The third and final trailer has arrived for Robert Zemeckis' Welcome to Marwen. While Zemeckis is already a filmmaking legend thanks to his work on classics like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the director has continued to challenge himself with one technically ambitious venture after another over the last decade. And though none of his most recent films (Flight, Allied) haven't earned the same level of critical acclaim as Zemeckis' work before his mo-cap moviemaking phase in the 2000s, there's a reason cinephiles still sit up to take notice every time he comes back with another unique offering.
Welcome to Marwen, like Zemeckis' film The Walk, is based on a documentary (in this case, director Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol), and draws inspiration from a real-life story. Steve Carell stars in the film as Mark Hogancamp, an artist who is brutally assaulted outside of a bar by a group of men and very nearly beaten to death. Although Mark manages to survive his attack, he is left with severe brain damage and few of his original memories intact. Hence, in an attempt to heal himself, Mark constructs a miniature WWII village (which he dubs Marwen) and fills it with figures that are modeled after himself and the women who've helped him with his recovery process.
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Universal released the first Welcome to Marwen trailer all the way back in June, at a time when the movie was scheduled to open in November. The film has since been pushed back to mid/late December and gotten little in the way of marketing, following the second Welcome to Marwen trailer's release in July. With less than a month to go before its theatrical release now, Universal has gone and unveiled yet another preview for Zemeckis' movie, in an effort to generate a bit more buzz. Take a look, below.
Although the final Welcome to Marwen trailer praises the movie for being "The most original film of the year" (among other things), those aren't actual pull-quotes from critics or early reviews for the movie, all suggestions to the contrary aside. In fact, there's been little to no awards season buzz around this one thus far, despite Zemeckis' involvement and the film's inspiring real life-based subject matter. That doesn't necessarily mean that Welcome to Marwen is a critical disappointment in the making, but it does indicate that Universal feels Zemeckis' film wouldn't fare so well going up against the current Oscar frontrunners.
There's still a lot that sounds promising about Welcome to Marwen, between its intriguing blend of live-action and animation (the latter of which is used to bring the imaginary world and people of Marwen to life), and impressive female supporting cast; which, in addition to Leslie Mann, includes Janelle Monáe, Baby Driver's Eiza González, and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie. With a little luck, this one may prove to be a proper feel-good winter holiday release and provide a welcome alternative option for those moviegoers in the mood for something a little different than the big shiny tentpoles and/or not-so-uplifting dramas that will also be arriving this December.
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Source: Universal Pictures
