By Travis Johnson
Philosopher-filmmaker Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Tree of Life) is wrestling with life, the universe and everything in Voyage of Time, a meditative look at the history of the universe and our place in it. This is the 90-minute version, narrated by Cate Blanchett, which is getting a wider release, not the 40 minute IMAX version, which is given voice by Brad Pitt.
What can we tell so far? It’ll be beautiful – Malick is once again working with FX legends Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey) and Dan Glass (The Matrix) to realise his sweeping vision. And it’ll be heavy going – the film has been in development for 40 years, and you have to believe that an intellect of Malick’s power doesn’t leave something on the back burner for that long without some challenging results. It’ll also divide audiences, because that’s what Terrence Malick films do – his brand of cerebral navel-gazing is not for everyone.
Voyage of Time hits cinemas in December.
