Comic Con 2017 - What I am excited for and you should be too!

Comic Con 2017 is almost here! With preview night later today, I wanted to talk about two upcoming movies I am excited to hear more about. There is so much going on at Comic Con that I can't possibly cover it all, so I will only cover a little taste of it. So, let's just jump right in.

MOVIES:

Marvel movies are nearly the staple of Comic Con the last few years. This year may be the most hyped year yet. The biggest one, which was already shown at D23 this year, is Avengers: Infinity War. I am really hoping (more like expecting) to see a trailer released at some point in Hall H during Comic Con. If it is anything like the Infinity War comic book series, it is going to be a non-stop action thrill ride!

The other movie that I am excited to learn more about, which I think has been flying under the radar, is Ready Player One. In case you are not familiar, Ready Player One is a novel written by Ernest Cline about a young boy named Wade Watts who searches for an Easter egg inside a virtual game that contains the vast fortune of the game creator, James Halliday. It is an awesome book that I highly recommend if you are into video games and 80's nostalgia. Why I am excited for this movie? Ready Player One will be directed by the amazing director, Steven Spielberg. What makes it even better is the movie will also be written by the novelist Ernest Cline.

Fun Fact: Ernest Cline has written screenplays before, his most well-known work among some Star Wars nerds like myself was Fanboys.

Those are just the two that I am super excited for, but there is so much going on throughout the week and into the weekend. What are you most excited about for Comic Con 2017? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter! - J.J.

Top Five Comic-Con 2016 Trailers

San Diego Comic Con kicked off last weekend and it was amazing to hear all the exciting news about new movies, games, and comic books. There is so much to digest from every category that I decided to keep this post focused on a few of my favorite movie trailers.

Here we will be going through what I believe are the top five trailers from Comic Con 2016.

#5: KONG: SKULL ISLAND

This trailer is absolutely beautiful and felt completely different than other reiterations of the classic King Kong movie. This reboot stars Loki’s Tom Hiddleston and newly announced Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson. It’s cool seeing some great actors and actresses start moving to the mainstream market in a movie so many people are familiar with. The feel of the trailer put more focus on military survivalist and adventure, which I was hoping to see more of in movies in general. I am ready to see how this movie unfolds and go on another jungle adventure with King Kong.

Honorable Mentions: Marvel’s Defender and Marvel’s Luke Cage

#4: DOCTOR STRANGE

Doctor Strange is a comic book character that I am not familiar with other than the backstory that was telegraphed to us in the teaser trailer and what I have heard in passing that he is infinitely wealthy through the use of his powers. The trailer was like watching Inception with a Sherlock Holmes dressed as a wizard. That being said, I really liked Inception. Staring Benedict Cumberbatch, the mind bending visual effects were on full display and I am excited to learn a bit more about his backstory in the movies and see how it differs from the comic books. At the very least, we will get know if the Doctor uses the WiFi password.

#3: KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Two words: Guy Ritchie. You could feel the Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows vibe merely seconds into the trailer and it only got better as it went along. The movie, staring Charlie Hunnam, tells the tale of King Arthur’s rise to power and the classic sword, Excalibur. It had been a long time since I had visited the tale of King Arthur regardless of medium and I feel like this movie might be the one to get me back into the stories. I placed this particular trailer above Doctor Strange and Kong: Skull Island because I have been looking for a good medieval story and I feel like this one is going to deliver.

#2: WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman was one of the movies I was holding my breath on. After seeing Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman in Batman vs. Superman, I was optimistic about Wonder Woman becoming a great movie with Gal at the helm. Then the trailer dropped….and blew my expectations out of the water. The trailer showed us a little bit about the Amazonian origin and being set in World War 1 was a great decision. The vibe of the trailer was similar to the first Captain America movie, but without the traditional love interest. The trailer is definitely a feminist dream and it’s finally becoming a reality in a good way. It’s not slapping you in the face in an obvious way as other movies have tried before and I think this could be a positive step forward for women in movies, both in-front and behind the camera. If the trailer is any indication of what to expect in this movie, fans and non-fans alike are going to go crazy for this movie.

#1: JUSTICE LEAGUE

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was a movie that really disappointed me and I know I am not alone in that opinion. It also made me wonder if Zack Snyder’s direction would be best suited for the Justice League movie. The Justice League trailer was the first trailer I watched and after it finished, I watched it three more times. Heck, it wasn’t even acknowledged as a trailer. It was stated as “Special Comic Con Footage”, which is probably why I was interested in checking it out in the first place. The pacing was great, leading off with Batman attempting to recruit Aquaman. The only thing I knew about Aquaman in this trailer was that he was in it. That’s it. Aquaman, from what I have seen, generally is shown as a blonde, orange and green tights wearing character that gets made fun of all the time. Instead, Aquaman is an intense looking, beer chugging Hawaiian named Jason Momoa. Aquaman alone sealed it for me, but the trailer just kept going. The tone had a much more fun tone as Ben Affleck/Bruce Wayne/Batman tries to recruit the remaining members of the team. Although Aquaman sealed the deal for me, The Flash (played by Ezra Miller), was my favorite part. His awkward, nerdy demeanor was an excellent take on the Flash character. Also, his lack of friends made him all the more lovable. This was by far my favorite movie trailer and my most anticipated movie for 2017.

Let me know your thoughts on this list and if you liked the post, feel free to share.