Film: Trailer Trash
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.FOR ALL its frantic hard-sell, the trailer works on a basic head- in-the-sand principle. Rehash the film's most explosive sequences, bung in a few tear-jerking moments, but whatever you do, don't even hint at the existence of rival movies. Least of all the big boys. It's a plucky strategy, but apparently redundant given the only competition anyone's worried about this year: just ignore The Phantom Menace and the nasty bully will go away.
Only the new Austin Powers film dares to look over the parapet. And, if not fight back, then at the very least chummy along gamely with George Lucas's monster in its current "teaser" for The Spy Who Shagged Me (opening two weeks after The Phantom Menace).
The camera pans down from an empty starscape (very Star Wars, that) on to a hulking spaceship, and zooms in on the back of a throne-like chair. The gravelly voice-over reinforces the Star Wars idiom: battles won, empires destroyed, and an ongoing saga. The throne spins round to reveal Dr Evil, Austin Powers' nemesis from his first outing. "Expecting someone else?" he cackles. Cue "fab" soundtrack and Austin and "chicks" frugging in groovy split-screen.
"If you see only one movie in 1999," advises the voice-over, "see Star Wars. But if you see two, see Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments