San Diego Comic Con has become a vast treasure trove of YouTube goodness in the past couple years. While thousands and thousands of eager beaver, comic-enthusiasts flock to San Diego, also known as Literally the Best City in America with Perhaps One or Two Exceptions, everyone else simply chills on standby, waiting for trailers and leaked footage to appear on Twitter. It doesn’t take long either. Usually something is shown at the event, which is followed by shaky footage from someone’s phone making the rounds, before the studio drops an official version of the clip.
This year’s event has been no exception when it comes to Internet-stopping trailers, teasers and extended previews. It’s been a murderer’s row of pipping hot, fresh IP, whether it’s small-screen juggernauts like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things or big screen titans of industry such as Justice League, the new Thor movie or Steven Speilberg’s latest Ready Player One. For the most part, nearly everything to come out has been pretty fantastic. Yes, it’s not everything that’s been put out, but it’s close enough for everyone out there to get some kind of pat on the back.
To properly digest all of these clips, I’ve created the Giddy Up America Hype Index. By using the GUAHI, I can convey in simple and easy to understand ways exactly how hyped I may or may not be for a show or movie.
The Giddy Up America Hype Index
The Is This Real Life? Level
For when something just seems almost too much to deal with…in a good way.
The AWESOME WITH ALL CAPS Level
For when something just looks awesome, plain and simple.
The Looks Pretty Sweet Level
Is it going to win an Oscar or an Emmy? Probably not. But does that matter? Nope.
The Okay, We’ll See Level
Because sometimes, well, we’ll see how things go.
The Eh, No Thanks Level
Pretty clear-cut here.
Okay, let’s do this.
And we’ll start with the most pressing of all the trailers, teasers, previews, extended previews, extended trailers and sneak peeks that came out…Game of Thrones dude.
Game of Thrones season preview
I don’t think there is literally anything Game of Thrones could have shown in that preview that would have prevented me from wanting to settle in Sunday night and watch the second episode of season seven. I’m in Game of Thrones. I am so in.
Now if the goal of this preview was to make me only think about the show since this preview first appeared late Friday afternoon, then mission accomplished. I mean come on, Danys chatting it up with a recently booted from the North Melisandre and the Lannisters getting their ducks in a row to combat this Dragon Queen? Please. Again, I am so in. Plus Jon is laying the groundwork for an alliance with Daenerys, which would be cool because you know…whispers…they’re related. Giddy the eff up, Game of Thrones.
Hype Level: Is This Real Life?
Sticking with television, we got our first real trailer for probably one of the most anticipated shows of the year and color me still very much in anticipation.
Stranger Things
As the show’s first season started to wrap up, I found myself wondering how they were going to continue on. It seemed like an open and shut case. Of course that feeling started to subside and by the end of the season finale, I knew we were only scratching the surface of what Stranger Things was capable of.
And what are they capable of you might be wondering? Some crazy ass shit apparently. Let’s put it this way: season one was creepy as shit. Season two looks creepy as fuck. Poor Will seems to have brought home some mental anguish with him and there’s ominous-looking clouds, people looking spooked while holding firearms and our girl Eleven just looking for more wonderful Eggos while nomadically wandering around the Upside Down world.
Hype Level: AWESOME WITH ALL CAPS
And Netflix wasn’t finished there.
The Defenders
Two or three years ago, I would have been on board with this show way before I even saw a full trailer for it. But that would have been before I struggled through Daredevil, farted out on Jessica Jones, forgot about Luke Cage and flat out refused to acknowledge the existence of Iron Fist. Netflix’s Marvel shows just couldn’t keep it up for a whole season. They were like a talented football team that looks great on paper, but frequently gives up leads in the fourth quarter.
Will The Defenders be any different? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone does and that includes the people at Marvel and Netflix. I’m assuming they felt the initial seasons they produced were fine. I will say the group dynamic looks promising and possibly could be helpful in terms of keeping things up for an entire season.
Hype Level: Looks Pretty Sweet
HBO also gave Comic Con a brief look at the show they are probably hoping will be the heir apparent to Game of Thrones. Yeah. we’ll see about that.
Westworld
There’s probably not a lot that everyone can agree on these days. However, I’d like to think that at least a good number of people would agree that the first season of Westworld was just kind of, you know, kind of cool and sort of interesting, but not amazing. It wrapped up in somewhat promising fashion and the season one finale left a trail of crumbs that possibly leads to something more interesting, compelling and easier to wrap an audience’s head around. So hey, things might be looking up for Westworld.
By the looks of this short trailer, things are also looking a little savage in good old Westworld in season two. Dolores is out there, gunning folks down, there are lot of dead bodies and a sense of despair running wild throughout this short, but informative clip. Maybe Westworld just needed a season to get it’s legs under it?
Hype Level: Okay, We’ll See
On to the movies!
Justice League
So I hate myself for saying this, but Justice League, based on this extended preview, doesn’t look that bad. Hold on, I need to go bang my head against a wall.
Okay, I’m back. America, let’s not kid ourselves here. Batman v Superman was terrible. It was awful. It was long and it was dark and it was dumb and it was loud and dumb. I saw it by myself in a theater with one other person. That person left with about forty minutes left and to this day, I applaud them for doing so. I can only imagine that they are out there today, doing something genius like trying to cure cancer or properly applying sunscreen.
The stink of Batman v Superman is going to follow Justice League wherever it goes, regardless of how much we all loved Wonder Woman. If Zack Snyder is involved, we have reason to be concerned. So this trailer looks pretty dope, but I’m sorry, I’m still not convinced. It’d be the same thing if David Price of the Red Sox rattled off 10 straight wins, striking out 20 in each game. I’d be pumped, but I’d also temper my enthusiasm because he’s been junk in the playoffs.
Hype Level: Okay, We’ll See
Then there’s the latest Marvel movie, just hanging out there making DC look like chumps.
ThorL Ragnarok
I have never seen one of the stand-alone Thor movies. It’s not because I don’t like Thor. I kind of do actually. It’s just that, you know, there are only so many hours in the day and way to many superhero movies out there to fill said hours. Yet with that being said, I’m totally on board with this Thor movie and here are five quick reasons why.
- Chris Hemsworth is secretly pretty funny and it looks like he employs some of that hidden talent in this movie
- I love a good buddy comedy and a Hulk/Thor buddy comedy sounds good to me
- Cate Blanchett as the villain? Marvel is just spitting in DC’s lunch these days.
- Tessa Thompson. If she was a stock and I understood stocks, I would buy so much Tessa Thompson stock. Like, so much!
- This movie looks like the kind of 80’s sci-fi, action porn the kids in Stranger Things could only dream of.
Hype Level: AWESOME WITH ALL CAPS
A rare non-superhero movie entry. Interesting.
Ready Player One
You know why the future looks depressing, based solely on these kinds of movies? It’s not because we’ll be living in places called The Stacks or that we’ll be eating cardboard and wearing the same clothes. It’s because apparently our only form of entertainment is effin’ virtual reality. That sounds terrible.
Hype Level: Eh, No Thanks
Categories: Movies, Television
Giddy Up America 
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