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Posted April 27, 2017 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: At Last, The Circle is Complete


Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide release movies. After a predictably quiet weekend from newcomers seven days ago, we approach yet another relatively quiet weekend where Fate of the Furious is expected to dominate again. The only wide release newcomer this week is the Tom Hanks and Emma Watson thriller, The Circle. Luckily, this lull will be over next week when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters.

 

The Circle

The Circle PosterWhat we are excited about: While the cast is something to be very excited about (Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, Bill Paxton), the thing we are most excited about is the director of this film—James Ponsoldt. Ponsoldt is also the director of this writer’s favorite movie of 2013, The Spectacular Now, and the semi-biographical The End of the Tour (2015). The Circle seems like nothing he has done before. His strong suit is writing and directing relationships between three-dimensional characters, which is what we hope he also brings to this movie. If he can nail the characters down, and Dave Eggers (author of the book and co-writer of the script with Ponsoldt) can help solidify the sci-fi elements, then this could be something special.

What we are worried about: This kind of feels like “been there, done that” with regards to the film’s plot. The advancement of technology has always been a somewhat overdone storyline in both film and literature, and this one looks to be a pretty basic take on that. While the book is well-received, we are worried that the movie won’t do anything new with this type of story. We hope it’s more than this generation’s version of 1984.

The Buzz: The book is well received and does have its fair share of fans, but it is nowhere near the levels of say The Hunger Games or even the Divergent series. Emma Watson is coming off of the biggest movie of 2017, at least so far, with Beauty and the Beast, and Tom Hanks is, well, Tom Hanks. Although the movie does not have any reviews as of this writing (which is concerning this late in the game) look for The Circle to hit around $15 million, which would be a great start on its $18 million budget.

Final Thoughts: If you have already seen Fate of the Furious and want something to hold you over until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is released, this might be a solid option. It might not be anything memorable, but the cast and the director might make it worth your time and money.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.