With the big holiday releases pouring in, studios are taking advantage of attention towards such films as Harry Potter, Narnia, and Tron by delivering some sneak previews of film's to come. Which trailer's tease well, and which are more likely to scare away?

Green Lantern
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One of the most beloved super heroes of all time, DC's Green Lantern is long over due for a screen adaptation. Starring hear throb Ryan Reynolds as the title character, the film seemed sure to deliver. That is until this overly sexed up, unconvincing, and downright silly trailer started airing in theaters starting last November. Fans should keep their fingers crossed that this film stays their brightest day, and not the blackest night it seems to be.

Score: D+

Cowboys and Aliens
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This gritty and violent trailer makes its point very early on: Cowboys and Aliens is not the fun comedy rump people were expecting. Not even playing to its camp value at all this haunting and effective teaser creates a sci-fi western that is cool, realistic, and creepy. Add in some badassery from Daniel Craig in the lead role and you have a killer trailer for a film that's quickly becoming one of the most anticipated releases of next summer.

Score: A

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
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An announcement trailer, as Michael Bay put it, this teaser for next summer's Transformers sequel, and probable finale, surprisingly works. Although hinting at a conspiracy that may well be the film's down fall, there is little denying that this tease is as intriguing as it is visually stunning. Here's hoping to a sequel that delivers on its potential.

Score: B+


Thor
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A gamble to begin with, Marvel's Thor adaptation still stands on uneven ground. Although sporting some impressive visual effects, a strong cast, and a increasingly interwoven multiverse (note the SHIELD agent from Iron Man), there are things about Thor that just seem off. Asgard looks more like a Flash Gordon sequel then a home to Norse gods, and many of the costume designs are incredibly goofy. However, the Earth scenes fairs much better, with Natalie Portman and the famous Destroyer armor stealing the show.

Score: B

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
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Although not the train wreck many were expecting, the first glimpse at the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film is still worrisome. Most of this comes from the film's apparent overreliance upon Jack Sparrow to carry the film. While the drunken pirate was easily a high point of the previous three installments, being tempered with a strong supporting cast, now absent from the series, kept the audiences from feeling over exposed. Jack's antics even grow tiring within the course of this trailer, with little else truly going on. Even more concerning is the injection of a love interest that does not seem to fit the feel of the series or the character. Fairly, there are moments of genuine fun and it is good to hear those old music cues agin.

Score: C+

Dreamworks Pictures today released the plot synopsis for its upcoming sci-fi western Cowboys and Aliens. The film, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Harrison Ford Sam Rockwell Noah Ringer Olivia Wilde and Daniel Craig, is to be released July 29 2011. The synopsis reads as follows:

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.