Final Comic Con 2009 Update: That's a Wrap
By Brad Brevet
Photo: RopeofSilicon.com
It only feels appropriate to send off a parting shot as Comic Con obviously dominated the site for the better part of the last five days and in all honesty I'm not sure if I am giong to do it again next year, so I may as well make the most of what my fourth year in attendance garnered me.
Probably the one thing studios are most interested in is figuring out what movie(s) came out of the convention with the most buzz and attention lavished on them from the online media masses. Going in, Fox's Avatar was the obvious heavyweight, but it didn't really manage to move the needle much and I would argue has actually lost some steam from those that weren't already 100% onboard.
Interestingly enough, Variety ran a piece headlined "Twitter fizzles at Comic-Con" talking about how the social media tool didn't play as large a part in the word-of-mouth game as many assumed it would. However, it isn't altogether unimportant as Interpret, an entertainment, media and technology measurement and market research firm founded by former Nielsen exec Michael Dowling, did manage to compile a list of the top movers and shakers out of the Con:
Not surprisingly, given its fanbase, Summit Entertainment's "Twilight" sequel "New Moon" was the most tweeted pic from the Con.
Close behind was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," followed by the studio's "Tron: Legacy," Paramount's "Iron Man 2" and Sony's "District 9."
Notice any films missing from that list? Avatar maybe? However, two of the films I found most impressive are on that list.
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was undoubtedly the favorite piece of footage I saw at the convention, but it does come with an asterisk. The recently released teaser trailer for Alice is really no different than the footage that was shown at the Con outside of the fact the music playing over the visuals at the Con were provided by MGMT while the teaser trailer has generic trailer music and voice over narration. The MGMT track added a lot to what I saw, but I have to wonder now if the Danny Elfman score will turn this film into just another Burton/Elfman/Depp rehash or if it will truly be something different.
Next up is District 9, a film I really had no interest in due to the lackluster trailers that had been shown up to that point. However, the piece of footage shown during the panel for the film added a lot to the puzzle and now I am much more interested in seeing it even if it still looks as if it is working with a rather generic plotline dealing with oppressed cultures and societies.
I know everyone is jumping on the Iron Man 2 bandwagon, and while the footage was fine it just looked as if they had made a successful sequel to a good movie. There really was nothing to fall head over heels for. Tron Legacy was also a nice presentation, but outside of simply seeing last year's test footage in 3-D nothing new was really offered outside of an establishing clip that did nothing but reintroduce Flynn's Arcade, something you can see if you merely toss in the DVD for the original.
Films that actually managed to move the dial on my radar along with Alice and District 9 would have to be Mike Judge's Extract which could be hilarious; Zombieland even managed to slightly raise my expectations as did 2012, a film that depends 100% on its cheesy dialogue and not its effects so we'll see. The Final Destination looked like it could be some seriously gory fun and Solomon Kane was the other film that really raised my awareness.
I was told the panel for Kick-Ass was quite good, but that movie looks so stupid to me I am just going to wait and hopefully see everything for the first time in theaters. Taking a really pessimistic view into that one should help me out, but the fact Matthew Vaughn is directing it keeps my hopes alive.
And now, I bring you a few snaps from around the convention. I wish I had more to share, but I absolutely hate giant crowds and bumping into people so I could only stand so much time walking around the convention floor taking pictures, but I did manage to snap a few off as well as have a couple from outside in the lines. Enjoy!
To check out all of my coverage from the 2009 Comic Con click here.
The crowds I speak of…
…these crowds offer men dressed as bunnies…
…and even feature occasional primate grooming techniques whilst wearing Team Edward crown from Burger King…
Inside you get banners for films such as New Moon
…as well as looks at the Iron Man suits…
…and the armor worn by Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans.
Dolls from 9
Who wins… Jacob from New Moon doll or Stuntman Mike from Grindhouse doll?
On site was a vehicle from District 9…
…and inside was a giant Transformer with a young man relaxing against the ropes (of silicon? SNAP!).
Brad Brevet
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