Now is as good a time as any to re-familiarize yourself with the work of British director Danny Boyle. His Aaron Sorkin-penned Steve Jobs biopic is set to hit theaters next week, with Michael Fassbender’s starry performance already prompting utterances of the O-word. The director also recently announced that his next feature will be a proper sequel to his breakout, the watershed junkie odyssey “Trainspotting.”
READ MORE: Danny Boyle Aiming To Film And Release ‘Trainspotting 2’ In 2016
While he has his fans and his detractors, Boyle is a singular creative voice in the moviegoing climate. He possesses a flashy, propulsive style all his own, and he’s managed to incorporate said style into a variety of genres. A new video retrospective from Hello Wizard looks at Boyle’s filmography more or less in its entirety, and it ought to be a useful primer for those looking to bone up on their Boyle before they buy a ticket to see “Steve Jobs” next week.
It’s a telling display of how Boyle’s style has evolved — he’s always been a director with a flair for the ostentatious, although he’s said to have tempered his proclivity for visual fireworks for the relatively subdued “Jobs.” The video charts the course of Boyle’s long and prolific career, from his bleakly hilarious debut “Shallow Grave” to his visceral zombie flick “28 Days Later,” all the way to newer efforts like “Trance,” and, of course, his Academy Award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Those who have yet to hop on board the Boyle train will likely remain unconvinced, but fans of the director will have a field day with this veritable greatest hits collection from his best and worst films. Set to some appropriately dreamy and ethereal tracks from Moby and Sigur Ros, (also, M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes," which I thought had finally vanished from the pop culture landscape) the video is an ideal tutorial for anyone looking to pinpoint the themes and stylistic choices that unify all of Boyle’s pictures. Take a trip back in time to the days of “Shallow Grave,” “Trainspotting,” and “28 Days Later,” all the way to “Steve Jobs,” and check out the video below.
“Steve Jobs” lands in wide release on October 9th.