(See the Most Anticipated Comedies of 2012 here.)
The key word for Fantasy films in 2012 is “sexy”. We’ve already seen all the beasts the CG can throw at us, all the beautiful mountains New Zealand can offer and heard all the stories your grandparents have been scaring you shitless with. The fantasy genre of today is like the fairy tales most of these films are based on – sexy, dark, gory and by far not meant for anybody under the age of 18.
Directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings-trilogy, King Kong)
This is the very book I’ve read more times than anything else in the world. This very story is the basis for Lord of the Rings, which is my all-time favorite book, and film(s) as well. So not surprisingly, especially with Peter Jackson directing, I’m happy to see The Hobbit bringing back the beautiful landscapes and the awesome cast on the big screen, in a way only PJ can do. Big, beautiful and epic.
Having said that, I wasn’t crazy about the trailer. Everything is exactly as it should be, but it doesn’t feel like there’s anything more. I hope it’s just the first trailer -syndrome, and they are saving the more interesting bits for later, but part of me is scared that the film wouldn’t have been pushed far enough, and could be left hanging somewhere in-between, like King Kong did.
But still, this is the one film I’m waiting more than anything else next year, by far.
Directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Kill Buljo)
Tommy Wirkola directed one of the best films coming out from Nordic countries ever, and definitely the best film in 2009 – a Nazi Zombie comedy Dead Snow. The film went extremely well, becoming a cult classic, and not surprisingly, he got offered a change to direct a major Hollywood film, and Hansel And Gretel‘s classic story got under his fingertips.
It’s been 15 years since the traumatic gingerbread house incident, and the siblings Hansel and Gretel have decided to make sure nobody has to go through that shit again. They’ve devoted themselves in hunting down and killing witches all around the world. The film is loaded with great actors – Jeremy Renner as Hansel and stunning Gemma Arterton as Gretel, and even a Finnish actress Pihla Viitala has found her way to the cast.
I’m excited to see how Tommy Wirkola handles a big, 60-million dollar production, but given how well he did with Dead Snow, it’s probably going to kick some really serious ass. It’s going to look great and have great action, shitload of fun and buckets of blood and gore in it.
Directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men)
Doing a good trailer is an art form of it’s own, and films shouldn’t be judged based solely on the trailers. But looking at Jack the Giant Killer‘s trailer, I fell instantly in love with the it. Bryan Singer is a wonderful director who knows how to throw stuff at big screen, and it feels like the film could be something to rock your socks off for good.
It’s based on Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer fairytales, where the basic story is that Jack (played by Nicholas Hoult) goes out to kill giants, and a giant beanstalk is somehow associated to the story. Honestly, I haven’t read or even seen either of the stories so I don’t know shit, because they are not that popular fairy tales in Finland, and I don’t like fairy tales anyway, but – having said that – the film looks like a lot of fun.
Directed by Rupert Sanders
This year we have two Snow White -stories coming at us, both in a completely different tangent. Snow White and the Huntsman is a dark-tinted fantasy adventure from a first-time director Rupert Sanders, who’s juggling a massive 70 million dollar budget as his first feature. The plot is a classic one – evil queen orders Thor… I mean Kirk’s dad… I mean the Huntsman to drag Snow White into the forest, and kill. But instead, he saves her life – and because this is a dark action fantasy film, she learns the art of war and gets ready to kick the queen in her pretty ass with the aid of seven dwarves.
The trailer promises some quite unforgettable costume design and stunning performance from Charlize Theron (as usual), and although it doesn’t feel like the film will be renewing the genre in any way, it seems to be extremely well made. Good start for Rupert Sanders, I would say.
Directed by Tarsem (The Fall, Immortals)
The other Snow White films comes from… wherever the films by Tarsem usually come from. Nobody knows. The guy is a visual genius, and brave enough to extend his geniusness to storytelling. Knowing how amazing work he did with The Fall, whatever Mirror, Mirror is, it’s going to be very… special. And beautiful. The only aspect I’m a bit worried about is that it’s a comedy, and I have no idea what kind of a comedian Tarsem is…
