Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Science-Fiction Weekly – Star Wars, Jurassic World, Cloverfield, Avengers
This year's Super Bowl was great for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and science-fiction. The Eagles found a way to defeat legendary quarterback turned fashion model, Tom Brady, and science-fiction fans received new trailers for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Westworld: Season 2, The Cloverfield Paradox, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Avengers: Infinity War.
The first trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom didn't give us much in terms of story setup, other than a volcano erupting on the island, which forces most dinosaurs to experience the fun of swimming in the ocean. The Super Bowl spot heavily hints at dinosaurs being unleashed upon America. The most disturbing evidence of this is a new form of raptor entering a girl's bedroom. In the first movie, the name Jurassic World referred to a theme park. I have a feeling that title holds double meaning in the sequel, beginning with the park and ending with dinosaurs roaming the entire planet. If this is where the film goes, we have plenty of reason to be excited not only for Fallen Kingdom, but the next entry in the series, which would likely play out like Planet of the Apes, with humanity fighting for dominance. That's exactly what I was hoping the first Jurassic World would set up. There's a good chance this won't happen, but I hope the creatives behind these films know we've seen enough of the theme park set up. It's time to move on.
Westworld: Season 2's teaser shows more of the wild west, but also hints at the uprising leading to a new world. It's a stunning trailer that shows most of the cast is returning. Only a couple of notable faces are missing. The biggest being Anthony Hopkins. I hope he comes back in some capacity, but I also don't want the show to move on from its initial setting, and that may mean Hopkins has to stay out of the picture. Michael Crichton's Westworld film from 1973 set up a number of parks, including Futureworld, which I think this trailer is trying to get across. We'll find out on April 22 when the show returns to HBO. Reddit users have deciphered a hidden website that reveals six different parks. Yes, SIX! Does that mean the show is planned for six seasons?
The Cloverfield Paradox trailer was the curve ball no one saw coming. Up until it aired, we were led to believe the film would be called God Particle, and that it may be coming to Netflix instead of theaters. Outside of a surprising name change, that rumor ended up being true. The film was released on Netflix shortly after the trailer aired. I ended up turning off the Super Bowl to watch it. I am a huge fan of the Cloverfield series, and found this film to be just as enjoyable as the original film and 10 Cloverfield Lane, but for entirely different reasons. For starters, it delivers answers as to what the hell is going on with the aliens and monsters that suddenly showed up on Earth. I'm a big fan of the reasoning behind them. I won't spoil them here for people that haven't watched it yet, but will say we're not talking about something as simple as a turtle getting splashed with nuclear waste. The reveals set up an entire universe of possibilities for the future of the franchise, which we'll get another look at shortly in this year's release of Overlord, the fourth Cloverfield film. I can't even hint at what territory this sequel covers without giving away everything The Cloverfield Paradox accomplishes.
Yes, a few horror elements are unneeded, especially the arm, but other things like what's inside the wall, and, well, let's just say things similar to the wall are quite clever, and speak to just how cool the Cloverfield story is as a whole. Reddit has awesome discussion that dissects the little secrets that link all three films together.
As cool as it was to learn of a new Cloverfield film and be able to watch it later that night, Solo: A Star Wars Story ended up being the big talker of the Super Bowl trailers. This was our first look at the film in action, and all eyes were on Alden Ehrenreich, and his portray of Han Solo. Living up to the legacy established by Harrison Ford is a near-impossible feat for Ehrenriech. Han Solo is one of the most beloved characters in cinema history, and any deviation from it will likely be viewed as a misstep by fans. From the brief look Lucasfilm gave us in this trailer, Ehrenreich looks to fit the part. I don't get the impression he's trying to replicate Ford, and is instead making the role his own. That's the smart move here. His higher pitched voice threw me off initially, but after viewing the trailer for four or five times, it's grown on me. Again, this is a role Ford nailed, and we just haven't seen enough of Ehrenreich's version to weigh in on it. The same can be said for Donald Glover as Lando. I'm a huge fan of Glover's work (first with Community and now with Atlanta), and I have no doubt he'll be fun to watch in this film. Whether it's fun in the Lando way or in Glover's own way is the big question. One thing is for certain: The wardrobe department absolutely nailed the look of these characters, especially for Lando. The dangling scarf, cape, and vibrant yellow are exactly what I would expect from this gambler.
The trailer doesn't give us much in terms of plot, but does give us a taste of Solo's background, which begins with racing and the desire to become a pilot. The gritty look of the film works well, and contrasts oddly with the clean look of the Falcon. I'm not certain the pristine white walls are from the Millennium Falcon we know and love. My guess is that's a new version that Han and Lando look at, but end up having to settle for the rundown, used model instead. We may even see that one in the next shot in the trailer.
Any new footage of Avengers: Infinity War is worth getting excited about, but the Super Bowl spot didn't give us much in terms of reveals. We instead got more shots of heroes coming together to battle Thanos and his infinity gem-threat. The biggest reveal is Captain America's new shield, which appears to be a gift from Black Panther. If you're one of the people thinking Captain Marvel may be behind Captain America in one shot, that's actually Scarlet Witch.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
