A personal preview: Peppermint

By Shannon Murphy

Honestly, the ad for this movie blew my mind away, and I can’t wait to finally see it. The name does not prepare you for what you see, the solemn childlike music at the start creates a sombre tone and you simply think it’s going to reflect on childhood. Then you hear and see everything slow down and everything changes. No longer do you see the orange glowing lights of the carousel or hear childlike laughter.

It builds the image of her being intimidated by people and the fact that the track sounds muffled, the sound of a gunshot cuts into the logos. Scene after scene you see acts of violence, and images relating to death and you hear the main character Riley North (Jennifer Garner) being intimidated by the drug cartel that killed her family. The solemn slowness of the video maintains until she is told there is not enough evidence to charge the people that killed her family.

This is when I was sitting on the edge of my seat and searching frivolously for where I can buy this film because I must see it. In the background Exhumed by Zola Jesus plays and it adds an oddly dramatic and slightly gospel-type attribute to the clip. It is only here that amongst the sounds of the music that you hear gunshots and you see a lot of action as the pace picks up. You watch bodies hanging off a Ferris wheel, clips of explosions, fighting, and quite a lot of blood – all the generic action film aspects. Ultimately you’re left at the end of the trailer sitting there wondering what just happened as you’re left with the main character Riley North’s last words: “I will kill every one of you and then I’ll pretty much wing it from there.”

The whole film appears amped up and dramatic, and just the preview, has you rooting for the main character. The fact that the character appears so relatable and has the audience already bonded with her means that the film doesn’t have to create this bond when you are watching it as she is easy to like. Meaning it can get straight to the action and drama that you really want to see.

*This trailer includes scenes of blood and violence and is rated R by the MPAA for strong violence and language throughout.