What’s With All the Lame Trailers?

Three trailers for three movies by three masterful directors should send me into Oscar-bait bliss.  Spielberg is doing a war film, Scorsese is doing 3D, and Soderbergh is doing disease the same way he did drugs.

But when the trailers for War Horse, Hugo and Contagion dropped this past week, I was left with a collective wince of puzzlement.  They all (well, mostly War Horse and Hugo) look undeniably lame.  Granted, family friend films are not my preferred genre, but still… what’s going on here?

Hopefully these trailers are the result of failed marketing tactics, and will in no way reflect what he final films deliver.  At any rate, the trailers are below. 

Contagion – to be released Sept. 9

There’s no denying that this is a great cast, the majority of who seem to be ready to rock.  But the movie looks so damn conventional.  Also, why reveal the death of a main character?  Also, no “A Steven Soderbergh Film” title card?  Also, is it just me, or does Matt Damon look like he never lost all that Informant! weight?

Hugo – to be released on Nov. 23

Look, I’m just as excited as the next guy that Martin Scorsese is attempting a 3D flick, but I wish this trailer offered something more.  To me, this just looks like a pretty Oliver Twist, with much better actors.  The first time I watched this trailer, I couldn’t even finish it, I was that bored.

War Horse – to be released on Dec. 28

And talk about boring… what the hell is this?  The dialogue is terribly cheesy, the music is bad John Williams melodrama, and are we sure Janusz Kaminski photographed this?  Because it looks awfully flat.  Spielberg needs a serious boost.  Sure, he’s earned a career pass given all the classics he’s responsible for, but the man hasn’t released a decent film since 2005’s Munich.  If War Horse doesn’t deliver, I suppose there’s always Lincoln.