the Mind’s Chew Toy

Synopsis:

A monster attack in New York, as told by a small group of people.

Our Thoughts:

JJ Abrams, with TV hits “Alias” and “Lost”, and now with Mission: Impossible III (2006) and the upcoming Star Trek (2009), seems to be the new Hollywood “It” director. Now, he’s trying to branch out and produce this “secret” movie about a monster attack in New York.

While just attaching his name to the previews will probably drive in a couple of folks, the filmmakers are taking the route film trailers used to do - give us hints of what’s to come, rather than explain the whole film to us. The teaser trailer goes further than usual in keeping viewers in the dark, and makes it more of a going away party for somebody named Rob instead of focusing very much on the monsters at all.

The suspense is nice, and going back to the shaky handy-cam (ala The Blair Witch Project) is a nice touch to get viewers hooked…but there could be a problem with this strategy. By not showing the monsters, the viewer is left to create the monsters in his or her mind - and whatever the filmmakers come up with on screen will never match the viewer’s vision of the monster.

Also, while there may be buzz about the new “unknown” trailer, putting it in front of a prime movie-watching audience like it did (prior to Transformers), it should take full advantage of the hype and get it’s name out there. After all, if the name is released after the buzz has died down a little, who will know what the film is when it’s finally released? Get that name recognition in right from the start, that’s what tMCT says.

Still, a film that breaks the traditional Hollywood rules - at least in it’s teaser trailer - may be refreshing…or then again, it may make Dragon Wars: D-War (2007) look good.