Ben’s back at it again! The surprising actor turned-filmmaker, Ben Affleck, returns with another directorial project! The critically acclaimed director took a bit of a break from directing to focus more on acting. Namely being the bitter and older Batman of the now-defunct DCEU. However, his return to directing feels pretty glorious given the subject matter. The Air trailer shows off the origin story for Nike’s most prestigious shoe line, the Air Jordans. But weirdly enough, the trailer seems to focus on Nike’s rise to fame, in conjunction with that of Michael Jordan himself. But there doesn’t seem to be much of Jordan in this movie.
Air Trailer Focuses More On Nike’s Journey Over Jordan’s
Image via Amazon Studios.
The Air trailer is all about how a no-name sports apparel brand rose to the heights we now know it as. The trailer starts with Nike being not that big of a brand but looking for a boost in sales and something to set them apart from the rest. Enter Matt Damon’s character who discovers, the soon-to-be legend, Michael Jordan. The rest of the trailer looks to chronicle how the association with Jordan, and building an entire shoe line around him, is that takes Nike to new heights. Damon is the driving force, and Affleck also acts as the owner of Nike, Phil Knight. The trailer for Air also features other greats like Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Marlon Wayans and Chris Tucker.
Ben Affleck The Director Over The Actor
Image via Amazon Studios.
Now Ben is great. He’s a wonderful actor who’s only gotten better over years. But Ben Affleck as a director is a force of nature. From his first film Gone Baby Gone to the Oscar-winning Argo, Affleck’s directorial projects have a special place in his filmography than that of his acting credits. They are wonderfully crafted stories with powerful performances that capture an audience’s interest.
The Air trailer doesn’t show me anything different from that. The subject matter is already one that millions of people all over the world know. The story of how one of history’s greatest basketball players brought to prominence one of the biggest brands in sports. Although the weirdest thing about the Air trailer is how it seemingly has to navigate around Jordan himself.
Does Air Trailer Focus More On Shoes Than Michael?
The trailer seems to strangely work around Michael Jordan. Now, this could either be for dramatic effect or something else entirely. It also feels off to me that the story of Michael Jordan’s rise to athletic fame will will come from an angle while telling the larger story about a brand’s success story. The trailer carefully avoids any on-screen depiction of Jordan, rather focusing on what looks like his mom, played by Viola Davis.
Maybe the movie will be entirely different and we will totally get a full-on Michael Jordan. And the story may showcase both Nike and Jordan side by side. But we’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out. But given that Affleck is directing, I doubt it will be a one-sided story. Unless of course, Jordan or his family had any objections to being featured prominently in the movie. Only time will tell.
Air is releasing in theatres on April 5, 2023.
What did you think about the Air trailer? Are you excited for a new Ben Affleck movie? Let me know in the comments below.
