Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: August 12th, 2016
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Karl Urban, Wes Bentley, Oakes Fegley
Director: David Lowery
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I never watched the original Pete’s Dragon, but honestly I didn’t know it was that beloved that a modern day retelling was necessary. In any case, it’s happening. –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I’ve actually never seen the original Pete’s Dragon musical from the 70s. Thanks to this, while I’m not exactly anticipating this movie, I don’t really have any frame of reference for me to be potentially disappointed in it either. Disney has been on a tear lately with it’s new strategy of animated remakes, with The Jungle Book and Cinderella being critical and commercial successes and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast being highly anticipated. Maybe Pete’s Dragon can keep the streak alive? – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. The movie actually looks pretty good, and that’s helped in part by the outstanding cast. The dragon’s special effects are somewhat iffy, I don’t know if it mixes with the atmosphere well enough but there may be final touch ups before the film gets released. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. A lot of this movie will hinge on the performance of child actor Oakes Fegley, but the supporting cast behind him is stellar. Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford as the father and daughter who look after the young Pete, plus Karl Urban as a villainous hunter? Those three alone have got me intrigued. The trailer really does a nice job of showing off a sense of childlike wonder and awe too. I’m surprised at how much of the dragon they actually showed off in the trailer. I was expecting for them to save the surprise of the dragon’s appearance for the film itself but the shots we did see of him looked pretty impressive, especially the breathtaking sequences of Pete riding on his back as he flew around. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. Pete’s Dragon will make for a solid watch when it comes out on home video. If I watched the original and enjoyed it, I may have checked the new version out. As it stands though, this one isn’t screaming a theater viewing. -LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? Rent. I don’t think I’ll be checking this out in theaters, but this trailer definitely got me interested enough to want to check it out at one point down the road. As it stands, this look like it will be a great movie for parents and their kids trying to get out of the heat on a hot summer day. – JTM
Pete’s Dragon takes flight on August 12th, 2016
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