As we all know very well, it's dangerous to be the sight-unseen “frontrunner” in an Oscar season. It rarely turns out well. Last year's “12 Years a Slave” made it through by the skin of its teeth as the rare example of a film expected very early on to take the Best Picture prize at the Oscars and pull it off. This year, Universal Pictures is facing that daunting status as Angelina Jolie's “Unbroken,” on paper, simply looks like a film destined for the season. And the latest trailer for the film only further engrains that notion.
Telling the remarkable true story of Olympian-turned-World War II P.O.W. and hero Louis Zamperini, the film has all the hallmarks. It checks a lot of boxes, as it were. And it looks to have the goods, as the trailer reveals a fierce Jack O'Connell in the lead with lush and vibrant cinematography from the legendary Roger Deakins. (Could it finally be his year?) Filmed in Australia, the finished product looks positively epic. Not to mention the Oscar-winning and nominated screenwriters on board: the Coen brothers, Richard LaGravenese and William Nicholson.
Of course, it goes without saying that the recent passing of Zamperini will add plenty more to the outer aura of this release. It's only natural. One hopes he was at least able to see some version of his life story writ large on the big screen before he died, but then again, it was his life. He lived it. Now it belongs to the ages, and “Unbroken” will enlighten plenty to his amazing journey.
Check out the new trailer below and tell us what you think.
“Unbroken” hits theaters on Christmas Day.