Universal Pictures has just dropped a trailer for a one-of-a-kind action spy thriller titled ‘355’ and it is immensely engrossing. The trailer doesn’t give much away besides the basic plot points, which is good and we get a good look at our protagonists in action, also good. But one fact we can instantly take away from this trailer is that this is going to be a female teamup film.
Another one in the past five years; with films like Ocean’s 8, Charlie’s Angels and the Ghostbusters all flopping miserably, one might be excused for thinking this film too might go down the same road. But once you watch the trailer, you will notice a key component that makes this film stand-out from the rest. This film is not a remake or a ‘female’ re-boot of any kind, but instead a fresh new idea starring female leads.
This film could have had a male cast and with a few changes to the script, there wouldn’t have been any noticeable differences (besides the major one, obviously). But the trailer is so distinctive and the story is so bold, it doesn’t matter which sex plays the main characters (which means, it actually does matter). And this reasoning alone can make this film, a certified hit – hopefully a blockbuster.
Don’t get us wrong, there have been a few certified hits in the female team-up genre. ‘Thelma and Louise’ and ‘A League of Their Own’ were two of the best in the genre. But ‘Pitch Perfect’ was the first (and perhaps the only) film that received worldwide recognition (in terms of profits mainly) in this category. And most people didn’t even notice it was a female led cast. If a facepalm emoji was professional, this is where we would use it.
Male team-up films have had blockbuster hits for a long time, ranging from the 1984 ‘Ghostbusters’ to the early 2000s ‘Lord of The Rings’ franchise. No female team-up movie have come close to that level of profits or recognition. But it looks like there is finally a movie that just might break that mold.
Now of course, ‘355’ is a spy thriller, so it will have the same basic plot points – an agent looks to team up with agents from other countries to recover a top-secret weapon which can cause the world to descend into chaos (a bit generic, I know; just watch the trailer). But with an elite cast of Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyongo, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing, we are expecting a brilliant spy thriller. There is never a dull moment when each actor is shown in the trailer, and we are expecting the same level of gravitas during the movie.
This movie has been scheduled to release in theaters around the world on January 15th, 2021. Watch the trailer for the film down below.