‘Morgan’ Movie Trailer: Did ‘Watson Versus Official’ Buzz Draw Moviegoers To Theaters?
The Morgan movie trailer debate generated a lot of buzz ahead of the movie’s opening. The science fiction movie, released September 2 by 20th Century Fox, might be one of the rare instances in which the trailer itself created more excitement than the movie.
When thinking about the publicity for Morgan, the filmmakers contacted IBM to ask if their Watson AI could create a trailer for the film. The end result may have been ground-breaking in its conception, but, according to reviewers for online publications such as Geek, the Morgan trailer itself leaves a lot to be desired. Whether or not the film leaves fans wanting will be answered today.
Morgan (2016)- Official Trailer
IBM Watson created the first AI-made movie trailer https://t.co/2fYm96O8t8— E Corp Studio (@ECorpStudio) September 3, 2016
As Geek says, the Watson Morgan movie trailer is a definite result of the method employed to create it. It is filled with tension, emotions, changes in setting, and above all else, action. However, says the website, the Morgan movie trailer does little to define any sort of plot, nor does it give the potential viewer any idea what to expect.
It could be argued, however, that the Morgan trailer provides the viewer with a conceptual idea of what the movie is about while promising a roller coaster ride of emotions, tension, and fear. If Morgan delivers on those promises, then Watson’s trailer will have done its job. If nothing else, it created buzz around the movie itself, which is never a bad thing on a film’s opening weekend.
Morgan is the tale of the creation of a humanoid child, whose name is Morgan. She is a combination of biologics and synthetics brought to life as the result of a hush-hush experiment. As should be expected, Morgan has superior gifts. As should also be expected, there is trouble to come when man tinkers with nature. In this case, Morgan is prone to violent fits of temper. All of this is made perfectly clear in the official movie trailer released by 20th Century Fox.
MORGAN Official Movie Trailer #2 HD – Mystery / Horror / Sci-Fi: https://t.co/pdJYJEcDbM via @YouTube
— MicandCam (@MicandCam) August 25, 2016
The trailer is exciting; it gives a nice synopsis of what theater-goers can expect and sets an appropriate tone for a science fiction movie. In addition, it is accompanied by a helpful bit of text to further explain what viewers might have missed in the official Morgan trailer.
“A corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent “human,” who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.”
It is up to the viewer to determine whether the official Morgan movie trailer is better than the one (mostly) created by Watson. On one hand, it is refreshing to see a trailer that does not spoon-feed the audience plot basics or contractually show every recognizable actor who makes an appearance in the film. Those movie fans who are game to go to most any movie as long as it looks interesting will not be put off by Watson’s trailer. However, the novel approach to the Morgan trailer by Watson will most likely turn off movie purists, as well as those who do not see a lot of movies in the theater. Taking a chance on a movie based on a flashy trailer — a trailer that does not begin with “In a world…” — when one is on a fixed income or is picky about movies is not likely.
The question about which Morgan movie trailer is better is really a moot point. In the age of IMDb, most details of any given movie are available before the movie even appears in theaters in widespread release. Morgan, which opened September 2, has already garnered a rating of 6.0 on the site, with full reviews filled with all of the important plot points. With that sort of detail available, one wonders if a day will come when reading the details on IMDb will become a much better way to “see” a movie than forking over $20 to sit in a crowded theater filled with loud-talkers, wrapper-rustlers, and secret texters.
[Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images]
