Punisher War Zone - Teaser Trailer!

Came home tonight and found the first teaser trailer has hit the web for the December movie - Punisher War Zone. It's not a sequel, and it's not a reboot, and it's not a remake, but it's got a different cast than the 2004 Punisher movie. Make of all that what you will. I've been anxious to see a trailer for this (I think I might be the only one based on the online lack of buzz) since I am a huge fan of Garth Ennis' Punisher MAX comic books. (Note here - NOT for kids). I liked the 2004 movie with Thomas Jane and John Travolta, but they could have done better. Will this be better? Will the third try at a Punisher movie get it right? Well, having seen the teaser, I don't know. The look is definitely much better - dark and gritty - and Ray Stevenson certainly has the look of Frank Castle (aka The Punisher) down. There's mob guys and guns blazing and Frank right there in the middle of it with the odds stacked against him. So far, so good. And most importantly, it looks like they are not doing another origin story here. It's Frank AS the Punisher, not becoming the Punisher. All good. However, the teaser doesn't give you much on the actual story - it's just mostly a guns / action teaser. And the reported mixing of multiple stories from the comics, including the main villain Jigsaw, is worrisome. Why not just take one good Ennis storyline and run with it? And one other thing - that shot in the trailer of Frank hanging upside down from a chandelier firing his guns as he spins in the air is just wrong. That might be Marvel Universe Punisher, but it's not Ennis' crime comic / soldier Punisher. And that's a vital distinction. Also, it can't be just action, action, action. The story needs to be good, but dark and fatalistic - almost noir. If they borrow from Ennis' take on it, you'd get the over the top action with solid characterization and story. If they're going for 90's Punisher "comic book" effects, then we're in trouble. I'm still looking forward to this though, and I have two comic book movies that are going to make my December this year - Punisher War Zone, and Frank Miller's The Spirit. As a comic book fan, that'll certainly make my birthday month. You can download the trailer here: Quicktime here. WMV HD Here.