The Trailer Park: The Best New Movie Trailers of the Week from The Batman to Uncharted
It’s so easy to miss a AAA trailer these days, even with all the endless marketing build-up around teasers, pre-trailers (“in one day,” etc) and other forms of cinematic hype. A good trailer is an art form, one that is able to convey a movie’s plot, tone and style all while resisting that ever-present urge to score it to a slowed-down pop song. So here’s the Trailer Park, where we’re parking all the trailers you may have skipped, missed or want to revisit from the past week. Appreciate them. Nitpick them. Figure out if the movies they’re selling are actually going to be any good. That’s all part of the fun, after all.
This week, we’ve got a nice juicy look at Robert Pattinson taking on the cowl of The Batman, the fest-favorite The Lost Daughter as well as trailer for the very real and definitely happening videogame adaptation Uncharted.
Here are the best new movie trailers of the week:
The Batman
Director: Matt Reeves
Release Date: March 4, 2022
If you thought news of Robert Pattinson stepping up as the new Batman was just one of his saucy pranks, or that it was simply too good to be true, it’s time to snap out of it and start believing it. The official trailer for The Batman came out over the weekend, and it showcases RPatz in all of his superhero glory. And, yes, those are some big wings to fill: Christian Bale was iconic as the vigilante in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, as was Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman. And do we even have to mention Michael Keaton? But I know Pattinson can do it. He’s proven over the years that he has a dark, edgy side—and I’m not just talking about Twilight. He absolutely nailed the action sequences in Tenet, and convincingly played a criminal on the run in Good Time. The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), who also co-wrote it alongside Peter Craig (The Town). In addition to Pattinson starring as Bruce Wayne, Zoë Kravitz plays Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and Paul Dano plays Edward Nashton AKA The Riddler. Also in the cast is Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell. Based on the trailer, this isn’t going to be your average Batman film. Playing over a moody cover of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way,” this two-and-a-half-minute sneak peak of the film is stark and melancholy. It also has the line “What’s black and blue and dead all over?” in it, which is reason enough to watch. And if for some reason you’re not into the idea of Battinson, be comforted by the fact that this is a standalone film, so Ben Affleck will be back as your favorite superhero in no time.—Aurora Amidon
Uncharted
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Release Date: February 18, 2022 (Netflix)
It’s just about time for another globe-trotting adventure, because the first real trailer for Uncharted has finally swam into view. The long-awaited adaptation of the platforming/adventure game series stars spider-person Tom Holland as protagonist Nathan Drake, paired up alongside elder sidekick Victor “Sully” Sullivan, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. Rest assured that the internet’s collective reaction to this trailer has already been to howl at the lack of Sully’s iconic mustache, which some have ruefully speculated will be saved for some kind of silly post-credits reveal. Regardless, Uncharted promises Indiana Jones-style adventuring, archaeology and swashbuckling as Drake and Sully set off in pursuit of “one of history’s greatest mysteries and treasures,” whatever that may be. Standing in their way is none other than the great Antonio Banderas, so at least the film can’t be said to be missing a worthy actor to portray its antagonist. Likewise, the trailer below is full of humor and heavy on the CGI-driven action, with plenty of shootouts and some recreations of locales from games throughout the series … despite the fact that the film serves as an origin story and prequel to the games, rather than actually adapting any of them directly. There are some odd choices here, actually, such as seemingly ending the trailer on a cliffhanger, and then revealing the outcome of that same cliffhanger about 30 seconds later. Why spoil the gag of such a payoff? Hard to say, but apparently that’s what Sony believes puts butts in the seats.—Jim Vorel
The Lost Daughter
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Release Date: December 17, 2021 (theaters); December 31 (Netflix)
There aren’t many contemporary novelists whose work filmmakers are more eager to adapt than Italian author Elena Ferrante. In 1995, her novel Nasty Love was turned into a thriller directed by Mario Martone; The Days of Abandonment was adapted by Roberto Faenza in 2005. And, in 2016, it was announced that her four-part book series The Neapolitan Novels was being taken on by HBO as a 32-part TV show. The newest addition to Ferrante screen adaptations is The Lost Daughter, based on her 2006 novel of the same name. The film, which is the directorial debut of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, stars Olivia Colman as Leda, a middle-aged woman on vacation who becomes obsessed with a young mother played by Dakota Johnson. Also in the cast is Jessie Buckley as a young Leda, Succession’s Dagmara Dominczyk as Callie, Peter Sarsgaard as Professor Hardy, Normal People’s Paul Mescal as Will, Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Toni, Jack Farthing as Joe and Ed Harris as Lyle. Based on the trailer, The Lost Daughter looks like it’s going to be an atmospheric slow-burn that slowly unfurls mystery after mystery. Why is Leda so drawn to this young mother? What happened to her children? These are all things we’re going to just have to wait until December to find out. Until then, bask in the knowledge that another powerhouse performance from Olivia Colman is on its way.
—Aurora Amidon
The Feast
Director: Lee Haven Jones
Release Date: November 19, 2021
If you’re looking for a new horror movie to sink your teeth into this fall, get ready for the highly-anticipated food-based horror film The Feast. Helmed by first-time feature director Lee Haven Jones (Doctor Who) and written by Roger Williams, The Feast is set on a large estate in the Welsh countryside. The vibe is already pretty… creepy… up there, so it’s not a huge surprise that when the family who lives there hires a new cook, Cadi (Annes Elwy), things get a little gory. The film made a bloody splash at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, and also played at Beyond Fest and the Telluride Horror Show. Also in the cast is Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones, Steffan Cennydd, Sion Alun Davies, Caroline Berry, Rhodri Meilir and Lisa Palfrey. There’s a lot going on in this trailer. We have the beautiful Welsh countryside juxtaposed with horrifying images: A bloody leg, a limp, dead rabbit, Cadi spitting in a dish of food. And, of course, there’s definitely a lot more mystery lurking under the surface that we’ll have to wait to watch when the film comes out.—Aurora Amidon