For all of its success in the realm of original television content, Netflix has not really stepped up to the plate with its original films. We have seen a few gems here and there, such as 2015's Beasts of No Nation, but the streaming platform has not offered up nearly as much movie content as it potentially can. Now that all seems poised to change, as a new trailer for Netflix's upcoming black comedy Shimmer Lake appears to promise all of the prestige and quality that has been missing from its movies so far. Check out the trailer below and take a look for yourself.
Even without watching that trailer for Shimmer Lake, the description of the film alone would make it worth watching. Telling its story in reverse (Memento style), Shimmer Lake is a crime thriller centering on a local sheriff's attempts to unravel the mystery of a botched bank robbery in his small town. It is a violent tale of crime in the heart of America, and it seems to pack a ton of laughs along the way -- morbid laughs, but laughs nonetheless. To bolster its prestige, the film has enlisted the acting talents of Rainn Wilson, Wyatt Russell, Ron Livingston, Rob Corddry and John Michael Higgins. If you did not have plans on June 9, then the chances are that you probably do now.
There's absolutely no question that this film's biggest strength (at least from what we have seen) is its incredibly offbeat yet dark tone. Shimmer Lake seems to possess all of the DNA of an early Coen Brothers movie, and it looks like Netflix is really trying to dive into the black comedy genre in a way that traditionally released films have not in recent years. The streaming service has a lot to gain with the potential success of this movie, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that Shimmer Lake can deliver on the promise of the trailer.
In a larger sense, Shimmer Lake seems indicative of an overall trend towards Netflix producing better films over the course of the next few years. The Brad Pitt-fronted war satire War Machine recently debuted on the streaming service to respectable reviews, and the rest of this year alone will see the releases of films like Death Note, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and Bright -- just to name a few. The field of home entertainment has become increasingly diversified in recent years, and Netflix is clearly making a major play towards market dominance.
CinemaBlend will keep you up to date with all of the latest and greatest information concerning Shimmer Lake as more details related to the project become available to us. The Netflix original will debut on the streaming service on June 9. For those of you on the lookout for a more traditional moviegoing experience, make sure to take a look at our 2017 movie premiere guide and fill out your calendars!
