Listen, we know you have to sell this intense drama about the struggle to end apartheid to a mass audience. But can we call a moratorium on using “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan for…well, anything…for about a decade? The official song for the 2010 World Cup (yes, which was held in South Africa, hence relevance) has been played to death and lost any innocence and impact it had. At least for now. Okay, with that off our chest, here’s the new trailer for “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.”
As you know, Idris Elba goes from the fake apocalypse of “Pacific Rim” to the very real story of the freedom fighter who fought an entire system and way of thinking to bring justice to his land and people. It really is a remarkable tale, but this first trailer makes it look like Biopic 101, with Justin Chadwick (“The First Grader,” “The Other Boleyn Girl“) not missing a beat, and not straying much for standard template it seems. That said, it could just be the trailer and more importantly, we’re not gonna shrug off any movie that plus Elba and Naomie Harris in the lead roles.
Is this Oscar worthy? The Weinstein Company sure think so. ‘Freedom’ arrives on November 29th.