So here we are. With a new, dark superhero called Rendel, and its first teaser trailer. First of all, superheroes aren’t exactly my thing. But when a superhero film emerges from such an unlikely place as Finland, it’s bound to be interesting.
RENDEL is the very first feature length superhero film from Finland, and it’s set to be released in 2016-2017. It’s directed by first timer Jesse Haaja and written by Pekka Lehtosaari, Miika J. Norvanto and Timo Puustinen. The basic idea of the superhero traces as far back as to Haaja’s schoolboy years. In 2013 he decided to start working on the film. And finally, in 2015, an international launch at the Cannes film festival brought in a distributor and one of the co-producers on board.
Rendel has been gathering positive attention throughout its process, and its fan base is already at four-digits (Facebook). It’s also getting funding from the proud Cities of Varkaus and Mikkeli, which are relatively small towns even on Finnish scale. The schools and the local community are involved. There’s even Rendel condoms on sale at the films online store. How could you not like this movie?
First and foremost, the production values are high, and the whole look of the film is fantastic. This is extremely exceptional for a movie with a budget that is just a fragment of the giant superhero productions in Hollywood.
There’s also something inherently Finnish in the concept: something borrowed, yet original, and somehow gloriously over the top. It takes true courage to come up with a project like this. And stylistic sense to execute it right. Judging from the newly released teaser trailer, they’re on the right track.
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