Mulan wins Super Bowl movie trailers but hit high by coronavirus

Forget the action on the field during the Super Bowl, we wanted to see who would win the battle of the film trailers at halftime. From Mulan and Sonic The Hedgehog to the latest Bond movie, Duncan Lay gives his verdict.

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This week we were treated to the Super Bowl, America’s annual celebration of excess, a day when a little of the cheese-in-a-can that Donald Trump uses to turn his skin orange is sprayed over everything.

I like American football, which is a smarter game than it looks. While some claim it’s a mindless orgy of violence broken up by overlong advertising breaks, it’s actually a game of chess played with 150kg monsters in armour.

Anyway, what happened in the game was immaterial. The true contest was at halftime — the battle of the movie trailers.

I have to say, for me, the clear winner was Mulan.

The live-action remake of the Disney cartoon looks to have struck the right Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon note.

Disney is releasing its new movie Mulan in March.

The action looks epic, and while people seem to die without bleeding that might work with the mystical flying-style of combat.

My wife and daughter keep trying to drag me to Disney live-action remakes.

So far I have resisted but I think this will be my first. Conversely, this may be the first one they avoid, because everything I loved about the trailer is stuff they don’t like.

Unless they are keeping scenes with wisecracking small animals and huge musical dance numbers as a surprise for audiences, I do wonder how it will perform among the younger female demographic.

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Plus Disney must be worrying about the coronavirus and the effect it will have on cinema attendances in China. The movie is out on March 27, and the outbreak will probably still be going strong then.

Second place in the trailer battle is much harder to award.

A Quiet Place Part II and No Time To Die are neck and neck for me.

The horror follow-up seems to be introducing a bit of a Walking Dead vibe, with human survivors almost as dangerous as the monsters.

Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe and Emily Blunt in a scene from the movie A Quiet Place Part II. Picture: Paramount Pictures

I loved the original, although I can’t believe the deaf girl was the only person who worked out that you can block the monsters by using sound. Obviously the human race gets very stupid in the future.

Personally I blame Married At First Sight for that. In fact, an invasion of flesh-rending aliens would probably be a just punishment for that show.

Meanwhile, Bond looks to be the usual thrill ride, although I did wonder about the tagline that promises it will “change everything”. I don’t want everything to change. There’s plenty about Bond I like. I’d prefer a tagline that says it will “change a couple of things” but that’s not going to offer the requisite drama.

Just behind those two comes the Black Widow movie and Top Gun: Maverick.

Again, I have to award these a tie for third (well, fourth, technically).

Both look stunning, with more action and effects than you can squeeze into an American football uniform.

Then there’s The Invisible Man (jump scares aplenty), SpongeBob (for the kiddies) and finally Sonic The Hedgehog. Although, based on the trailer, I would rather squirt cheese-in-a-can laced with coronavirus into my eyes than see that at the movies.

Originally published as Mulan wins Super Bowl movie trailers but hit high by coronavirus