3-minute preview: 'Voyage of Time'
A 40-year project from three-time Oscar nominated Terrence Malick takes in over 13 billion years' of history, with the resulting profile of life, the universe and everything compressed down to 90 minutes in cinemas or 40 minutes as an IMAX presentation.
- Who's in it and what's it about? -
An epic-scale look at the origins of life and of our universe itself, as well as a preview of what may be to come, with footage of the natural world augmented by visual effects and advanced scientific imagery specially adapted for the project.
Cate Blanchett narrates the English-language version of a 90-minute, feature-length edition, while Brad Pitt narrates a 40-minute version prepared for viewing in IMAX cinemas.
Blanchett and Pitt co-starred in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which dealt with themes of time and perspective though on a lifetime scale rather than over nearly 14 billion of years; Blanchett is also part of the ensemble cast of heist movie "Ocean's Eight," whose three immediate predecessors have featured Pitt in a leading role.
- Who's behind it? -
Terrence Malick has spent more than four decades bringing "Voyage of Time" from concept to fruition.
Among those assisting him have been previous collaborators including cinematographer Paul Atkins (Malick's "Tree of Life," PBS series "Nature,") production designer Jack Fisk ("The Revenant," Malick's "The Tree of Life" and "Knight of Cups") art director Ruth de Jong ("Inherent Vice," "Knight of Cups") and visual effects supervisor Dan Glass (the Wachowski's "Matrix" trilogy, "Sense 8," "Speed Racer," "Cloud Atlas" and "Jupiter Ascending" as well as "The Tree of Life.")
- Is it any good? -
It's the feature-length edition that has received early reviews, following same-week premieres in Venice and Toronto this September, and a 68 Metacritic score and 65% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating suggest a favorable but not rapturous reception; Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics is a considerably more impressive 80%.
Despite that, the Top Critics Tomatometer average score is still 6/10 up from 5.6/10; a quick survey of individual reviews suggests a divided audience: "Uniquely vivid," said The Hollywood Reporter; "Pompous," said Sight & Sound.
- When's it out? -
In the US, an October 7 date has been set for the IMAX and regular editions. International scheduling is yet to be announced, though screenings at film festivals in Bergen, Norway (September 21) and Sitges, Spain (October 15) have been booked.
