Film hype from Comic-Con

The internet has been buzzing the past week and that buzz is about Comic-Con.

Over the past few years, many film companies have used the San Diego Comic-Con as a barometer for the hype of their films. These conventions are known for the cosplay, a.k.a. dressing up as your favorite fictional characters, but it’s also known for its high concentration of fanboys.

All it takes is a group of disappointed fanboys to flood the internet with bad buzz and destroy the hype for a film.

Here are my thoughts on some of the most high-profile films hyped at this year’s Con.

Tron Legacy (Dec. 17): I’m psyched for this film. The original film was, whether you loved it or not, an 80’s classic. The sequel looks to keep true to its roots while looking like what your Mac Book looks like. I’m glad Jeff Bridges is back as Flynn, but I’m not sure about rookie director Joseph Kosinski.

The Green Hornet (Jan. 14, 2011): Remember the Green Hornet? Neither do I. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) plays a rich playboy that becomes a crime fighter to avenge the death of his father. While The Green Hornet TV show was famous for bringing Bruce Lee to America, we’ll see if it can do the same for Jay Chou. Chou is a Chinese music sensation whose acting debut was in the live-action adaptation of Initial D. Chou will be playing Kato, the Green Hornet’s driver/sidekick. We’ll see if this film can survive a January film release a.k.a. the month where movies go to die.

Thor (May 6, 2011): Thor has been buzzing since the teaser after the credits of Iron Man 2. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, who played Kirk’s father in the intro to Star Trek, will be playing the title character. The rest of the film features some solid actors, including Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman.

Green Lantern (June 17, 2011): Summer of 2011 is shaping up to be the summer of Marvel with Thor and the film below coming out, but DC has plans of its own. Now, DC wants to turn the Green Lantern into a franchise that they can run with besides Batman and Superman. Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. Reynolds broke an unwritten rule with these comic book superhero adaptations – he plays a DC and Marvel character. He played Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. That aside, Green Lantern also stars Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) as Sinestro, one of the Green Lantern’s arch enemies. We’ll see how this plays out next summer.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22, 2011): Of the comic book heroes that have not had a legit film adaptation, Captain America has expectations the size of Mt. Rushmore. The Captain will be played by Chris Evans, who is no stranger to comic book adaptations. He was the Human Torch in Fantastic Four and was in The Losers. The film will follow the Captain’s origin story during World War II and the super soldier program. What I’m excited about is Hugo Weaving as the Captain’s arch nemesis, the Red Skull. Weaving has played some memorable characters in pop culture, including Agent Smith from The Matrix and V from V for Vendetta; it will be interesting seeing him play Hitler’s right-hand man. God speed Captain.