A Tale of Two Trailers

Frankly, I am not sure what this says about me, the audience, or the films being advertised, but I was struck by the crowd reactions to them as they compare to mine. It was a sold out screening of Get Him to the Greek. The last two trailers were The Other Guys and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Both films I am interested in seeing, but to different degrees.



The first trailer was the one for The Other Guys. This is a cop comedy featuring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, and even Michael Keaton! Frankly, the movie looks quite funny. It also looks like it plays everything towards the middle. It is clearly not a movie that is taking any chances with the art of the cinema. The audience ate it up. They were almost literally rolling in the aisles. Yes, I laughed too and think the movie will be funny, but it is not the sort of film destined to be remembered. Maybe I am wrong and it will this great comedic masterpiece, but I feel safe in believing this not to be true.

The crowd reaction quickly turned. As The Other Guys faded and the crowd quieted, I heard clearly as many were saying how much they were looking forward to seeing that. Then the Scott Pilgrim trailer began. I heard hushed excitement come from the geekier members of the audience (it didn't sound like many). The trailer then played and I was sold. Granted, I was already sold, but the trailer is really good. It demonstrates quirky sensibilities and appears to use the visual medium to its advantage. It is a comic book come to life starring Michael Cera who must battle his girlfriend's seven evil exes.

As I sat there with a smile on my face, I got the distinct feeling that I was in the vast minority. The audience was a lot quieter and those I did hear were a mash of underlying geek excitement and others saying how stupid it looked, or they were not going to see it, or even threats to disown friends if they wanted to see it.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really mean much of anything. Still, I had to wonder why. Is the mainstream that programmed to reward the apparent mediocre and dismiss the inventive? Yes, that is rhetorical. I like all manner of films, but it is always great to see films that try to do things a little different, step outside the norm and bring something a little different to the big screen. Will this be successful? I do not know. These outside the box films do not always succeed but you have to respect the attempt, right?

I am not trying to speak ill of my co-audience members, I was just struck by the wildly different reactions the to trailers elicited. To be sure, I will see them both and hopefully enjoy them both. Time will tell which is better or if either of them succeed.

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Article first published as A Tale of Two Trailers: The Other Guys & Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Technorati.