July 2017 Trailers That'll Blow You Away
Summer blockbuster season is nowhere near over, but we're already starting to get glimpses of some of the movies to look forward to this fall, winter, and even beyond. With studios constantly adding new mind-bending films to their slates, it can be hard to keep up. Luckily, we're keeping an eye out for you—here are all of the trailers released July 2017 that you won't want to miss.
Dave Made a Maze - Aug. 18
You've probably never seen anything quite as bizarre as this first look at Dave Made a Maze, an upcoming comedy that delves into the strange world of paper-craft and stop-motion. The film, which has won awards at a number of film festivals, follows Nick Thune as Dave, a man who gets trapped inside an elaborate fort that he builds in his living room. His friends, who include Meera Rohit Kumbhani as his girlfriend Annie, Adam Busch as his steadfast wingman Gordon, and James Urbaniak as film director Harry, must come together to find a way to rescue him.
As the strange and wonderful trailer shows, the maze is full of all sorts of obstacles, both scary and funny. It's hard to describe exactly what goes down without spoiling the bizarre glee of the clips, but even watching a few seconds of the trailer hints that the film will be an instant cult classic that will be played at late-night movie marathons for many, many years to come.
Birth of the Dragon - Aug. 25
You can learn about the origins of Bruce Lee in Birth of the Dragon, which will feature Philip Ng as a younger version of the famous martial artist and actor as it tells the story of his time growing up and training in the 1960s. As the trailer shows, the film will specifically focus on his fight with the legendary kung fu master Wong Jack Man (Yu Xia).
The trailer immediately sets up Lee as an action hero, kicking off with one of the amazing fight scenes he has come to be known for. It then shows the Bruce Lee we know less well, with Bruce working as a teacher and as a fighter, one who knows that he must prevent Wong Jack Man from tearing down everything he has worked so hard to build up. Ng is convincingly charming and cocky as Lee, and the trailer shows that he is up to the high-action requirements of the part. Bruce Lee has no limits, and it seems like Birth of the Dragon doesn't either.
Killing Hasselhoff - Aug. 29
The only way Ken Jeong can save himself from a mobster is to kill beloved actor David Hasselhoff in the first trailer for the upcoming indie comedy Killing Hasselhoff. In the film, Jeong plays Chris, a down-on-his-luck nightclub owner who realizes he has to kill Hasselhoff so he can win an expensive celebrity death pool and pay back his debt to a dangerous criminal.
The trailer immediately goes through Chris' half-baked plan to kill Hasselhoff, which appears to involve a gay hit man, an Australian genius, and more than one Baywatch parody. What makes it all even better is that the real-life Hasselhoff is in on the joke, appearing as himself and even engaging in one of his famous slow-mo moments in a misguided attempt to rescue a real-life drowning man. While it's hard to say whether or not Killing Hasselhoff will live up to its insane premise, if it's even half as much fun as the trailer, it should be a wild ride.
Conjuring: The Witch's Doll - Summer
Contrary to what the title would lead you to believe, Conjuring: The Witch's Doll is not actually a spinoff of the popular horror series The Conjuring. Rather, it tells the story of events that transpired before The Conjuring, with director Lawrence Fowler describing the movie in the Kickstarter campaign that funded the project as the doll that preceded The Conjuring's Annabelle.
The trailer for the film is all cheese, but it's still not for the faint of heart, a mix of camp and horror that adds up to a surprisingly terrifying, albeit ridiculous, ride. It doesn't present anything we haven't seen before, but that's not what most horror films traffic in anyway. With a genuinely creepy doll and a game cast, Conjuring: The Witch's Doll looks like it could be spooky fun.
The Layover - Sept. 1
Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario are fighting over a man in the first trailer for The Layover, which will feature the two as a pair of down-on-their-luck best friends who wind up stuck in St. Louis after a detour on their way to Florida. The comedy is directed by Oscar nominee William H. Macy and has quite a few big comedy names attached, including Macy, Kal Penn, Molly Shannon, and Rob Corddry.
While the premise is a bit predictable, the trailer contains some funny jokes, and the attachment of Upton and Daddario as stars implies that the comedy will actually be able to sell some of its more funny and extreme moments. The Layover might follow comedy formula, but the trailer suggests it could still achieve box office liftoff.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers - Sept. 1
Doug "The Thug" is back in the new trailer for Goon: Last of the Enforcers, which will feature Seann William Scott's Doug Glatt dealing with an injury sustained from a violent confrontation, which forces him to re-learn how to fight with his left hand. Complicating the situation even further is the fact that his former love interest and now wife Eva (Alison Pill) is expecting a child, meaning that Doug will need to find a way to keep the family on their feet.
The new trailer gives a much better glimpse at the film than what has been released thus far, expanding further on the story and on the long journey that Doug must go through in order to make his comeback to the Highlanders. It also shows a bit more of the film's compelling villain, played by a straight-faced Wyatt Russell, while of course including lots of the wacky comedy for which the film has been known. (Including T.J. Miller as a rather morbid sports broadcaster.) Goon may never be highbrow comedy, but The Last of the Enforcers trailer shows that it definitely knows how to hit the audience up for laughs.
It - Sept. 8
IT's teaser trailer broke records with over 200 million views in less than two days, all thanks to a quick, terrifying glimpse at Bill Skarsgård's new take on Pennywise the Clown. If you thought you were scared before, though, nothing will prepare you for the film's full trailer, which amps up the frights and promises to inspire many a nightmare.
The trailer begins with fun imagery of children playing, completed by a creepy voiceover from Jaeden Lieberher's Bill, who lets you know immediately that this isn't the fun, innocent town it appears to be. It doesn't wait long before giving the first look at Pennywise, played brilliantly by a maniacal Skarsgård. (Watch closely for a throwback to Tim Curry's take on the character as well.) It continues to ramp up the tension throughout, bringing out the villain at just the right moments to produce maximum frights. Since we're still having nightmares from the look at Pennywise we got in the teaser trailer, we don't think we're getting over this one any time soon.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Sept. 22
Matthew Vaughn proved he knows how to create a compelling spy flick with Kingsman: The Secret Service, and from everything we've seen about the sequel thus far, it appears he's done it again. The newest trailer for The Golden Circle, teased at San Diego Comic-Con, is brilliantly set to a remix of The Who's "My Generation," which underscores some fabulous stunts and a creepy new look at the villainous plan of Poppy (Julianne Moore), who appears to have some drone-related plans for New York City.
However, the real takeaway from the trailer is the hilarious interactions between the Kingsmen and their American counterparts the Statesmen, who they must team up with after Poppy destroys their U.K. headquarters. The two groups engage in quite the culture clash throughout the trailer, and that dynamic should be played to its extreme in the finished product. The Kingsman sequel should have already been on everyone's list, but this new trailer solidifies it as a must-see.
The LEGO Ninjago Movie - Sept. 22
The LEGO Movie pulled off the seemingly impossible feat of creating a heartwarming children's film based off what could have been an crassly commercial idea, and The LEGO Batman Movie somehow managed to build off that success with a hilarious send-up of superhero movies. While the seamlessness with which the films were executed makes their achievements seem almost easy, recent critical flops like The Emoji Movie show that their success is nothing to take for granted—which is what makes the amazing new trailer for The LEGO Ninjago Movie even better.
The movie stars Jackie Chan as Master Wu, a wisecracking kung fu master tasked with training six teenage warriors, led by the Green Ninja Lloyd (Dave Franco), to defeat the evil warlord Garmadon (Justin Theroux), the "Worst Guy Ever" who just happens to be Lloyd's dad. The trailer leans pretty heavily into their father-son relationship, showing how the two conflict with each other but also highlighting their potential to come together, especially in the face of a brilliantly-used real-life cat named Meowthra. The choice to end with a surprisingly morbid joke about limb loss further solidifies Ninjago's pure ridiculousness, which is sure to keep audiences both young and old entertained when the movie hits theaters later this year.
Blade Runner 2049 - Oct. 6
The newest trailer for Blade Runner 2049 is a visual feast, full of dazzling glimpses at the colorful, technologically advanced landscape of the film. However, it's what these glimpses tease that fully set the new trailer apart from the looks at the film that have come before, with the clip offering some tantalizing clues about the film's intense and mysterious plot.
The sequel will take place 30 years after the events of Ridley Scott's original film, and will feature Ryan Gosling as Officer K, a new blade runner who unearths a long-buried secret that leads him to Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard, who has been in hiding since the events of the first movie.
While the new trailer doesn't reveal exactly why Deckard dropped off the map, it does tease more about the character's fate, with Deckard ominously saying that he had been hunted due to a discovery he made. The new trailer also gives more of a look at Jared Leto's Neander Wallace and Dave Bautista's mysterious character, introducing just enough to get viewers excited for the film without making too many reveals about the final product.
The Snowman - Oct. 20
You'll never feel safe in the snow again after watching the creepy trailer for the Michael Fassbender thriller The Snowman. Fassbender stars as detective Harry Hole, tasked with hunting down the elusive "Snowman Killer," who leaves snowmen as a way to mark his victims. As Hole gets closer, the killer starts to take a personal interest in his life, leading to terrifying consequences.
The trailer capitalizes on the film's childhood imagery, beginning with the innocent image of a woman getting hit by a snowball. However, it quickly flips as she's brutally murdered, kicking off the events of the movie. The cast is great and the premise is loaded with spine-tingling promise, so if atmosphere-drenched horror is your thing, The Snowman should definitely be on your list of films to watch.
Geostorm - Oct. 20
You may think that if you've seen one teaser for a movie about a weather-controlling satellite going horribly wrong and destroying the Earth you've seen everything you need to see, but with Geostorm, that is definitely not the case. The movie, which underwent extensive reshoots that are rumored to have significantly changed the plot, highlighted these differences in the stark contrast between its newest trailer and its first teaser, with the trailer adding the word "comedy" onto the end of the film's initial disaster moniker.
The newest version of Geostorm features Gerard Butler as Jake, a climate scientist who is responsible for the operation of a satellite launched into space to protect humans from climate change. When the satellite is hacked by an unknown party and wild weather is unleashed on the world, Jake is the Earth's only hope— but that's not the only ridiculous thing going on.
At the same time Jake is in space trying to fix the satellite, his younger brother Max (Jim Sturgess) is back on the ground, teaming up with a secret service agent (Abbie Cornish) to help save the president (Andy Garcia) from an assassination plot. As the new trailer shows, the decision to steer Geostorm even further into its ridiculous logline appears to have been successful, as the fun and craziness combine for what looks to be a wild ride.
Only the Brave - Oct. 20
Josh Brolin and Miles Teller have to prevent a dangerous fire in the first trailer for Only the Brave. Brolin plays superintendent Eric Marsh, the head of a group of elite firefighters known as the Granite Mountain hotshots. Together with a new recruit Brendan McDonaugh (Teller), he helps take a last stand against a potentially catastrophic blaze—a story based on the real-life firefighters who battled the 2013 Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona.
Brolin and Teller both deliver impressive performances in this clip, selling their characters' desperation amidst brief, intense looks at the drama. With an incredible true story to tell and a stellar supporting cast that includes Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly, we're betting Only the Brave will ultimately be burned into viewers' memories.
Wonderstruck - Oct. 20
Time travel with Todd Haynes in the first trailer for Wonderstruck. The gorgeously shot movie from the Golden Globe-nominated director follows two young children, one in 1927 and one in 1977, who go on parallel journeys to find what they see as missing in their lives.
The trailer uses black and white to show the 1927 scenes, while the 1977 pieces are shown in full color. This decision is one of many Haynes makes to help differentiate between the film's two time periods, with the trailer juxtaposing the children's quests in a way that's both deft and beautiful. The decision to eschew plot details in favor of visuals and the backing of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" makes the final question—"How do you know my name?"—stand out even more, pushing viewers to find out more about the plot...and to head out to theaters come October.
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women - Oct. 27
Audiences will get to see a very different side of Wonder Woman in Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, which released its full trailer this month after airing a mysterious teaser ahead of the character's big screen adventure earlier this summer. The film stars Luke Evans as William Moulton Marston, the psychologist and inventor credited with creating Diana Prince in 1941.
Marston led a life crazier than your average superhero, spending his time living with both his wife (Rebecca Hall) and one of his former students, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote). The trio's complicated and intertwined relationships play out in part in the trailer, but so much is left up in the air for the film to cover that it's hard to picture a months long wait to see the whole thing go down on screen.
The situation is also further complicated by the way in which Marston's comics, which he publishes under a pseudonym, are received by the public. Wonder Woman is a fascinating character who proved she can stun big screen audiences, and, from the looks of the first trailer, her creator can as well.
Suburbicon - Oct. 27
Delving into the dark side of small town America has become such a common storyline for the entertainment industry that it's lost its subversive power, but the first trailer for Suburbicon looks like it might just be enough to bring it back. The film, directed by George Clooney based off a script by Clooney, Grant Heslov, and the Coen brothers, stars Matt Damon as Gardner Lodge, a man who must deal with the advances of a loan shark in his 1950s-era small town—with deadly consequences.
The trailer features an impressive performance from Damon, who demonstrates a creepy ability to switch between normal and homicidal in seconds. Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore also both make memorable supporting turns, with Isaac terrifying as one of the local gang and Moore delightfully crazy as the family's drug-crushing Aunt Margaret. The trailer shows that it isn't planning on pulling any punches when it comes to its violent plot, quickly letting the town devolve from its nice façade into a rioting mess. Undercutting it all is an exciting soundtrack that smartly helps to push forward the action and raise the tension at the same time. This town might be about to burn to the ground, and we're definitely ready to watch it.
Thor: Ragnarok - Nov. 3
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has been implying for a while now that the film will basically be a whole new adventure for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), with the director saying he approached the film as if it was the superhero's first solo flick. The teaser trailer, with a rock and roll vibe and a healthy dose of Avengers-related humor, clearly proved this, but the full trailer shows it even more. The trailer, released at San Diego Comic-Con, features even more of the new wisecracking Thor, highlighting his relationship with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in both human and Hulk form and even teasing him fighting alongside his villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
The trailer features lots of fun moments, including a juvenile talking Hulk and some terrifyingly amazing glimpses at Cate Blanchett's take on the goddess of death Hela. Most of the best moments, though, come from Hemsworth, who goes from bragging to Hulk about the fight he definitely won to showing off some of his badass god powers. With a new haircut and witty banter even Tony Stark would envy, Thor: Ragnarok looks like yet another hit for Marvel.
Justice League - Nov. 17
Fans got to see a lot more of Justice League at San Diego Comic-Con than they planned, with DC gifting the world with a four-minute glimpse of their biggest heroes. While much of the talk surrounding Justice League has had to do with rumored reshoots (and, strangely enough, mustaches), the new trailer should dispel any rumors of the film being in trouble, as it shows off a slick and stunning new look at the team-up.
The trailer relies on an intense score as it shows off its main heroes, starting with an amazing look at Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. More time on Themyscira should definitely be welcome to fans of Diana's recent solo film, although the clip doesn't stay there, also showing off more of a look at Aquaman's underwater world and featuring some terrifying new glimpses at Ciaran Hinds' villainous Steppenwolf.
The real star of the trailer, though, is Ezra Miller's Flash, who brings some much-needed humor to the proceedings through Barry Allen's signature wit. The trailer definitely doesn't skimp on the action, but it's the heart and humor that really make the team come together. Plus, with that ending tease, it appears Warner Bros. might still have a few tricks up its sleeve for Justice League.
Darkest Hour - Nov. 22
Gary Oldman is Winston Churchill in the first look at Darkest Hour, which will feature the legendary actor embodying the politician during a crucial moment in the fight against Adolf Hitler during World War II. As the trailer shows, Oldman, who underwent over 200 hours in the make-up chair to transform into a pitch perfect Churchill for the role, is in full force in the drama, but it is his impressive supporting cast and the film's intense script that really sell the idea.
The trailer begins slow, showing Churchill being invited to become the prime minister, despite the fact that he isn't the first choice of either party. However, it quickly picks up from there, with Churchill immediately faced with a history-changing crisis that results in him quickly turning into the legendary leader he would later be known as. Oldman delivers a tour de force performance in the part, and it should be exciting to see what accolades that turns into for him in the future.
My Friend Dahmer - Fall
You're definitely going to get chills watching the first trailer for the upcoming serial killer biopic My Friend Dahmer. The movie, which is based on a true story, stars former Disney actor Ross Lynch as the teenage version of Jeffrey Dahmer, who would later become one of the country's most notorious serial killers.
Lynch couldn't be further from his roots in the role as the young and odd Jeffrey, but he does a great job selling his take on the infamous murderer. The trailer quickly and expertly sets up the young Dahmer's differences from his classmates; it doesn't fully complete the puzzle of what makes a serial killer, but it teases just enough to bring viewers out to theaters this fall.
The Disaster Artist - Dec. 1
James Franco's portrayal of one of the worst actors of all time seems like it may be his best shot yet at earning one of the Oscars' highest honors. In The Disaster Artist, which he also directs, Franco will take on the role of Tommy Wiseau, the man behind the critically maligned cult hit The Room.
Franco shows off the deep respect he has for Wiseau and The Room in the first teaser for the film, in which he shows the process of filming one of the movie's most memorable scenes. His pitch perfect accent and body language should immediately draw in The Room fans, but, if that's not enough, the teaser also includes quite a few fun moments for fans of the film, including Franco, his brother Dave, and Seth Rogen (and just about everyone else) uttering the classic line "oh hi, Mark." The Room may be one of the worst movies ever made, but The Disaster Artist seems like it's on the other end of the spectrum.
The Shape of Water - Dec. 8
Guillermo del Toro's newest creature is here in the first trailer for The Shape of Water, an otherworldly fairytale following Sally Hawkins' Elisa, a mute woman working in a high-security government facility in Cold War-era America. When she discovers a secret classified government experiment, she begins to bond with the creature (Doug Jones), despite the opposition of her superiors.
The trailer is the perfect balance of sweet and scary, with many of the moments between Elisa and the creature coming across as genuine and loving, a steep contrast with the harsh treatment the creature receives. The trailer fully utilizes del Toro's amazing visual talents, pulling in viewers with gorgeous shots and impressive special effects, but it really stands out because of the deep and engaging storyline. Del Toro hasn't let us down yet, and we're eager to see what he comes up with next.
Bright - Dec. 22
Netflix is getting ambitious with their film and television projects, perhaps none more than Bright. The movie reunites Suicide Squad director David Ayer with Will Smith, with the star playing Daryl, a cop in an imaginary version of Los Angeles in which magic and fairytale creatures exist and are known to the world. Daryl is paired up with the first orc on the force, Nick (Joel Egerton), but that's the least of his problems, as the trailer quickly shows.
Daryl and Nick get more than they bargained for on a routine call when they come across an elf in possession of a magic wand, which allows the user to do whatever they want. That amount of power is obviously the object of desire for many a person, and, while the trailer doesn't make it clear exactly who the main villain will be, it does tease that the fight will get bloody and violent fast. Netflix clearly shelled out quite a bit of cash to bring Bright to viewers' homes, and, from the first trailer, it seems like their gamble may have paid off.
Proud Mary - Jan. 12, 2018
Taraji P. Henson as a badass assassin isn't a tough sell, and the first trailer for her upcoming action flick Proud Mary delivers. In the film, Empire star Henson plays Mary, a hit woman working for an organized crime family in Boston. When she meets a young boy during a hit gone bad, her life changes forever.
The trailer decides to stick mostly with simple imagery instead of focusing heavily on plot, a smart choice considering Henson's powerful performance. Using the upbeat title song as its backdrop, the trailer begins by showing Mary getting ready for her day, taking normal shots of her doing her makeup interspersed with shots of her surveying her extensive weapons collection.
Things pick up fast, with Henson immediately proving her action chops and delivering an immensely believable performance as the tried and tested hitwoman. While the trailer doesn't go far into details about the film's plot, it does feature enough explosion-fueled action to spell a fun time at the theater.
A Wrinkle in Time - March 9, 2018
A Wrinkle in Time has, for years, seemed like an impossible story to bring to the big screen, but somehow in just two minutes Ava DuVernay proved that she could accomplish it. The visually stunning trailer for the children's sci-fi flick uses a haunting cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and a voiceover from none other than Oprah Winfrey to immediately sell the novel's most bizarre moments without sacrificing even a bit of its proud weirdness.
DuVernay is, as the trailer says, a visionary director, and her talent for getting amazing shots shows throughout the trailer. While it is light on plot (especially for those who haven't read the book), the dazzling visuals should be enough to bring in any viewer, and the similarities to what they saw on the page are an even bigger draw for those who have read the novel. A Wrinkle in Time may have previously been thought to be un-adaptable, but DuVernay quickly and expertly proved the haters wrong.
Ready Player One - March 30, 2018
Every childhood character you ever loved shows up in the first teaser for Steven Spielberg's video game adventure Ready Player One. The movie, based on the book of the same name, is set in a dystopian future in which a young teen named Wade (Tye Sheridan) immerses himself in a virtual reality world as a way of escaping his tough everyday life.
The trailer doesn't waste much time on setting up Wade's backstory, quickly taking him into the virtual OASIS, where Spielberg, a man very well versed in defining people's childhoods, tosses in glimpses of pop culture touchstones from the Iron Giant to Back to the Future to Freddy Krueger, and many, many more.
We're firmly convinced from the trailer that Ready Player One is going to be an awesome ride. Spielberg is an incredibly talented director with a knack for impressive visuals, and the trailer shows that he's certainly in his element here.
Borg/McEnroe - TBD
Regardless of how you feel about Shia LaBeouf's off-screen antics, it's hard to deny that he has a talent on screen. LaBeouf brings out that talent in full force in the first trailer for Borg/McEnroe, in which he will play the John McEnroe to Sverrir Gudnason's Borg, the two halves of one of tennis' greatest match-ups. The film will specifically focus on the 1980 Wimbledon Championships.
The trailer sets up the "perfect rivalry" by showing the intense amount of training that both Borg and McEnroe went through in order to get in top shape for the competition. As the trailer shows, Borg is struggling with public perception that he is a machine with no emotions, while McEnroe deals with the opposite problem, struggling to contain his outbursts.
History may already tell us how the match will play out, but the trailer still sets up the epic face-off in a way that leaves viewers eager to see more. While the movie doesn't have a U.S. release date yet, it is set to be released in September in Sweden, so hopefully stateside fans will get to see it soon.