Trailer Blogger

Click to watch the Max Payne trailer at Zuguide.com

Fresh off leading M. Night Shyamalan’s latest stinker, The Happening, and recently taking exception to Andy Samberg’s impression of him on SNL, Mark Wahlberg has decided to silence the critics by appearing as Max Payne in the upcoming film Max Payne, based on the video game Max Payne. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this might not be the remedy Wahlberg was looking for. While Max Payne was popular in its day, that day was seven years ago, and the era of the video game adaptation has, thankfully, given way to the era of the graphic novel adaptation. With Wahlberg admitting in an interview that he’s never even played the game, it appears as though they’re not going to play up the gamer angle and instead market it like any other fantasy crime drama. Downplaying the video game connection might not be a bad idea, but that doesn’t change the fact that no one cares about this movie. Let’s hope for Wahlberg’s sake that Max Payne goes away quietly and The Lovely Bones, his upcoming collaboration with director Peter Jackson, helps him get back some credibility. If all else fails, he can always ask himself to make a permanent cameo on Entourage.

Highlights of the Max Payne trailer include: 1) Wahlberg’s opening voiceover, especially if you watch the trailer right after the SNL clip. 2) Wahlberg running, diving, and shooting his gun, just like in the Max Payne video game.  3) Mila Kunis (That ’70s Show, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) shooting a machine gun. And, 4) A large, winged demon (a drug induced hallucination?) dragging a man out of a window by his shoulders. My favorite part of the trailer is seeing Jamie Hector, and hearing his fake Caribbean accent, because it reminds me how much I’m going to miss Marlo Stanfield (The Wire). Max Payne opens October 17, 2008. Check out the Max Payne trailer at Zuguide.com.