Movie Monday: Rolling Out the Red Carpet at ComicCon
July 25th, 2011
Last weekend, San Diego was overrun by thousands of comic fans and superstars for the annual celebration of all things anime/science fiction/film/comic book known as ComicCon. This event brings together Hollywood A-listers and comic fans alike, and the newest additions to popular comic franchises and developments in the Sci-Fi community, which has generated a lot of buzz this summer with its long list of superhero movies that have been released and are due to be released either this year or next year.
There were two movies in particular that got the most attention this weekend. One of them was the sneak peek of the film “Cowboys & Aliens”, which will feature an all-star lineup of actors such as Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. One writer who got into the premiere, told of how the auditorium needed additional space, as so many people wanted to see the actors up close. It received a huge ovation, reportedly one of the largest of the convention, which bodes well for the success of the film once it is released to the general public.
The other film that gained the most attention was “The Amazing Spider-Man”, the prequel to the Spider-Man trilogy. At first glance the film will differ greatly from the trilogy, the most noticeable of which is that Spider-Man will now be played by Andrew Garfield, rather than Tobey Maguire, as the film follows Peter Parker through his high school days. Mr. Garfield’s co-star will be Emma Stone, who will take the role of Peter’s girlfriend Gwen Stacey, presumably before he ever meets Mary Jane Watson in the trilogy (played by Kirsten Dunst). The event drew a crowd of 6,000 attendees, and although there are high expectations for the film, whether or not a prequel can match the success of an already successful movie franchise remains to be seen.
ComicCon 2011 features many other giants of the sci-fi world, as it always does, but the plethora of comic inspired movies this year only increased the excitement of the attendees this year, as expectations for the next wave of movies grows, especially when they feature actors like Harrison Ford and recognizable superheroes like Spider-Man. If the movies can live up to their showing in San Diego this past weekend, comic fans will have a lot to be happy about in the months and years ahead.
