By Greg Ellwood
Special to MSN Movies

July 24, 2008

For movie fans, Comic-Con is all about the panels and sneak peeks provided by Hollywood studios trekking down I-5 from Los Angeles (assuming they missed the massive 18-wheeler pile up that morning). And that means the place to be is the massive Hall H with its 6,500 seats and huge TV screens. This year, things got off to an inauspicious start 45 minutes before the beginning of the first panel, when a large black tarp that covered the back wall of the huge Hall collapsed to the ground. No one was hurt and kudos to the security guards for "catching" the remaining falling wall, but could it be an ominous sign for an already overcrowded and increasingly overpriced convention? After today's previews, not likely.

Another 'Day' for Reeves

12:15 PM

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" star Keanu Reeves walks onto the stage by himself to screams from the packed house (of mostly "Twilight" fans) and introduces his director Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") and co-star Jennifer Connelly.

As thousands of camera phones start taking photos, one thing is immediately obvious: Reeves is more animated than he's been in years. He can be shy and aloof in public, but he was more than keen to chat about playing the alien visitor Klaatu in the remake of Robert Wise's 1951 sci-fi classic.

"It just seems like a natural," Reeves says. He admits that when he first was approached about the role, he thought (in the third person, bizarrely), ''That guy could play the alien!'"

Two scenes were shown from the movie. The first featured an interrogation teased in the trailer, but the extended scene shows how Klaatu turns the table on the interviewer and takes out a whole squad of black-suited agents, casually walking out of the complex.

The second sneak was a quieter moment featuring Klaatu talking to the son, Jacob (Jaden Smith, Will Smith's son), of Connelly's character as they ride in the back of a truck and Klaatu begins to realize human beings may not be so bad.

As Reeves says, "He's starting to have a little bit of a conflict about a decision he made earlier in the film. He's coming into more of a human understanding and being able to be affected. He has a little bit of ambivalence and a little bit of conflict and maybe he's starting to think maybe they aren't so bad as he thought they were."

A special extended trailer ended the panel. It showed a hint of what a modern version of Gort, the iconic robot character from Wise's 1951 film, might look like and also featured many more shots of the alien spheres arriving all over the planet, spelling impending doom.

Verdict: Intriguing, but still a flick to be a tad cautious about.

No 'Payne' No Gain

12:45 PM

Fox continued its presentation by bringing out Mark Wahlberg, Chris "don't call me Ludacris when I'm acting" Bridges, Mila Kunis and director John Moore to promote upcoming fall thriller "Max Payne."

Before the cast took questions from Fox's unnamed moderator, an extended scene was shown featuring DEA agent Payne (Wahlberg) arriving at an apartment and quickly discovering his friend Alex is dead. Suddenly, he's being thrashed around by an unknown assailant until Payne uses a gun stashed on the bottom of his heel to strike back.

"Payne" is an adaptation of the popular video game, and Wahlberg says he was sold on the script before anyone ever showed him the game. As is typical with popular stars, he gets shout-outs throughout his time onstage and remarks, "It's like doing a concert in Japan. They just go, 'Oooh!' I like that. Now, I know why the New Kids wanted to get back."

Playing to the crowd, Wahlberg continues, "You start missing this kind of thing. It feels good. Makes you feel warm in the pants."

The artist formerly known as Marky Mark also had kudos for his co-star Bridges, saying, "This is the next big shining star to come out of hip-hop. You have a lot of guys who are just trying to boost their music career, but he took a role that was written for a real actor and I think he does an outstanding job."

Remarking on a role that was originally written for a 60-year-old white guy, Bridges says, "I play the Internal Affairs agent. He's sort of on Max Payne's heels the entire movie. At the same time, everybody is afraid of this guy. I loved playing this role. [Mark and I] finally got a chance to work together and I'm very proud to be in a movie with him"

Verdict: The flick looks very reminiscent of last year's "Shoot 'Em Up," which also previewed at Comic-Con and drew very mixed reactions. Expect the same here.

Jackman Flies in for 'Wolverine'

1:03 PM

What would Comic-Con be without a superstar surprise or two? The Fox moderator appears and mentions that there's a special guest who has just gotten off a Qantas Airlines flight from Down Under. And hello there! None other than Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, walks onstage to a rousing standing ovation!

"I know what you're thinking. This guy is way too tall to play Wolverine," Jackman jokes. "I literally just got off a plane. We just finished filming 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.' But I've waited years to bring [the movie] here to Comic-Con. There was no way I was going to miss out. Without you guys I wouldn't have a career. Without you guys there wouldn't be 'X-Men 2' and '3'."

After walking into the crowd to give a salute to the character's creator Len Wein, Jackman teases the audience, saying, "So, I guess you want to see what you're gonna see on May 1st in 2009?"

Cue screams of joy.

Jackman continues, "If I can describe a 'Wolverine' movie in two words: It's 'bad ass.' Long time I wanted to make this movie and I've heard from you guys a lot over the years and you're always honest about what you think. You're gonna see a lot of berserker rage. Do you want to see some stuff?"

The sneak preview begins with a military firing squad shooting at Wolverine and Liev Schreiber (who will eventually become the villainous Sabretooth). A young General William Stryker (Danny Huston) asks them how it felt. Wolverine replies, "It tickled." Gotta love that mutant-healing factor.

Stryker says, "I care because I know how valuable you are. I am putting together a special team with special privileges. How would you like to serve your country?"

Next up is a montage of Wolverine going through the painful treatment of having his bones laced with indestructible adamantium. The process ends with Wolverine ripping through the treatment complex -- the "berserker rage" Jackman promised earlier. Wolverine says, "We didn't sign up for this."

Shots follow of Wolverine battling Sabretooth and some of the new mutants introduced in the film including Gambit (loud roar from the fan boys) and Deadpool. In the final sequence, Wolverine, in the middle of a major battle, is thrown into the air and hitches a ride on top of a helicopter in midflight.

The final shot finds Wolverine facing Sabretooth and saying, "I'm gonna cut your goddamn head off and see if that works." Sabretooth smiles, showing his vampirelike teeth.

As the lights come up, Jackman says, "I knew you guys would be happy to see Gambit! And Deadpool."

"We have a long time to go. We have a whole lot of treats. We aren't gonna do a panel. We love you too. Thank you!"

Jackman walks off to cheers saying, "From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!"

Verdict: It may not have been as impressive as the buzz-inducing footage of "Iron Man" last year, but the fan reaction shows that anyone who doesn't think this flick is gonna be a huge hit is seriously misguided.

1:33 PM

My ears just exploded from the shrieks of an ungodly number of teenage girls in attendance when "Twilight" was mentioned. More on that story here.

Johnson Rides the 'Mountain'

3:28 PM

Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain" panel begins with an extended trailer that's rough in the effects department, but includes some great, eye-popping shots. More action-packed than you'd expect (even after this writer's three set visits last month), the picture looks like it really could be the thrill ride that director Andy Fickman has promised.

When asked about how the film ties in to the original 1975 "Escape to Witch Mountain," Fickman says, "It's 30 years later. Whole new mythology. We loved the original movie, but this was a whole new direction. A kick-ass thrill ride, steeped in the real sort of UFO movement."

The film's star, Dwayne Johnson (the artist formerly known as "The Rock") says, "What drew me was the paycheck. Disney: cha-ching!"

Waiting for the laughter to die down, Johnson adds, "No, what drew me was I was a big fan of the original."

The first question at the microphone comes from a fan who says he's driven all the way from Texas, narrowly missing Hurricane Dolly, just to ask Johnson this question: "Do you ever give the 'people's elbow' to anyone [in the movie]?" This question, of course, refers to one of Johnson's signature moves from his former life as a pro wrestler.

With the perfect blend of sarcasm and kindness, Johnson replies, "You came all the way from Texas [and] waited all that time in line just to ask me that question? Clearly, there is some good weed in Texas that made you travel all that way."

With the crowd roaring, Johnson looks down at the note card in front of him and says, "I'm reading this sign: 'Please be very aware many members of your audience may be under 18.' 3, 2, 1, inappropriate!"

But, of course, Johnson surely isn't going to disappoint any of his fans. "Race to Witch Mountain" features an alien killer called the Siphon who is hunting the young kids Johnson's character is protecting. The former WWE star makes the Texas guy's day by saying, "I dropped some 'people's elbow' on his ass a couple of times."

Verdict: If there are enough laughs and "real" fight sequences as the preview suggested, Disney may have a new franchise on its hands.

More coverage coming tomorrow!

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