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Movie Commentary

Short Cuts

Guide to movie trailers--We grade the previews in theaters now, from ''Mission: Impossible 2'' to ''Mission to Mars''

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By Rob Brunner

So what if the last few weeks have been cinematic sinkholes? There are so many new buzz-generating (and buzz-killing) trailers, it's worth paying to see Isn't She Great to catch 'em. A peek at the previews.

Mission: Impossible 2 (Paramount, May 24) A head rush of a trailer that tells you everything you need to know about the John Woo-directed MI sequel: stuff blows up, Tom Cruise still has cool shades, and that theme song rocks. A-

The Perfect Storm (Warner Bros., June 30) Despite a cheesy slo-mo shot of grizzled George Clooney and an overheated voice-over (''An event took place. That had never occurred. In recorded history''), the spot's real star is one bitchin' killer wave. B

X-Men (Twentieth Century Fox, July 14) Most of this hyper-paced preview is so dark you hardly see anything, and maybe that's a good thing. Halle Berry as Storm sports a bad wig and silly gag contact lenses. The much-anticipated Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) barely makes a cameo. And the combination of Patrick Stewart and hulking costumed dudes is like a big-screen version of UPN. C

Gladiator (DreamWorks/Universal, May 5) A taste of director Ridley Scott's big-budget Roman epic reveals tigers roaring, airborne chariots soaring, and a buffed-up Russell Crowe — fetching in breastplate and sandals — battling assorted masked badasses. More, please. A-

Mission to Mars (Touchstone, March 10) Judging from this elegant clip, Brian De Palma's first sci-fi flick looks to be a cerebral space meditation a la 2001. But what's with the persistent Darth Vader-ish breathing in the background? B