The bulk of the narrative, however, looks like it takes place a few decades later and includes reunions with both Adaline's now-elderly daughter (Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn) and an old friend (Harrison Ford). From that first footage, it looked like The Age of Adaline is targeting the same audience as other romantic dramas like The Lake House, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and About Time, all of which rely on fantasy elements and magical realism in telling their stories.
Now that the second trailer for The Age of Adaline has been released, it appears that this initial impression is proving accurate. The new trailer generally covers similar ground as its predecessor, highlighting key moments in the film and placing the emphasis on the onscreen romance between Lively and costar Michiel Huisman (most recently seen in Wild).
Given the specific audience it was made for, The Age of Adaline could prove as smart counter-programming to Avengers: Age of Ultron, which arrives in theaters the following week (Can we just avoid the use of "age" in movie titles for awhile now, by the way?). Moreover, the film gives Lively her first true starring role, despite previous appearances in films like The Town, Savages and Green Lantern and will serve as Ford's final film appearance before he hops back aboard the Millennium Falcon for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
The question here isn't whether The Age of Adaline will transcend its genre to lure in moviegoers who don't usually see this kind of film (that's unlikely), but whether director Lee Toland Krieger's follow-up to his 2012 romantic dramedy Celeste and Jesse Forever will make good use of its supernatural premise to tell an engaging story. That is, one that resonates with audiences craving a poignant tale of love, before diving full-on into the blockbuster-filled summer movie season with Marvel's superhero extravaganza a few days later.
Do you think The Age of Adaline has what it takes to be a standout big-screen romance, or do you fear that the film will fall flat in its attempts to tug audiences' heartstrings? Sound off in the comments section below.
The Age of Adaline hits theaters on April 24, 2015.
Source: Lionsgate