While Netflix has proven a boon to creatives who want to tell original stories, there is one drawback that gets lost in the conversation: sometimes, you want to see those Netflix original productions on the big screen. And while the streaming service has done cursory theatrical bows for their pictures, the fact is that most people wind up watching it on their laptop, mobile device or television. Which is all to say that I hope Bong Joon-Ho‘s upcoming “Okja” does have a shot at hitting the multiplex.
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The first reason is obvious — with pictures like “The Host” and “Snowpiercer,” Bong Joon-Ho has proven to have quite the knack for big screen spectacle. Secondly, the film was shot by the great Darius Khondji, who used large format Panavision lenses which suggest some breathtaking imagery. And then there’s the cast — Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Lily Collins, and more — who you want to see on a premium sized screen, especially a film by this director. But no matter where we see it, the film which follows Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named Okja — should undoubtedly be memorable.
“Okja” hits Netflix on June 28th.
