This year’s underwhelming Super Bowl commercials have already come and gone. Still, the teaser for David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth continues to confound a contingency of the film-loving community. Since the teaser debuted at the big game, online chatter has continued about the trailer’s overall presentation, which gives audiences a darker, grittier look at the suave character played by Brad Pitt. So, you’re saying it looks like a Fincher movie? Yeah, but some people were expecting something different.
Don’t forget that it’s a Fincher joint, not a Tarantino sequel
Let’s back up a few steps. Quentin Tarantino first introduced Cliff Booth in his 2019 showbiz drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Pitt plays Booth, a stuntman and war veteran, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton. When I think of Quentin Tarantino’s output, I think of smart clothing, swingin’ soundtracks, and bold, vibrant colors to match the filmmaker’s outlandish cast of characters. Contrastingly, when I think of David Fincher’s œuvre, I think of gritty cinematography, complex characters, and an inherent darkness to the overall presentation. Taking this into consideration, I’m confused as to why some audiences are surprised by the look of Fincher’s Cliff Booth teaser. Have you not seen the man’s past work? Were you expecting his Once Upon a Time spin-off to mirror Tarantino’s sun-drenched original?
Devil’s advocate
For those concerned about the trailer’s quality, and to be clear, it’s fair to want to know what you’re walking into, it’s important to note that the trailer has not been officially released. All the versions you’ve seen, even the one screened during the Super Bowl, are TV rips, meaning the promo could look significantly different with further tinkering. Much of the trailer’s look stems from compression. If you smoosh the file down, it’s going to lose quality. Why would a studio do this? I don’t know. I’m not a film editor. It’s a bold choice to be certain, but I’m sure the team has its reasons.
Netflix content is almost always dark… unfortunately
Why are people getting so upset about the teaser trailer’s picture quality? It’s pretty simple, really. They’re excited about the movie. Like, extremely excited. When you’re pumped about something, you want it presented in the best light, and many feel the teaser isn’t doing Fincher’s film justice. I get that. A personal observation: Netflix‘s output is almost always dark. I watched the first season of One Piece this weekend, and for the first several episodes, I could not stop remarking about how dark everything was. The story of One Piece takes place in a fun, cheerful, sunny world, yet the majority of the series is oppressively dark. There’s one episode featuring the characters inside a darkly lit manor that defied the laws of lighting altogether. I spent most of the episode squinting, trying to make out the characters in an ocean of black.
Will Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth suffer the same fate? Probably. Still, we shouldn’t judge the teaser trailer too harshly until it gets a proper release. Netflix may see the feedback and make some adjustments, though I’m not sure who’s in charge of a move like that. Once all is said and done, The Adventures of Cliff Booth is a David Fincher movie, not a Tarantino joint. Buy the ticket, take the ride. Trust the process.
Take a look at some of the online reactions below:
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