Now Reading
BIG GAME Trailer

BIG GAME Trailer

Big Game

Movies where strong and able children lead the narrative are too few. Kids need peers to look up to who aren’t millionaire pop stars or secretly older adults. Instead of that, this trailer features a kid with a bow and arrow. These are the values we need to be teaching kids, good ole survival skills. Despite having Samuel L. Jackson, it still seems to fit those requirements. This is a trailer for Big Game.

Directed by Jalmari Helander, this film stars Samuel L. Jackson as the president and Onni Tommila as Oskari, the boy hunter. The story is that Air Force One gets shot down forcing president Jackson to survive in unfamiliar forest territory. Unable to actually survive in the wilderness alone, he meets the 13 year old boy, Oskari. Oskari is on his rite of passage into manhood until meeting up with the Commander in Chief in an escape pod. With danger on all sides, the two must survive terrorists and nature.

Like many movies, this film is saturated by CGI and over the top exploits. Air Force One is underwater, Oksari jumps after moving helicopters, and the president has an escape pod. Despite all that “cool” stuff, the most interesting scenes are also the most “minimalist”. One of the more charming scenes is when Jackson is speaking through the string telephone. It works so well with the narrative and the survivalist theme Oskari is working with.

For all it’s worth, I think Onni Tommila deserves some recognition. This kid is new life after seeing so many of the same actors over two or more decades. When was the last time we got a Ralphie from A Christmas Story or a bunch of Goonies. The biggest draw I remember in the last decade that features young protagonists was Percy Jackson and whatever the title is, and Harry Potter, which inspired the former. That is just blatant fantasy where everything is beautified. Goonies had Sloth: he was truly beautiful for his kindness and lack of ego. Accept my apologies for I have digressed once again. While Big Game is not everything I would like to see nowadays, it’s a step in the right direction at least in terms of a trailer.

If you have kids, this film is probably worth taking them to for family movie night if you have one.

Big Game comes to U.K theatres May 8th 2015 with no U.S release currently scheduled. For the full list, click here.

Who’s your favorite teenage protagonist? Tell us down below in the comments!

(top image source: EuropaCorp)

Does content like this matter to you?


Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.

Join now!

Scroll To Top