How do you stop an enemy you can’t see coming? That’s the basis behind Spectral, Netflix’s original sci-fi feature, which got its first official trailer today.
Once set to be a summer tentpole release under Universal, Netflix took over the reigns. Not known for their extensive marketing campaigns, this first look at their expensive new sci-fi project comes a mere week before it hits the streaming site. It finds James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer and Bruce Greenwood as a special-ops team fighting a race of supernatural aliens attacking the world. While the trailer doesn’t give away a lot in terms of plot, it does showcase a great deal in terms of scope, proving that Netflix is willing to pay top dollar to provide high-grade cinema to their audience. Here’s hoping Spectral‘s story is given as much care as its high-quality special effects were.
If nothing else, Spectral should serve as an interesting showcase for how Netflix’s original films can (and hopefully will) hold up away from their Adam Sandler comedies, Kevin James productions and other lacklustre features, especially of late. Besides the films they’ve acquired from other distributors, including the acclaimed Beasts of No Nation and The Little Prince, their original film content hasn’t quite reached the heights of their award-winning television. Hopefully this is the start of something great for the content creator then.
Featuring elements from other films, both popular and not, including Black Hawk Down, Battle: Los Angeles, Saving Private Ryan, Skyline and more, Spectral doesn’t look quite as original as it would likely hope, but it still appears to be sleek, stylish and very promising in the visuals department. It’s a shame it can’t be seen on the big screen, but hey, that’s how it goes these days.
Directed by first time filmmaker Nic Mathieu, Spectral hits Netflix starting on December 9th.
