night turns into a ridiculous murder mystery escapade that blurs fiction and reality.
The trailer features genuine laugh out loud moments, and Rachel McAdams is bringing the comedic ability she made so well-known in cult classic Mean Girls.
Game Night premieres 2 March.
The First Purge
The Purge producers must have known what they were doing when they named their fourth film The First Purge. They knew it would become as annoying as trying to talk to people who don’t understand the Star Wars episode orders — but they did it anyway and, you know, props to ’em.
The First Purge teaser trailer is a mock-political advert for the first ever purge night, with an all-American voice calling for a new American tradition. And to really profit off the political anxiety of 2018, The First Purge is being promoted with a Donald Trump-style “Make America Great Again” hat. Cute.
The First Purge will be in the US on 4 July (of course). It doesn’t yet have an SA release date.
Disobedience
Based on the eponymous novel by Naomi Alderman, Disobedience follows a non-practicing Orthodox Jew who returns home to find her cousin married to her former lover.
The film stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as the forbidden lovers and has been well received by critics.
Disobedience doesn’t yet have a release, but will be in the US 27 April.
Submergence
Submergence is another art film based on a novel — this one about two lovers, a biomathematician who explores the dark world beneath the sea and a British Secret Service agent sent on a dangerous mission in Somalia.
The film stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy as they embark on their individually dangerous journeys, unsure if they’ll ever see each other again. Dramatic.
Catch Submergence in theatres 14 September.
Hereditary
And now for an apt segue from impossible love to horror.
Hereditary, an Ari Aster film starring Toni Collette, has made waves at Sundance, with critics calling it “this generation’s The Exorcist” and “pure emotional terrorism“.
The film currently has a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 17 reviews aggregated — but it won’t be in SA any time soon.
Hereditary has no local release yet, though it will be in the US 8 June.
Unsane
Starring The Crown‘s Claire Foy, Unsane tells of a woman admitted into a mental health institution who firmly believes she doesn’t belong there.
Unsane, directed by Stephen Soderbergh, was filmed using an iPhone, producing a compressed look that complements the story’s exploration of cyber-stalking.
Again, Unsane has no SA release, but will be in the US 23 March.
Irreplaceable You
Stepping away from horrific and into plain old tragic, Netflix’s Irreplaceable You is an original film about a newly-engaged couple — in love since childhood — who find out that they don’t have as long together as they thought.
The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman as the leads supported by Christopher Walken, Kate McKinnon, Steve Coogan, and Jacki Weaver.
Irreplaceable You premieres on Netflix 16 February.
When We First Met
Noah, played by Adam DeVine, is a man who did not get the girl he loves. But when offered the chance to travel back to the night they met and do it all over again, he takes it.
When We First Met offers a charming trailer for a film filled with the clichés and a ridiculously predictable ending (if he doesn’t discover that the only way to win her over is to be himself, I’ll be shocked).
The film premieres on Netflix 9 February.
The Rain
Netflix’s latest venture into Scandinavian TV is a sci-fi thriller about a virus that wipes out most of the population and the siblings who brave the outdoors in search for safety.
Featured in this teaser: flawless skin, blonde hair, and deadly rain. The Rain will be released “spring 2018”, which is autumn for South Africans.
Mute
Altered Carbon may have just been released, but Netflix is banking on futuristic, Blade Runner-esque content.
Mute, a Netflix film, stars Alexander Skarsgård as a mute bartender in search of the disappeared love of his life. Directed by Duncan Jones, Mute is considered a “spiritual successor” to his 2009 film Moon.
It streams from 23 February.
Dundee
After a few teaser clips were released last week, this Australian Tourism ad has finally been released in full.
Starring Danny McBride, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman, Ruby Rose, and Margot Robbie, Dundee looks to be the most Australian film ever not-made.
You’ll never find Dundee in theatres, but props to Australia for what I’m sure was a very, very expensive ad to make.
