Comic Con Trailers 2016

33. Game of Thrones Season 7

Watch It On: HBO, 2017

Thoughts: This isn’t a trailer, this is a look at crew members working on pieces that will be used to film season 7 with a voiceover.  The show runners seem to be trying too hard to give the fans something to pore over during their extended break before next season starts filming.

Rating: 1


32. The Defenders

Watch It On: Netflix, 2017

Thoughts: This trailer was wholly unnecessary.  There’s nothing to show, as The Defenders is still in pre-production, except an animated sequence revealing the four characters expected to join together to fight crime in NYC: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

Rating: 1


31. Star Trek Discovery

Watch It On: CBS, January 2017

Thoughts: This trailer was debuted to play on our excitement after watching Star Trek Beyond.  There is no real footage to show, just a CGI star ship leaving a dock.  And, hopefully, there is still work to be done on the CGI ship, as it looks rough, even for CBS.

Rating: 1


30. Legends of the Hidden Temple: The Movie

Watch It On: Nickelodeon, November 2016

Thoughts: This trailer smashed my hopes for a remake of the classic 90s games show Legends of the Hidden Temple by giving me a TV movie that looks like my neighbor kids made it down the street. Legends of the Hidden Temple: The Movie is being made 20 years too late, as the kids who are supposed to watch it won’t know or care about the movie, and the adults who should be excited won’t be able to stomach the cheapness and cheesiness.

Rating: 1.5


29. Son of Zorn Season 1

Watch It On: FOX, September 25, 2016

Thoughts: The Son of Zorn trailer poses an interesting premise: an animated hero returns home to his live-action family and has to adjust to life in the real world.  However, this is not my kind of show, nor my kind of humor.  In fact, this looks like the left-overs from a 00’s SNL skit, an era of the show not praised for its greatness.

Rating: 2


28. The Originals Season 4

Watch It On: CW, 2017

Thoughts: The trailer for The Originals is very lackluster.  There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special about this season, except they skipped five years in their timeline.  

Rating: 2


27. Iron Fist

Watch It On: Netflix, 2017

Thoughts: This is a standard teaser from Marvel: cryptic, the name of our hero, a quick look at the hero’s power, and a fancy logo.  We have a while to wait before this series hits Netflix, so I’m hoping we’ll get a better idea of the show as we get closer.

Rating: 2


26. Fear the Walking Dead Season 2B

Watch It On: AMC, August 21, 2016

Thoughts: This trailer, especially after the trailer for The Walking Dead, looks almost lack-luster.  There is potential for an interesting plot here, but the grandiose nature of season 7 of this show’s parent show is too much to make this stand a chance to be as captivating.

Rating: 2


25. Blair Witch

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Thoughts: There have been a string of found-footage and first-person footage horror films over the past few years, and Blair Witch seems to follow in their footsteps, just with a little higher budget.  The higher budget may lead to a better movie that the more recent options, but it will not compare to the horror experienced during The Blair Witch Project.

Rating: 2


24. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Release Date: March 24, 2017

Thoughts: For a fan of Guy Ritchie’s films, this trailer probably looks great.  For a passive viewer of Ritchie’s films, this trailer looks fine.  The tone seems confused, the action seems spotty, and the visuals seems mediocre.  Overall it seems like it could be a fun movie, but nothing special.

Rating: 2


23. Justice League Action

Watch It On: Cartoon Network, 2016

Thoughts: This series looks like a light, fun, action-packed introduction to the Justice League for kids.  The animation looks fine, just as everything else on Cartoon Network does right now, and the stories look entertaining.

Rating: 2.5


22. Snowden

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Thoughts: Snowden is one of those projects that has been in the works for a long time, delayed a few times, and lost its steam along the away.  The trailer does not promise much besides a name and face to put next to the running commentary on political corruption and government secrecy that has been prevalent the past 15 years.

Rating: 2.5


21. Vikings Season 4

Thoughts: There is a deep sense of foreboding in the trailer for the fourth season of Vikings.  Betrayal, personal relationships, and violence run rampant in the trailer, as they do in the show.

Rating: 2 1/2


20.Luke Cage

Watch It On: Netflix, September 30, 2016

Thoughts: This trailer shows us what we already know about Luke Cage: he’s strong, he’s angry and he’s relatively indestructible.  We don’t really find anything new out from this trailer, but get to see a decent hallway fight scene.

Rating: 2.5


19. Gotham Season 3

Watch It On: FOX, September 19, 2016

Thoughts: This trailer was far too long, running around five minutes, and does not clarify whether the show is going to have longer arcs or continue its general “freak of the week” format.  The trailer does promise some psychological exploration into Ed Nygma and Jim Gordon, and some villains returning, but that doesn’t make up for its length.

Rating: 2.5


18. Justice League  

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Thoughts:  This trailer follows in the footsteps of its big crazy cousin, Suicide Squad, featuring a retro pop song and a TON of characters joining together.  Better than its cousin, however, Justice League seems to balance humor and sincerity a bit more, and features a distinct lack of DC’s current overlord, The Joker.  This combination of elements makes me mildly excited for Justice League, though I still hold the impending sense of doom as far as DC’s movie universe is concerned.

Rating: 2.5


17. Wonder Woman  

Release Date: June 2, 2017

Thoughts: As a trailer, Wonder Woman serves its purpose of giving the basic back story behind its central character.  As a movie, however, I feel we are repeating Marvel’s opening act: a super warrior joins a World War and helps save humanity.  Potentially the best thing about the film is the strong female lead character, the first female super hero lead in either cinematic universe, who is able to keep her heritage and still kick ass.

Rating: 2.5


16. Prison Break: Sequel

Watch It On: FOX, 2016

Thoughts: The sequel to the original Prison Break seems to have kept its heart and action while progressing past the last seven years.  I’m sure there will be some repeating themes from the original series, but it still looks captivating and exciting.

Rating: 3


15. The LEGO Batman Movie

Release Date: February 10, 2017

Thoughts: Could this be the best movie DC discussed at SDCC 2016?  I believe so, as it keeps true to the tone of The LEGO Movie while shifting focus to Batman.  The dark themes of the rest of the DC Universe, which seem to be hindering rather than helping those films, are not present, appropriately, considering this is a kid’s movie.

Rating: 3


14. Legends of Tomorrow Season 2

Watch It On: CW, October 13, 2016

Thoughts: The second season looks to be bigger, bolder, and better than the first.  The stakes seems larger, the action seems more intense, the cast is growing, and the levity that makes the show entertaining is still present.

Rating: 3


13. Arrow Season 5

Watch It On: CW, October 5, 2016

Thoughts: Oliver Queen and crew are back with some new faces in this trailer for Arrow season 5.  This trailer presents some large, emotional, and personal challenges for the group, and also promises a new chapter for Oliver and friends.

Rating: 3


12. The Flash Season 3

Watch It On: CW, October 4, 2016

Thoughts: The latest season of The Flash seems to be heading down a darker alley, with Barry in denial about the changes he’s created.  The ripples of time travel have come to fruition, and the story could be very interesting or very sloppy.

Rating: 3


11. Suicide Squad

Release Date: August 5, 2016

Thoughts: Well, this makes this much more interesting!  The teaser and first trailers provide quick, fun intros to the characters, using Bohemian Rhapsody and Ballroom Blitz to keep the film looking light and fun.  This latest trailer gives us a deeper, more intense look at the massive amount of things happening in the film. My concern here is that we may have seen too much, and there won’t be much left to surprise us.

Rating: 3


10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Thoughts: This trailer promises Harry Potter meets…..something I cannot quite place. And that’s exactly what I want in a spin-off!   This new series features new characters and new creatures with stunning designs and a great mix of humor and sincerity.  And as the “no-maj” states at the end of the trailer, “I wanna be a wizard.”

Rating: 3


9. The Man in the High Castle Season 2

Watch It On: Amazon Prime, 2016

Thoughts: The second season of Man in the High Castle looks to be just as intense as the first, with deeper Nazi and Japanese ties.  The action and suspense promise to return at an amplified level.

Rating: 3


8. Exorcist Season 1

Watch It On: FOX, September 23, 2016

Thoughts: With The Exorcist being one of the best horror films ever made, the television series has a lot to live up to.  The trailer delivers on those expectations, showing a creepy, intense, horrifying homage to its parent work.

Rating: 3.5


7. The Walking Dead Season 7

Watch It On: AMC, October 23, 2016

Thoughts: The central villain, introduced in the finale of season 6, is back for season 7 with an answer to the question on everyone’s mind.  This trailer promises gore, ultraviolence, and doom for all those watching The Walking Dead.

Rating: 3.5


6. Ash vs Evil Dead Season 2

Watch It On: STARZ, September 23, 2016

Thoughts: Bruce Campbell has a firm grasp on his character Ash, and understands that Evil Dead works best when in its true form: cheesy 80s gratuitous horror comedy.  This is not a series for those with queasy stomachs, featuring buckets of blood, a man with a chainsaw arm, and zombies all around.

Rating: 3.5


5. Legion Season 1

Watch It On: FX, 2017

Thoughts: Marvel television is branching out to FX in order to explore a darker side of their universe, and Legion promises to bring that darker side to the masses.  The trailer promises a psychological thriller featuring the offspring of one of our favorite mutants, with bits of mystery and humor and absolutely gorgeous special effects.

Rating: 3.5


4. Doctor Strange 

Release Date: November 4, 2016

Thoughts: Doctor Strange offers us a look at what happens when Marvel meets Inception with better special effects and, probably, less mind-bending uncertainty.  The outstanding cast promise outstanding performances, and the film now has a sense of grandiosity.  

Rating: 3.5


3. American Gods Season 1 

Watch It On: STARZ, 2017

Thoughts: This is a gorgeous trailer!  The show looks beautifully stylized, the cast looks amazing, and there is a sense of pending epicness.  Neil Gaiman should be proud of what his novel is becoming.

Rating: 3.5


2. Kong: Skull Island

Thoughts: This trailer is beautiful!  The visuals and special effects are stunning, the cast is fantastic, and there is an intensity that seems essential to a true “monster movie.”  This could be the beginning of a string of revivals of monster movies I would be happy to see.

Rating: 3.5


1. Sherlock Series 4 

Watch It On: BBC & BBC America, 2017

Thoughts: Series 4 has been long-awaited, with series 3 airing in 2014 and a Christmas special early in 2016, and the trailer shows us why we’ve all been waiting so impatiently.  The new series promises to be even darker, more psychologically thrilling, with bigger stakes, more action, and more emotion from all parties.

Rating: 4