It’s getting closer to the spookiest time of year and we still have only one good horror movie coming out in theaters. Luckily, it’s getting good reviews. Unfortunately, it’s pretty much the only movie getting good reviews at the box office this week. We’ll talk about that, and so much more on today’s show, but first we’ll get into the big trailer of the week, the Logan trailer. Formerly known as Wolverine 3, Logan is Hugh Jackman’s last hurrah after 17 years as Wolverine. And from what we can tell, he’s going to go out in style — but maybe not the kind of style audiences were expecting.
The trailer follows the darker vision we’ve been told Logan would present, one in which our near-indestructible hero starts to reckon with his mortality. But even so, what we saw on screen is deeper and more dimensional than what you’d expect from a superhero movie. There’s real, visceral emotion here as we see Charles Xavier, the once-omniscient X-Men leader, fading into what appears to be senility. It’s clear in just the trailer’s quick glimpses that he and Logan have forged an intimate bond over the years, with Logan now seemingly acting as Charles’ protector in his decline.
We’re using their first names instead of their superhero names almost unconsciously, and that’s telling about this story. It looks different than just about any superhero film we’ve seen so far (and that’s saying something), seeming to blend the reality of Nolan’s Batman films with a closer, more sentimental story. It feels personal, a human narrative about these long-entwined friends at what appears to be the end of it all for them, and for the mutants they’ve long fought to protect. Set to Johnny Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt, the tone is dark, depressing, and, in a world oversaturated with comic book stories, absolutely refreshing.
Along with the trailer’s release, director James Mangold gave an interview with Empire this week to talk about his very different superhero movie. “We are in the future, we have passed the point of the epilogue of Days of Future Past,” Mangold said. “We’re finding all these characters in circumstances that are a little more real. The questions of aging, of loneliness, of where I belong. Am I still useful to the world? I saw it as an opportunity … what happens when you’re in retirement and (your) career is over?”
Fox, which took a huge chance on Deadpool that paid off handsomely, seems ready to roll the dice again with Logan, allowing the film to go for the R-rating to assure that there will still be some first-rate action, perhaps more inline with what you expect from Wolverine’s true nature in the comics. This time, however, there’s even more at stake as, apart from the violence, Logan looks to be almost the polar opposite of the fun, wise-cracking ride we got from Deadpool. We’ll go into all of that, and more, on today’s show.
Switching gears a bit, we also got a new teaser trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 this week, from another James in director James Gunn. So far the film looks to be just as fun as the original, with some new additions to the core Guardians team — it appears Michael Rooker’s Yondu will be helping the team out with more hands-on action — and a comedic moment between Chris Pratt’s Star Lord and David Bautista’s Drax in which the latter hugs the former, despite Star Lord’s protests.
Of course, it’s not all superheroes this week (though it might feel like it). We’ll also be discussing the Weekend Box Office Preview, though there appears to be only one movie worth considering at the box office this week, and that’s the successor to the not-so-great Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil. What a difference a director/writer makes when it comes to making a premise work. In this case, it’s Hush and Oculus director Mike Flanagan taking the reins and making what looks to be a supremely spooky (and relatively well-reviewed) horror flick to get you ready for the season. You could also watch Boo! A Madea Halloween. You could do that. Technically.
Also this week, we’ll go over our Reboot Recap, which includes a Willy Wonka prequel and a Captain Planet movie (thanks to one Leonardo DiCaprio). We’ll also talk about Black Mirror season 3, which premieres today on Netflix (excellent!). All that and more on today’s Between the Streams, so tune in live at 2 p.m. PT, or subscribe to our podcast at the links above!
