Film Preview: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)

Page Revisions:

(May 15, 2016) Original
(October 30, 2016) New Trailer (#2)
(November 6, 2016) New Posters (#2-#3)

Release Date:

November 11, 2016

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “19-year-old Billy Lynn is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing Iraq battle. Through flashbacks the film shows what really happened to his squad – contrasting the realities of war with America’s perceptions.”

Poster Rating: B / C+ / B+

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Review: (#1) Simple, but striking. This poster design may not be richly detailed or compelling in interesting ways, but the image selection is perfectly balanced to meet the film’s premise.

(#2) The “reflection concept works sometimes, but in this case, it fails to evoke a sense of comparative consistency. If the lower segment had been the hero surrounded by bodies, the juxtaposition would have been astounding; however, it just looks weak this way. (#3) On the other hand, this isolationist design reflects the returning hero and the soldier, contrasting their various situations mentally, even if not physically. This design would have been very compelling for a U.S. release.

Trailer Rating: B- / B

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Review: (#1) The trailer spends a lot of time swapping back and forth between the present and the past and while it sounds like it will be the structure of the film, it doesn’t make for a very interesting trailer.

(#2) On par with the prior trailer, this one showcases the premise of the film, which promises a number of strong performances and situations that could be a compelling look at war and its after effects.

Oscar Prospects:

Few directors can command immediately Oscar attention simply by announcing they have a film in production. Ang Lee is one of those directors and his war drama is certain to play a pivotal role in this year’s Oscar race. With a prime release date and strong early buzz, don’t count this one out even if you haven’t seen it.