I’m sorry I couldn’t live blog the Hall H programming as much as I wanted to. I found out about the press pit and opted for pictures and video instead. Not to mention I wasn’t aware of the press pit to begin with so I was very unprepared.
Here is a recap for the whole day. By now you’ve read other recaps and live blogs but I like having some time to process the ton of info we got.
Warner Brothers Pictures
They led with Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice. You knew something big was about to go down because they pulled back the curtains on the side of Hall H to reveal large wrap around screens. Here’s the description of the short clip:
Batman is standing on a Gotham rooftop in the rain. His costume isn’t what we’ve seen already. It’s big and bulky, like his armor in The Dark Knight Returns. His eyes light up, solid white. He’s moving a tarp, revealing the bat signal He turns it on and the camera tracks up to the sky. Superman is there, hovering in the light, and he doesn’t look happy. His eyes light up with heat vision as he glares at Batman.
This confirms multiple suits in Dawn of Justice because it’s very different from the cape and cowl they had on display at Comic-Con and what we saw in the image Snyder released months ago. It’s an armored suit that looks very much like the suit batman uses to fight Superman in the Dark Knight Returns. Who knows if this is an actually scene from the movie or not. Snyder made it seem like they just threw something together for the fans so it might not be worth reading too much into it. He brought out the cast as well (well the big 3 anyway). Was never Gal Gadot being “too skinny” but she did look a little more toned. Then they quietly threw up the picture of Gadot as Wonder Woman and I almost completely missed it. I like it and don’t get the complaints. Sure it looks like Xena but…shouldn’t it? The costume looks feminine and sexy while also being realistic and tough. Only thing I would change would be to maybe add a little more distinctive red to it. But I love it and Gadot looks the part. The biggest question should be cant she act and pull it off but that’s something we have to wait for.
Jupiter Ascending
This movie looks amazing. I have to look up the budget for it because there’s so much going on and it looks and feels so futuristic. We got a new trailer/footage and I was floored by how visually stunning it was. My main concern with this film is still Channing Tatum’s acting but I want to be proven wrong. He seems like a fun guy. He was joking around with Chris Hardwick and was really getting the crowd involved. You can see why he does so well in films like 22 Jump Street, it’s his natural self. I’m hoping he can pull off his role for Jupiter Ascending and it doesn’t turn into another John Carter flop.
Mad Max Fury Road
George Miller came out and they ran a video of all the Mad Max films. It was pretty cool. They just officially released the trailer for this but it’s not all of the footage we saw at Comic-Con. What we saw was a lot longer. So far though, I’m liking what I’m seeing from this. It’s dark, gritty, violent and has very little dialogue. My favorite part of this panel was the moment when Chris Hardwick joked that Mel Gibson has become Mad Max in real life.
The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies
Stephen Colbert moderated this panel and it was hilarious. First there was an absolutely hilarious outtakes reel. I think some of these have been shown before but it was my first time seeing others. What made it so funny was that the movie is always so serious, so when you see these serious characters flubbing their lines or doing over the top silly shit, it’s enough to bring tears of laughter. Ian McKellen had some really great moments. He’s hilarious.
There were lots of jokes and it was a really fun panel with most of the cast (Minus McKellen and a handful of others) at the panel. Colbert moderating was great because he’s just one big fan. Also a fan asked Jackson about even longer cuts of The Lord of the Rings and Jackson didn’t close the door on it. While I don’t think that’s necessary, there’s clearly people out there who want to spend 8 hours watching one movie. And you know what? If you’re that big of a fan? More power to you. The trailer for Battle of The Five Armies should release later today. You can check out the full panel (minus footage) here.
Legendary
No surprise here but Godzilla 2 is in the works. Edwards wasn’t at Comic-Con and he does have his hands full in a “galaxy far far away” but we did get a teaser (no actual footage) of what they want to do. They teased Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah and then once again hit us with the “Let them fight”. They also seemed to suggest there would be more about “Monster Island”. I wish I could be excited for this but after feeling so let down by the direction they went with Godzilla I just can’t. I’m HOPING they deliver what I’m expecting this time though. We’ll see. It was also funny that when this was happening I thought in my head ‘wonder why no one has thought to redo King Kong’. That’s when at the end of the Legendary presentation they gave us a teaser for Skull Island. Honestly, I think that might be a good move. We’ve seen the whole “bring King Kong to America” thing. Why not make it an “origin” story and just follow what happened on Skull Island? There’s so much potential there and it would be a fresh take on a classic monster. I missed most of the Michael Mann panel where he talked about his new movie ‘Black Hat’ starring Chris Hemsworth because I was in the ridiculous line for the bathroom. I’ll do a more general post on Comic-Con but once you’re in Hall H, you’re in Hall H. If you leave you have to go back outside and wait in line. So since many folks had been in line for 15+ hours, it’s no surprise the bathroom lines were pretty ridiculous. So, I missed most of what Mann was talking about and didn’t get to see the trailer for his movie. Guillermo del Toro also came out to talk about his new movie Crimson Peak. It looked good, like classic del Toro. He then polled the crowd and asked if they wanted him to make a Hellboy 3. The response was as you would expect. Thomas Tull told del Toro “After you finish Pacific Rim 2, we’ll talk”. So Hellboy 3 could still happen folks. We got World of Warcraft footage and it looks solid. It looks like they’re trying to stay true to the source. It’s still early footage but the blending of live action and CGI looked pretty good and is only going to get better the closer to the 2016 release date we get. It made me ask “is this the one?” Is this the one film based on a video game that will actually be good? I don’t know but the footage I saw at least gave me hope which is a huge step in the right direction.
Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez talked about changing the way comic book films were approached with Sin City. Rodriguez wouldn’t have done the film in the first place if he didn’t believe that it would be true to his vision. They admit it wasn’t an easy sell. Miller and Rodriguez were joined by Rosario Dawson (who is fine as fuck by the way), Josh Brolin and Jessica Alba. Miller and Rodriguez also said they’re already talking about a Sin City 3 and Miller says that another graphic novel is “inevitable”. They also said that Dennis Haysbert who is taking over for the late Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute will do the character justice and fans will appreciate it
Marvel Studios
This is what everyone was waiting for. 6500+ people screaming “We want Marvel”. I know some folks were saying this panel was “lackluster” because they didn’t announce anything new but, they’re wrong. It’s only lackluster because folks listen to rumors from folks who don’t know what they’re talking about. If you think about it, Marvel gave us footage from their next two movies coming out in 2015 then confirmed a sequel to the movie that’s opening this week. That’s actually not bad. I think Marvel realizes that folks can’t handle knowing too much information. If they announced Black Panther or Dr. Strange news now and those movies don’t come out for 3 years, imagine the amount of over the top rumors we’d get. Hell, look at what WB is dealing with. So yeah, this panel was perfect and the energy in the room was unbelievable. Marvel opened up with a video that showed clips from their Phase 1 & 2 movies. At one point we get a full shot of Thanos on his throne grinning. Maybe that’s from Guardians of the Galaxy, maybe not. Either way, everyone in the audience lost their shit when they saw it. It looks just like Thanos. Like we’re watching a live action comic book.
Ant-Man
Marvel brought out Payton Reed, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll and Evangeline Lilly. They confirmed Stoll as Yellowjacket and Lilly HopeVan Dyne. They also gave us some early footage and it blows away the Edgar Wright test footage.
From io9:
There are two components to this pretty zany footage: a scene in Hank Pym’s lab, where the camera just pans across the space, showing off all of the weird scientific equipment and bubbling beakers and creepy anthills, before finishing up at an Ant-Man helmet. During this, Michael Douglas is convincing Scott Lang to do something. Lang protests that Hank seems nice but “I’m not a superhero.” That means he’s not an egomaniac, and he’s not an “undisciplined moron causing more destruciton than he stops,” Pym retorts. Superheroes are a “ridiculous concept. You’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do.” “Someone already stole your balls,” Pym taunts Lang. “It’s just a small job, he adds.Cut to a tiny Scott Lang in the Ant-Man suit, running away after completing the “small job” — his Ant-Man helmet is on the fritz, and he keeps losing his connection to Hank Pym, who’s barking instructions. He’s supposed to use the helmet to control “the transport” — which turns out to be a small flying ant. He tries to convince the flying ant to help him out, but the ant isn’t listening. And then some flying lights show up, chasing him — so Scott has no choice but to jump off the building onto the flying ant, which he doesn’t have a very stable grip on. He’s trying to reach a rendezvous with Hank, but first he has to survive.
What I liked about the footage was that it shows how different of a character Ant-Man will be on the big screen. Everyone is saying “why Ant-Man?” and having seen the footage I see why. If they continue down this route with this character, we’re going to see a different type of action sequences from traditional Comic Book movies. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s a risk Marvel is taking with these characters but I have no doubt, once footage like the footage we saw gets out, folks are going to be all in.
Avengers Age of Ultron
It never ceases to amaze me how much Robert Downey Jr. has embraced the role of Tony Stark. He loves it and his energy and excitement transfers over to the other cast members. We pretty much got the entire cast minus a very pregnant Scarlett Johansson and an injured Joss Whedon. Best part was Elizabeth Olsen using the dirty word “mutant” to describe her character (and Johnson’s) and the crowd’s reaction. By now you’ve read enough of other people’s footage descriptions so I won’t bother rewriting what’s already out there. I’ll just make some quick points:
The party scene in Avengers Tower is pretty funny with each Avenger trying to pick up Thor’s hammer. Cap comes the closest making the Hammer move and Thor is visibly nervous when it happens.
The early Ultron design is a monster. Reminds me of Frankenstien. James Spader’s voice for Ultron is chilling
Banner seems to lose it at some point. He’s seen in a straitjacket at one point and at another he’s shirtless and seems to be losing control in the woods. This would make sense considering we get a glimpse of a Hulk vs Hulkbuster fight that seems amazing. The Hulkbuster armor is huge and as badass as you would think
I like the effects that Marvel is going for with Quicksilver. Seems like instead of just slowing other people around him in shots, they’re also adding a visual effect, like Johnny Cage’s shadow kick, so you can really get the effect that he’s moving faster than everyone else.
The fight is definitely more global. The Hulk vs Hulkbuster scene takes place in South Africa and there seemed to be some shots from Eastern Europe. The Avengers are going global
“There are no strings on me” – the final shot of Ultron is chilling and you can tell this is going to be one helluva challenge for the Avengers
The footage looked GREAT and we still have until May of 2015. Yeah folks, this movie might do $2 billion. It looked that good.
The last shot, with Captain America’s shield broken and the Avengers laid out defeated and/or dead with only a helmet-less Iron Man is chilling. Folks are saying its Ultron that has defeated the Avengers but I’ll be honest. It looked like they were in space and at the foot of the stairs leading to Thanos’ throne. We know that Brolin was brought in and has a part in Age of Ultron so it’s got me wondering. Plus, almost immediately after the footage (while it was still going on I saw them bring out another chair), the crowd was still going wild and RDJ says ‘We’re always thinking of the next thing…we have Thanos” and that’s when Brolin comes out with the gauntlet on his hand and stands up on the table. So I wouldn’t be shocked if we get a bit of Thanos in Age of Ultron and he has something to do with that final shot. Remember, Marvel is known for showing a ton of footage to get you thinking one thing and it’s nothing but redirection.
Because I was on the side I had to find a better picture of Brolin holding up the Gauntlet. It was the perfect way to cap off a perfect Comic-Con for me. Seeing the picture is one thing but having been there live, it was truly amazing.
And that’s all I have for my Hall H coverage. I’m skipping over writing about the Boxtrolls panel and the Women Who Kick Ass panels for a few reasons. First I used the Boxtrolls panel to get some food and go to the bathroom so I missed a lot of it. From the crowd reaction though this was another solid panel. They got some really good audience questions about stop motion animation, acting in an animated movie, tips for blending CGI and stop motion, etc etc. As for the Women Who Kick Ass panel, I heard some people ask why this panel was moved to Hall H instead of being left in Ballroom 20 and, I’m glad they moved it to the bigger venue. I’m not going to cover this panel now because I want to do it on a follow up show later, but it was an EXCELLENT panel. One thing I noticed at Comic-Con is that as much as folks talk about how there aren’t any “women nerds”, there were a lot of women at Comic-Con. I’d say at least 40-50% of the people in Hall H were women. That’s why this panel was in Hall H. And it was an EXCELLENT one. Sure, there wasn’t any footage but the dialogue these women had about their roles and being in Hollywood in general was much needed and I hope they continue to bring this panel to Hall H. I really wish I could have stayed for the WB Television event and caught the premiere of Gotham but I was literally the walking dead by that point. I was working on 4 hours of sleep and most of that coming from sleeping on concrete. This was an amazing experience and I only barely scratched the surface.
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