Epic Directed by: Chris Wedge Starring: (voices of) Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: May 24, 2013
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: I suppose showing off some beautiful animation is enough ten months ahead of the release date, but I still wish there was a bit more to this trailer for Epic. A handful of different films came to mind while watching this – such as FernGully and The Secret World of Arrietty – and I wish this had done more to set itself apart. The use of the Snow Patrol song over most of it certainly doesn’t help matters. Instead of showing much that would help indicate the tone the film is going for (other than at the very end when one character speaks), we’re given a bunch of pretty images set to a song that gives them an unearned sense of self-importance.
I mentioned the one character who speaks, and I’m torn on that. On the one hand, Aziz Ansari’s voice fits quite well. On the other, I’m a bit concerned that the character could grow very tiresome. This is where a better sense of the overall tone would come in handy. As I said, the only real thing to latch onto is the beauty of the animation. There’s plenty of quality stuff on display here, with the gorgeous shot of the three hummingbirds flying up the waterfall and into the sunlight being the standout for me. I’m far from sold on the rest of it, but the animation is good enough that I’m not ready to write Epic off just yet.