San Diego Comic-Con International 2012: This is why Comic-Con is World Renown

This is why people camp out overnight.

Hall H today is why television networks cover the convention.

Why people travel from all over the world. Guam. Brazil. Canada. England. Heard them all this week. All over.

This is why Comic-Con is worth the big bucks, the headaches, the sleep deprivation, the hunger pains, the bursting bladder, the sore back, the blisters on your feet.

This is WHY.

Because you just do NOT GET stuff like this anywhere else.

Earlier today, I posted about the hell lines, and all the people already camped out or in line by the time I got there. Well we wound up getting in with about middling seats (I’ve had better, I’ve had worse), and by the end of the day I was just plain grateful to have been in the house. I was just glad to have been a part of it.

So the day started out with Quentin Tarantino and cast presenting an eight minute sizzle reel for “Django Unchained”. A sizzle reel is like a super long trailer made for the movie industry insiders who need to be in the know about the film. Essentially it was all scenes we’ve seen smaller snippets of in the trailers in current release, but elongated. Tarantino was the goofy, nerdy, encyclopedic creator/fan you’d expect him to be, and he was accompanied by most of the notables in the cast. Foxx, Waltz, Goggins, Washington.

I love Tarantino. I can’t wait for this movie. The sizzle reel was phenomenal.

Can you believe then that this panel is almost an afterthought for me at this point? LOL. “Oh yeah, and I saw Quentin Tarantino, too”?

That’s because today in Hall H was so mind blowing.

I bailed on “End of Watch” and “Silent Hill” if Jake Gyllenhaal ain’t showing, I’m hitting the taco stand. 😀

But the Hall bounced back immediately afterwards with Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim”. Let me say this about del Toro, if you’re unfamiliar with him. This is the second time I’ve seen him at the Con, and he is just a grown up kid. I’m telling you. He has more fun, and enjoys himself more than anyone. He’s a guy who GETS it. So to give him a movie – a big budget movie – about Robots fighting Monsters? You are literally creating the kid in the candy store scenario. Forget about it. He was so excited about the project you had no choice but to get amped up. The trailer was insane. This movie looks great. But it was also great to see del Toro again. He is so entertaining, it’s unbelievable.

So, yeah. Then out of nowhere Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis show up. Unscheduled, unannounced. Hey! Look who’s here! Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis. What? Wasn’t in your programs? Here then, have an extra treat. LOL Seriously, the Campaign looks funnier and funnier the more I see of it, but was really funny was watching these two ad lib and goof off for the crowd for 45 minutes. Especially seeing as it was completely unannounced. They had me in stitches. They had everyone in stitches.

More exclusive looksees were in store as Warner Brothers continued on… “Man of Steel” was next, and Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill presented the world premier of the trailer. Reportedly different from the teaser attached to TDKR next week, it was the world’s first look at Cavill in motion as the new Supes. I think Cavill looks fine in the part, but I was a little underwhelmed by the trailer. Russell Crowe sounded cool as Jor El, and it was great to catch a glimpse of Michael Shannon as Zod (even though they wont confirm), there just wasn’t enough meat on the bone. It was Cavill in the suit, flying briefly, on fire, briefly, then getting thrown into the same safe that we saw on the announcement pic of the new uniform. It was just too… teaser and not enough content.  I suppose it’s still early, but I didn’t get that feeling with “Iron Man 3” or “Pacific Rim”. Plus… Only one cast member? Regardless, it’s always cool being “the first” to see anything, and this was no exception.

Anyways, forget all that. Things got real right after that anyways. The freaking Hobbit, people, The Hobbit.

Simple as I can say it: We’re getting another Lord of the Rings movie. Love those? Well, buckle up, here we go! This panel brought a LOT. 10 minutes or so of behind the scenes/making of stuff, then 12.5 minutes of the movie, plus a huge contingent of cast. Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Richard Armitage (Thorin), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Elijah Woods (Frodo) all showed. The footage was extraordinary. Major major portions of scenes, including what must have been at least half of the infamous riddle game between Gollum and Bilbo. Incredible. Chris Hardwick (the Nerdist, moderator) asked Serkis to give the audience the Gollum voice, and Serkis started cussing a blue streak as Gollum, it was great, Slayed everyone. THIS was the way a big blockbuster movie should present at the Con. Tons of cast, lots of footage to show off. I realize that production schedules don’t always align, etc… but there are ways. Meanwhile, the Hobbit knocked my socks off. I didn’t think there was anything that could top it.

Until this happened.

As I pointed out last night, RDJ made his dancing entrance to Hall H right by me… in fact I caught a couple of seconds on video. Downey is a rock star, and he knows it. He lit the joint up with that stunt. Electrified the crowd. There’s no “settling down” after that. You are pumped up and you are going to stay that way. Iron Man 3 was represented by a nearly full length scene where Tony Stark tries to get his armor to fly onto him from a distance. It doesn’t go as planned. Then the clip rolled on to show Stark Mansion being attacked by helicopters, new suits for both Stark and Rhodes, and finally… our first look at Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Green robe, rings, the whole nine. All the while, through the panel, Downey Jr and Don Cheadle were busting each other left and right, Favreau was on board in the ultimate good will gesture, and Kevin Feige announced the titles of upcoming movies in the Marvel Universe (Thor 2 will be “Thor: The Dark World”, and Cap 2 will be “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) and announced they’ll be making a Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Oh yeah, and Edgar Wright dropped by to show off some Ant-Man test footage. No big deal, just the world’s first look at the costume, and how they intend to use his skills in a fight scene (which they did really, really well).           

It was an amazing day. In one day, I got to see Quentin Tarantino, Zack Snyder, Edgar Wright, Jon Favreau, Guillermo del Toro, and Peter Jackson. The crowd was the first to see the new Superman fly, the new Ant-Man shrink, and new way Iron Man will don his armor. We got the first look at Zod, and the Mandarin. Quentin Tarantino told us all about who his characters are in Django. We watched Gollum and Bilbo trade riddles in the dark, and saw Gandalf tell Galadriel why he chose Bilbo, and then when the lights came up, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are all there, talking about their roles. Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis just show up out of the blue and turned Hall H into improv comedy hour. And then Robert Downey Jr. boogied down the aisle right past us.

This is why Comic-Con is so crazy, this is why people love it so much. At the end of the day I was drained… not just from getting up at 4 am, but from constantly being excited by something. Applauding and cheering. Literally at times – leaping out of my seat to my feet. It was just an exhilarating day to be at Comic-Con. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Anyways, today is a different day at the convention. A calmer day. If the Con can ever be called relaxing, today would be that day. I’m gonna go, and take my time, and only have one thing on the agenda… to try to get Richard Kiel’s autograph. Aside from that, whatever happens, happens and it’s all good. I’ll touch base from the floor, folks!!