Trailer Tracking: ‘The World’s End,’ ‘Ender’s Game,’ ‘Captain Phillips’

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Movie: “Captain Phillips”

Best Parts of the Trailer: Tom Hanks; Tom Hanks; Tom Hanks

Worst Parts of the Trailer: Even though Hanks makes the trailer, I’m not really sold on “Captain Phillips” as a title; Did paratroopers really have a role in saving Phillips? Is it wrong that I’m skeptical about that?

OUR TAKE: What a pleasant surprise. This movie wasn’t on my radar AT ALL, but, after watching the “Captain Phillips” trailer, I’m now convinced that this could be one of the most effective thrillers of 2013. And that alone speaks a ton about the enduring appeal and unquestionable talent of Tom Hanks and “Bourne Supremacy” director Paul Greengrass. Because, admit it, “Captain Phillips” could’ve been a TV movie-of-the-week. It could’ve been a basic cable original, brought to you by the producers of the “Scott Peterson” movie. Not that the source material isn’t thrilling. It is. High-seas piracy, hostage negotiations, and so on. But, in popular culture, the exploits of Captain Phillips have been largely tied to the adventures of that other “heroic” captain, Sully Sullenberger, who, despite his talents at landing a plane, never got his story picked up by an A-list movie director. Fortunately for Captain Phillips, however, his story ended up in the hands of a best-case scenario. And, from the looks of the trailer, “Captain Phillips” really delivers.

Possibly the best thing I can say about the “Captain Phillips” trailer is that it features some legitimately exciting moments of storytelling, almost as if it was a self-contained short film. As the pings of the radar sound off in the background, we can feel the tension build as Hanks’ sea captain realizes that his freighter is in big trouble. In the ensuing panic, Hanks really brings home the gravity of the situation and his counter-measure attempts come across as damned exciting, even just in these few quick glimpses. (The moment where the ladder finally attaches to the side of the ship really hits home in a big way.) While a movie like, oh say, “Speed 2” completely bungled its attempt at making adventure on a really huge boat seem exciting, you definitely get the sense that Paul Greengrass won’t run into the same problem. This is largely because a). Greengrass is a much, much better director than Jan de Bont, and b), as the title suggests, it looks like the film makes the creative decision to frame the events of the movie through the perspective of Captain Phillips, which is a great idea, particularly with an actor like Hanks in the lead. You could watch this trailer with the sound off and Hanks could sell you on the inherent drama of the situation with his facial expressions alone. He’s that good.

I will say that my one concern with “Captain Phillips” is that it doesn’t over-dramatize an already pretty dramatic real-world event. I want the movie to stay with Phillips, to give us a window into his struggles and anxieties, rather than giving us an uber-complete “Zero Dark Thirty”-esque portrayal of every last detail of the rescue operation. Thanks to movies like the “Bourne” films and “Green Zone”, we already know that Greengrass is great at the world-spanning espionage stuff. Personally, I want “Captain Phillips” to stay on the deck-level, keeping us with Hanks all the way through. But, even if Greengrass opens the scope more than I’d like, after watching the trailer for “Captain Phillips”, I’m more convinced than ever than Hanks and Greengrass are a perfect team for this material. To be honest, I would’ve expected a story like “Captain Phillips” to end up as an action flick or a very special episode of “JAG.” But, as I mentioned, I am so happy to see such amazing filmmakers digging their teeth into such meaty material. “Captain Phillips” has a ton of potential and, with this team behind the adaptation, let’s hope that the potential is realized.

TRAILER OUTLOOK: A great surprise. Even though we already know the ending, I’m so intrigued to see how we get there.

By Tom Burns
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com