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WORTH WATCHING

Skip It - First TV Spot for Punisher: War Zone

by Alex Billington
November 11, 2008
Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Lionsgate has launched the first boring TV spot for Punisher: War Zone over on ComicBookMovie.com. Don't waste too much time thinking about Punisher: War Zone. It'll hit theaters in December and be gone in a week, there's no question about it. The actual comic book character of the Punisher is doomed - no one can ever make a good movie out of him, it's just impossible. In addition to this TV spot today, Superhero Times has a few new photos of the villain in the film named Jigsaw, but he looks more like a villain out of a horror movie than an action flick. Wait - is Punisher: War Zone actually a horror movie?

Watch the first TV spot for Punisher: War Zone:

Punisher: War Zone is directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Lexi Alexander of only Green Street Hooligans previously. The script has gone through numerous revisions, however the latest draft was finished by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, who both wrote the script for Iron Man. Punisher: War Zone arrives in theaters from Lionsgate starting on December 5th later this year. Will you be there?

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Related categories: Hype, To Watch, TV Spots

Noname

woah, That's What I Call lobby against this movie
Richard

Looks fun! I'll go see it for sure, not saying it'll be great or anything but looks better then Max Payne which I actually hated.
Peloquin

I thought the Thomas Jane Punisher was a good depiction...despite the hate for that movie it remains one of my guilty pleasures...this looks like pure crap in comparison.
Janny

I am looking forward to this... the early 2000 punisher movie was a floating piece of shit. This movie at least keeps with the grittyness of the punisher (and has a shitload of violence). You won't see it in an art museam but i'm sure it will be entertaining I will agree though that one cannot make a truly good punisher movie. If you read any of the story arks written by Garth Ennis for the punisher then you will know how the punisher should be (great story, dark humor, many badass moments), but adapting that to live action seem to me like an impossible task
D

Yeah...sorry every movie, based on a comic book or not, cant be like the dark knight. Shucks. (That is until, a couple years from now...some film maker will come along and want to do a "dark, realistic, yet dont forget trendy take on the character" and then you'll jump right on wont you? Oh wait! The Punisher is already dark and realistic. Try reporting on something worth reporting about. No one cares what you think of a Punisher TV spot.
greg

"no one can ever make a good movie out of him, it's just impossible" Why would the Punisher be the exception? Hire a talented writer, director, cast, and crew and you'll get a good film. Hire a virtual unknown (Lexi Alexander) to direct, and that guy from "Rome" to star, and you end up with this.
Nick

I agree with you #3, the more I read punisher now the more I think that movie depicted his character quite well. Although the way older Garth Ennis version is a little more hardcore. No way I will see this movie.
http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

Saying that they can't make a good movie out of The Punisher is like saying that Death Wish was a fluke. How many of those did they make? Like, five? Not saying they were all great, but clearly there is money to be made from revenge fantasy. Jigsaw looks like shit, though. I'll give you that.
The_Phantom

Bring back Thomas Jane! At least that version looked more realistic. This version, I still can't tell if there's a story, or decent dialogue to tell if the movie is going to be good. Where's this so called, "Punisher Task Force" and why does the villian look so non-threatening. Maybe it's just the way I'm seeing the preview. At least Thomas Jane worked out and prepared himself with months of training for his role. Kind of looks like Ray Stevenson just showed up on set. And the action looks to fake.
dacfan

I have a feeling this one may just be a sleeper hit.
http://www.myspace.com/AllmightyKeim AllmightyKeim

Oh Good lord. It looks worse and worse and worse as they put more trailers out for it. The pictures looked kick ass then it spawned and trailer and it went to shit. WTF Marvel. Stop trying this movie.
http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

Incidentally, I like how the headline for this story proclaims "Skip it," but the WordPress tagging says "Worth Watching!"
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Ha, that's just my categorization Tom. I don't have a "Videos That Aren't Worth Watching" category yet.
killshit21

I don't think it looks half bad. What I think will be cooler to see is the Castle family getting killed in flashbacks instead of waiting 45 min. to get to the skull. If the TV spot is too boring, go check out the red band trailer at http://www.punisherwarzonemovie.com Basically that's the shit that I've been looking forward to since Dolph Lundgren was Castle(still the best in my opinion).
http://www.myspace.com/deadbirdinc Stuart Mellor

Why all the hate? Looked really good at the Comic-Con panel!
The Awsome Dude With Sunglasses

Looks awsome!!!
Alfredo

The trailer is not half bad, but Jigsaw looks stupid. It's just so blatantly obvious he's wearing make-up. Maybe if he lurked in the shadows he would look more menacing and convincing.
Frost

After watching the red band trailer, I could see why this TV spot looks boring. The violence in this film is too brutal to show on television. Not something I would consider watching during the holidays but nevertheless catches my attention. Jigsaw's face could look a little more disfigured in my opinion.
http://www.skonmovies.com/ Sean Kelly

If I beg to argue, I saw the comic version of Jigsaw on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(Marvel_Comics)) and I have to saw that he looks a bit more grotesque in the comics than in the film.
http://www.bleepinggeek.com Pete the Geek

I don't know what you're smoking, Alex. So far this looks exactly like the Punisher movie that fans of the comic book have been waiting for. While Thomas Jane's version was good on a dramatic level, it was extraordinarily light in the blood & guts violence part. Punisher is not a nice guy. He may not even be a good guy. He's a killing machine that aims himself at the worst of the worst. The Thomas Jane version was too lighthearted and more cops'n'robbers than it was Punisher. The real Punisher wouldn't have batted an eye while torching someone with a welding torch to get information, let alone being compassionate enough to fake it using a popsicle. (ah, good times) And yes, Jigsaw in the trailer is really tame compared to the comic book. He also looks a little lightweight, but I'd have to see him for more than a glimpse or two to back that up. He's supposed to basically be a heavily scarred psychotic anti-Punisher. If this movie fails, it'll be because they went too far on the opposite side of the spectrum and made a violent action movie without the dramatic weight to balance it.
http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

Alex, I would like to formally submit a request for the creation of a "Videos That Aren't Worth Watching" category!
theori

doesnt look too good, cnt say that i wont watch it tho..... i'll give it a chance, a very small chance. and by the way the first one made him look like a pussy!!!
SS

Alex Billington, that is too opinionated for a regular article. You should have considered doing a separate editorial instead.
darrin

jigsaw is all fucked up. i mean that in a good way.
tyler wilson

are you kidding me man! this movie is going to kick ass did you see the one where he shoves the chair through the guys eye! come on this will be the shit!!!!
http://movieguyreviews4u.blogspot.com Ryan

Alex, don't you think they should have used a female voice-over ?????
Matt

@ 6 The director did Green Street Hooligans, didn't she? Is that too unknown? One of my favorites, maybe it's a dirty secret I didn't know I had.
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4120/sppunx06oa5.jpg Crapola

This looks like a comedy. Cue rubber arms getting cut off... Would be funny to watch with a hangover
Dixwinger

Alex, in February 2008 you said, "I'm certain I'll still at least see Punisher: War Zone." What changed your mind? As for me, I'm seeing it. I liked Thomas Jane in the 2003 version but Ray Stevenson looks even better. Based on the footage I've seen, it looks like they may have finally got the character right!
http://www.myspace.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

Horror movie? It looked more like a comedy to me!
ERivas

Thomas Jane is not the image that comes to mind when I think of the Punisher. I think this guy looks more like what i had pictured the punisher looking like..the violence and dark tone is closer to the Comic book. The Jigsaw looks scary as shit, as it should be..I will say this..Alex, you have admitted that you are not a comic book guy, so how is that you can proclaim "The actual comic book character of the Punisher is doomed - no one can ever make a good movie out of him, it's just impossible." It boggles my mind..let the comic geeks and lovers make up their own mind on that one, just watch the movie and review it fairly on it's own merits, or don't watch the movie, whatever you like. Just let this movie have it's chance. The fan boys versus the general public can take it's own course after the movie is out...
vu

If anybody remembered the red band trailor, it actually looked cool. Seems like Alex flip flopped. I'm not voting for him.
Chris

wow,can this article be any more twinged with pathetic fan boy hatred? why dont you go watch spiderman get all emo and doing dance numbers
http://film-book.com Film-Book dot Com

A good movie for The Punisher can be made Alex but only by the right director with the right script.
mandarin

It looks good, lets hope the story goes well. I really hated the Tomas Jane version, at least the Dolph Lungren version was a little realistic, he was chased by both cops and mafia.
michael

ive always been a fan of bringing comic book hereoes to film and making it believable. So far, Punisher hasnt really done that. Yes, he is a comic book character and there are some fictional liberties you must take, but on the realistic side, Punisher is just a man, an ex-soldier who was Special Forces. I hate these new movies that show soldier being run and gun, jump off 10 story bldgs, hanging from ropes upside down shooting everthing with perfect accuracy. Bunch of crap !!! Use some tactics, use some common sense and use that military training in your pursuit of punishing those who do wrong. Oh, and learn to shoot...practice doubl-tapping instead of just firing blindly. some fo the shots i see in one of the trailers, he pulls the tripper and is shooting and the ground while raining the rifle. YOU SUCK! lol. I want to see MAN ON FIRE type of attitude and tactics. Yes yes yes....make it a little more fictional and exagerate a few things, but not the whole movie. That said, bring in some Ex-Army Special Forces (18b preferably) and have them consult and train the actors on what to do . Let them tell you some real war stories about things theyve seen and weapons they used. do not re-boot a franchise just to screw it up again . Punisher , like Batman, has so much potential. too bad no one has used this to their advantage.
ASMerc

I've been a fan of the Punisher comics for a long time and this movie looks badass to me. Ray Steveson looks like he came from a Punisher MAX cover. I don't know why everyone is criticizing this movie? How can someone base how good or bad a movie is based on a simple pic or Special FX makeup job? And please stop comparing Dominic West to Heath Ledger. BTW, the last 2 Punisher movies were HORRIBLE. Frank Castle in Tampa, WTF!?! Punisher War Zone WILL KICK ASS!!!
Innovator13

Man you guys are full of crap, no real Punisher fans here.Oh & Jane as Frank Castle was weak as all hell it's no wonder why so many females loved the movie.That version was more like Punisher-Lite.
loki

I love the max series and i agree with 38# you guys arent punisher fans because this film looks awsome brilliant actors and two good script writers, this looks just like the max series! i'm not going to miss this film for the world!
Innovator13

Just took in the mid-night viewing of Warzone here in Tucson Arizona, and it was FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!! Someone FIIINALLY got The Punisher right! Ray Stevenson was born to play Frank Castle, Dolph who? Tom who? Go see this movie, if you are a Punisher Max series fan & even if you're not you'll still dig it.I can't wait for part 2 & 3.
Innovator13

This goes out to #20 regarding the popsicle scene in Tom Jane's version.They took that scene from the actual Punisher Warzone comic when it first came out.
Innovator13

Oh and before someone says that this is Punisher 2 , it's not because the 2004 version is being ignored.This one is considered a reboot so in fact they are starting again just like they did with The Hulk.