After pulling out of Comic-Con last year, the suits over at 20th Century Fox must have gotten a mouthful from fans looking forward to the studio’s 2007 slate of films. It only seems fitting, then, that Fox chose to make their grand return as the first presentation at this year’s Con, offering up previews for two of their more geek-friendly films, as well as an unexpected surprise that might just be the highlight of the entire weekend. More on that later, but first…
The Day the Earth Stood Still (guests: director Scott Derrickson and stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connolly)
I’m not exactly sure if anyone was hunkering for a remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, but from the response in the audience, it might just have a chance come this December. Updated with an A-list cast and special effects that obviously weren’t around 50 years ago, director Scott Derrickson seems adamant that his version can bring in new fans without losing any old ones. In order to do this, he had to be careful not to remove any of the essential elements that people loved about the original, and yes, that includes Gort. The director spoke in length about the creation of the infamous robot (including some pre-production sketches that featured him in human form), but from the little footage that we did see, it appears that Gort hasn’t changed much at all. He looks a little bigger in size, but his trademark, Cylon-like visor remains intact.
The spaceship, on the other hand, has been given a complete overhaul, and while I can’t exactly describe it in full, I will say that it looks a lot like a rotating planet. As for those involved, well, Keanu Reeves should definitely add to the campiness factor. His Klaatu doesn’t seem to be very different from past roles, and his vapid appearance onstage only seems to confirm that while he may seem like a great choice to play an emotionless alien, it doesn’t exactly help with the credibility of the project. This is one of those films where, after seeing some footage, I was neither intrigued nor put off, and while that doesn’t exactly denote that the film will be bad, it didn’t seem like the best way to kick off Comic-Con.
Max Payne (guests: director John Moore and stars Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges)
Everyone knows about Hollywood’s bad reputation of taking good video games and adapting them into bad movies, but for once, “Max Payne” looks like it might actually be good. For starters, it’s got a great lead in Mark Wahlberg, who has a great track record when it comes to choosing scripts. Second, it’s got Mila Kunis – one of the hottest (and more talented) young actresses in the industry. And finally, the movie looks bad ass. From the two clips and sizzle reel that were shown, “Max Payne” looks like a mix between “Wanted” and “Sin City” – a crime drama that isn’t afraid to kick ass and take names, but also has a solid story for a backbone. Director John Moore also spoke about a new camera system that was implemented in an attempt to create a new kind of bullet-time effect for the film, but I was more impressed with his ability to seamlessly integrate a first-person view into some of the fight scenes. This is exactly what “Hitman” should have been, and though it’s not the biggest movie coming out in the second half of the year, “Max Payne” could very well be a hidden pleasure in a season packed with Oscar bait.
Wolverine (guest: star Hugh Jackman)
Just when we all thought Fox’s time had run out, Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, made a surprise appearance to chat up his new solo film, unnecessarily titled “X-Men: Origins – Wolverine.” He claimed that shooting had just finished a few weeks ago (a similar claim was made by at least one person on every panel throughout the day), but wanted to show off some rough footage to his legion of fans. As you can imagine, Jackman’s appearance alone brought down the house, but the mention of an exclusive first-look was the cherry on top. Along with featuring a look back at Wolvie’s past (his days in WWII with Victor Creed AKA Sabertooth), his recruitment by a young William Stryker, and his forced participation in the Weapon X program, the sizzle reel also showed why there were so many damn actors cast as mutants in the movie. Among those spotted include Gambit (finally), Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds, no less), John Wraith, a terrible-looking Blob, and either Silver Fox or Emma Stone. May 2009 is going to rock.
