Trailer Tracker: Pacific Rim, Now You See Me and More

Ahead of its official release along with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December, Warner Bros. has released two viral clips for Guillermo Del Toro’s hotly anticipated Pacific Rim, which teases some of the monster-driven destruction promised by the film. We’ve also got the first trailer for Now You See Me, a magician caper thriller with an all star cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Woody Harelson. Last off is the final trailer for Django Unchained – one now less concerned with setting up the plot and far happier with showing as much gun play as possible. This is Trailer Tracker.

Pacific Rim 

For all the viral images, director testimony and Comic Con teases that have been revealed for Pacific Rim, the specifics of how Guillermo del Toro’s monster epic is going to play out remains refreshingly under wraps. Similar to how Inception was rolled out, all the pieces are in play and recognition is high, but a clear picture remains shrouded in mystery. As most of us were not present in San Diego’s Hall H, these viral teasers will be the first look we have at Pacific Rim and in pure Cloverfield­­ style we see the destruction of San Francisco and what was thought to be the elimination of a monstrous threat. Then more showed up. 

The other clip is even more of the viral persuasion than the first and gives us a Kaiju alert warning, one akin to a forthcoming nuclear attack – run away in futile fashion. It’s always nice to see care taken in marketing endeavors such as this, and not only helps to build hype but also really creates a universe you can sink your teeth into come release time. Even without all this supplementary footage, I would still be immensely jazzed for Pacific Rim as it is one of the rare films that offers superb cast, acclaimed director and bold original concept all in a big-budget package. 

Now You See Me 

Oceans Eleven meets The Prestige in Now You See Me, a caper thriller with that all so important twist/angle/gimmick/hook to distinguish it from the lot. In the case of Now You See Me, a troupe of performers is somehow able to pull off a major heist while — conveniently for them — remaining on stage in front of a huge crowd. Is there real magic at play? Is that their end game? Will the inclusion of Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine in the cast result in an erroneous number of voiceovers? Glibness aside, I’m very intrigued by this film – cast, premise and all. I’m a sucker for this kind of display if executed with care and (most importantly) without audience manipulation. A twist can be just a twist without being a cheat as well. Now You See Me stars Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Woody Harelson.

Django Unchained 

Who needs plot insight when you can just have Jamie Foxx fire off a revolver a few dozen times? The final trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained ahead of its Dec. 25 release vies for a different audience than previous marketing efforts, showcasing the film’s action rather than its director and quirky spaghetti Western motif. All of Django’s trailers have been expertly cut and this one is no exception and at this point only serves as a bookend to the marketing journey that will by now have either convinced you or put you off entirely.