I'm just wondering what compelled them to release such a sub-par trailer. Surely they would want to show the scenes they've edited properly/done the most CGI work on?

Can't we just talk about the trailer and not talk about whether or not people are being positive or negative? Let's just discuss the trailer. Be positive or negative. I don't care as long as the posts i am spending my time reading are about everyone's thoughts on the trailer.

decarus is right, the negative and positive part has already been dealt with and doesn't really need to come up again now that there is a "Positive Only" thread.

The thing I'm still a bit negative over is Ramandu Island in the trailer, even if that is Lilliandil's island? It's just so dark and creepy looking.

Personally, I love analysing every detail of things. But why form our opinion on the movie now, especially a negative one, when the movie doesn't come out till months away. This could just be an exceptionally bad trailer, and the movie may come from behind and startle us all with being fantastic. And you've decided you won't like it on 2 minutes and 9 seconds of footage?!?

I don't think anyone has decided that we won't like the movie VDT. In fact, I think everyone here hopes that we'll like it. But, (forgive me if I'm wrong) isn't that the point of movie trailers? We watch them so we can make a judgement about whether or not we think we'll like the film/want to watch the movie.

As far as Fox is concerned, the point of trailers is to get you to make a positive judgement about a movie. They are going to put some of the best parts of the movie on the trailer to get you to want to watch the film. If this is the case, why is the trailer causing such a negative response? Perhaps because the movie itself will be bad?

I think the negative response to the trailer is partly Fox's fault and (perhaps) partly Walden's fault. But it certainly isn't the fans' fault for honestly writing their responses.

That shot of Ramandu's daughter glowing might be from earlier in the film at the Lone Islands or the Dark Island. I sort of wonder if Ramandu's island will be cut. They may just have one big island that has all of those things at the end.

Ah! I finally got what you meant glumpuddle! It's the *trailer* itself that's poorly *done* not the footage or story pieces that you dislike I get you!

Well, it's in my signature. "It's just a bad trailer. The movie could still be good." The trailer makes the movie look cheap and very Hollywoodized.

My main issue is the trailer as a piece of marketing, but there are definitly some disturbing story points the trailer reveals. Like the White Witch, an action scene at the Lone Islands, and Edmund being Peter 2.0. But the trailer also holds a lot back. Very little Eustace, and no dragon or Deathwater.

I really hope that what we saw isn't Ramandu's Island. It's too dark and spooky looking. I never pictured it being even remotely like that in the book. Quiet and dark and maybe a little cold, but not with an aura of menace.

^ I'm more worried about the "Dark" Island. I can see where they might need to "re-imagine" the Dark Island a little from how it's described in the book. But turning it into a green smokey world is not the solution.

Can't we just talk about the trailer and not talk about whether or not people are being positive or negative? Let's just discuss the trailer. Be positive or negative. I don't care as long as the posts i am spending my time reading are about everyone's thoughts on the trailer.

Yeah. Instead of just telling people to stop being negative, how about actually responding to their arguments? Like these:

The White Witch:
1) Fact: The White Witch appears in the trailer. 2) Fact: She is telling Edmund she could make him king (much like she did in LWW). 3) This appears to be Edmund's "dream" at the Dark Island. 4) Towards the end of the second act in PC, Edmund stabbed the White Witch and prevented her return, demonstrating that he was able to resist her magic although Peter could not. This was a powerful moment, and the competion of an arc for his character. 5) We don't know how this scene is going to play out, so it may be that Edmund isn't taken in for a second. But if they have him struggling with the Witch's temptation, it will lessen the power of his victory in PC.

The Lone Islands:
1) The shot of the faun doing a front-flip seems to imply that there will be an action sequence at the Lone Islands. 2) It is reasonable to assume, until further evidence turns up, that this is how they free the slaves. 3) The entire POINT of that scene in the book is that Caspian actually manages to free the slaves without raising his sword once. 4) If they have made that change, it totally misses the point of the scene, and would be very typical of Hollywood.

Those seem like perfectly valid arguments. No optimism or pessimism. Just the facts, and then my opinion of them. Does anyone think these are not valid arguments? If so, why? I'd love to discuss it (that's why I'm here, after all).

"Why don't they teach logic at these schools?"

Ugh, yes, the swirly green smoke streamers are annoying me. It's supposed to be pitch black utter darkness. There's shouldn't be any light, much less sickly green smoke things.

^ I can understand where total darkness might not work as well cinematically, so I'm open to the idea of going in a slightly different direction than the book. But...not this direction. This looks hokey.

I don't think anyone has decided that we won't like the movie VDT. In fact, I think everyone here hopes that we'll like it. But, (forgive me if I'm wrong) isn't that the point of movie trailers? We watch them so we can make a judgement about whether or not we think we'll like the film/want to watch the movie.

Excellent point. Obviously, we should reserve final judgment until we see the movie, but yeah, the reason we watch any trailer is to try to get a feel for weather or not we're going to like the movie. The VDT trailer gives me the feeling that I won't like it. But there is a strong possibility that the trailer is just really poorly done, and the movie will be better.

I agree with you on the battle, it's not needed. I have no problem with the White Witch having a few seconds in Edmund's nightmare. Edmund's line at the beginning of the trailer is being misinterpreted. He isn't being arrogant like Peter was in PC, he just wants to help out and fight for good again.

I'm going to be watching out to see whether those swirly green smoke trails make the final cut - they could be standing in for something more.

Someone commented earlier that the previous two films had teaser trailers that more or less told a story - but THIS book is episodic and doesn't really have one story, so I don't know what they could have done (without spoiling how they are linking up some of it - I want to keep that as a surprise).

Someone else hoped that the actors and film-makers wouldn't come on here and read comments - but they DO! We have been saying this all along.

Someone else said although the director is different the scriptwriters are the same - no, they are not. The earlier writing duo have their name on the credits because they did contribute, but they did not do the main part of the script. Anyone who contributed to the script gets a credit.

But if all you want is dark on a dark island then how are we going to see the actors?

If anyone has seen the animated Anastasia, when she's forced to have a dream/image placed in her head there was some of that fog that looked familiar in this trailer as well giving the crew their dreams. Maybe the fog gives them the dreams. I'll admit it does look and sound a bit cliche, but that's probably why they did it.

I've seen Anastasia and thinking about it that does seem a wee bit similar! The green fog mostly reminds me of the green fire in Stardust though, and is helped along by the fact that the beginning of the trailer uses music from that movie.

Like all the other FX the green fog isn't the final product. A two second glimpse of it does look hokey and weird; I think when it's built up to and presented properly it's going to look a whole lot better.

I don't want it to be fully dark; it isn't in the book. But darkness except for a little pool of light on the Dawn Treader would be nice. I guess we don't see enough in the little clip of video to see what it's really like.

Someone commented earlier that the previous two films had teaser trailers that more or less told a story - but THIS book is episodic and doesn't really have one story, so I don't know what they could have done (without spoiling how they are linking up some of it - I want to keep that as a surprise).

If that’s true, that means that any future trailers should not explain the story at all. We’ll see how that goes.

There is plenty they could have said or hinted at. They could have talked about how the seven lords left and never returned, and now they must find them, which would add a sense of mystery and adventure to the trailer. They could've borrowed an idea from the LWW and PC trailers and had some slow build up to the picture coming to life. As it is, they just spit a bunch of random images at you throughout the trailer. The LWW and PC teasers gave you a chance to sit back and soak in the world before they got fast.

I have no problem with the White Witch having a few seconds in Edmund's nightmare. Edmund's line at the beginning of the trailer is being misinterpreted. He isn't being arrogant like Peter was in PC, he just wants to help out and fight for good again.

I might be okay with it if Edmund isn't taken in for a second. But if he actually starts giving into temptation, you don't think it would lessen the impact of his victory against her in PC?

I don’t think Ed's going to be arrogant. I just think he’s going to be a whiner who moans about how it stinks being a kid when you’ve been a king for so long (“Squirt? I’m a king.”). That’s a concept Lewis never even hinted at. I think it would’ve taken away from the fairy tale simplicity of the books. And, just like the WW, I think it’s time to move on from this and explore something else.

But if all you want is dark on a dark island then how are we going to see the actors?

The trailer shows that there are lamps lit on the ship, just like the book (which kind of made me geek out a little, haha). That's how we'd see the actors.

Like all the other FX the green fog isn't the final product. A two second glimpse of it does look hokey and weird; I think when it's built up to and presented properly it's going to look a whole lot better.

Right, the effects probably aren’t finished, but it seems unlikely that the overall design will look drastically different. Less hokey probably, but fundamentally the same.