Harry Potter, X-Men, and Green Lantern TV spots released
New TV spots have been released for ‘X-Men: First Class’, ‘Green Lantern’, and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2′. Which film looks like the blockbuster event of the summer?
AP/Newscom
Studios always save their big flashy guns for the summer and this year is no exception. Between hotly-anticipated superhero flicks like X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern hitting theaters next month and the concluding chapter in the fantastical saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, arriving this July, it begs the question: What movie will end up being the blockbuster event of the season?
Obviously we won’t know for certain if it’s one of the aforementioned titles until they are actually released -- however, there are new TV spots for all three of those films to analyze in the meantime.
The combination of a rushed production, allegedly large deviations from the comic book source material, and some early unimpressive marketing materials (specifically, posters) left several fans grumbling that X-Men: First Class was a bomb in the making. By comparison, a lot of negative buzz began circling Green Lantern in the wake of an unimpressive first trailer that featured incomplete visual effects and a seemingly incongruous comical tone.
Now that several action-packed TV spots and trailers -- crammed full with eye-catching visuals -- have been released for both these superhero movies, the tide of fan anticipation has turned in the opposite direction. The X-Men prequel is especially well-positioned to succeed this summer, with early reviews for the film pegging it as both a rejuvenator of the franchise (following the release of two lackluster entries) and a stellar addition to the pantheon of superhero movies.
Check out the latest X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern TV spots below:
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More CGI-heavy X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern footage has been unveiled in recent weeks, in part to assure fans that the visuals and fantastical effects in both films will be up to scratch. Warner Bros. even went so far as to invest an additional $9 million towardsGreen Lantern‘s visual F/X budget, so as to make sure the pivotal (and imaginative) extraterrestrial characters and worlds of the film look all the more convincing and polished. Judging by the 3D Green Lantern trailer that began screening in theaters over the weekend, that was money well spent.
In comparison, Warner Bros. has only begun its marketing push for the final Harry Potterfilm. The first TV spot did not boast any additional footage from that shown in the officialDeathly Hallows: Part 2 trailer, but studio heads know this is a movie event that sells itself to devoted fans of the titular boy wizard, as well as casual moviegoers who just want to see an epic payoff to a franchise that began ten years ago. Plenty of effort has clearly been poured into making the last Harry Potter pic a cinematic finale to remember and the footage unveiled so far has nicely reflected that.
Check out the latest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 TV spot below:
Depending on how you look at it, each of the three films discussed here could feasibly become “the event of the summer.” X-Men: First Class will hopefully be a return to form for the franchise, the first in a new X-Men trilogy - and a most welcome reprieve for fans after the last disappointing X-Men prequel, Wolverine. Green Lantern, meanwhile, will at last bring the semi-famous superhero to life on the big screen -- and looks to do so with some impressive style.
On the other hand: Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the movie that promises not just a lot of bang for your buck, but the most emotional payoff of any tentpole pic hitting theaters this summer. Take that as you will.
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X-Men: First Class arrives in theaters next month on June 3rd.
Green Lantern will hit the scene two weeks later on June 17th.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be released later on July 15th.
Source: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros.
Sandy Shaefer blogs at Screen Rant.
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