Jailer 2 Teaser and Trailer Reaction: A Stacked Cast and a Stiller, More Mythological Rajinikanth

We went back to the world of Jailer with both the teaser and the trailer for Jailer 2, starring superstar Rajinikanth from Sun Pictures. The cast is stacked, and the way the film handles Rajinikanth's action lets you just stay locked in. Running down the cast list, the names included Mohanlal, Vidya Balan, Yogi Babu and Jackie Shroff, among others, and the summary was "this is a cast."

The Jailer 2 teaser is near four minutes long

The teaser opens with what looks like behind the scenes discussion among the filmmakers before the action takes over. Being able to see the bullets was a nice touch, and a character still running with the axe felt like a more realistic response than movies where guys get the axe in the back and just fall down. There was a question of whether the glasses were directing the missiles, and the answer was that it was an absolute coincidence.

"That's an expensive trailer," came the observation, given that it is near four minutes and made just to announce the movie, with no direct recouping of that cost.

The trailer flashes big names almost too fast to register

In the trailer, after seeing Mohanlal at a table, the guess was that a built figure whose face we don't see is Rajinikanth. The powerhouse names are shown in such a way that you wonder whether you saw them at all, which we agreed means you won't be disappointed if they don't have a big role.

Rajinikanth's stillness feels almost mythological

Jailer was a first foray into Indian films, with no idea beforehand that Indian films had this type of action, and it was very surprising. Part of the appeal is seeing an older man fight with confidence: "One day I aspire to be 70 and punching through people's face." Gran Torino and Nobody came up as comparisons.

Here, his movement has more stillness than before. It's unclear whether that is an age thing or the director leveraging star power. He walks through scenes while weapons fly in from off screen, which creates an air of mystery, almost like a mythological figure or a horror movie. Another comparison was the old lion: efficiency of movement. "Nobody has swag like him, man."

Liam Neeson came up as the closest comparison in vibe, though we're not seeing Rajinikanth hop over a fence, which is the big joke with Taken Three. By contrast, acrobatic movement from Kamal Haasan in another film, and a martial arts scene from Aaron Paul in Central Intelligence, broke the immersion, because it was clear it wasn't really them.

What we expect from Jailer 2

The expectation is clear: "a three-hour potentially musical action film with lots of violence and is over the top." The trailer didn't show his gum trick, which Jackie Chan apparently took from him, though it's not clear if that is true. Kabali's trailer music from 2016 also came up as a memorable introduction to South Indian scores.

Which name in the Jailer 2 cast are you most curious to see more of?