A Tale of Two Trailers: The Other Guys & Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
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 be a great comedic masterpiece, but I feel safe in my initial assessment.
The crowd reaction quickly turned as The Other Guys faded and the crowd quieted. 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 does an amazing job at selling the film. 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 with a smile on my face, I got the distinct feeling that I was in the vast minority. The audience grew quieter, and those I did hear, were a mash of underlying geek excitement and the others saying how stupid it looked. Many stated emphatically they were not going to see it, and more alarming were the threats to disown friends if they wanted to see it.
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