Aug 09, 2016 07:48 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The upcoming movie "The Sea of Trees" from Gus Van Sant starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey unexpectedly received negative reviews.

Nobody could have predicted that a film, which has all the makings of a major awards contender, would end up as the biggest movie disaster of the year. The Cannes premiere of the movie would be much of a nightmare. The film earned 'abysmal' reviews. Eric Kohn even called "The Sea of Trees" from Gus Van Sant, the 'worst movie ever', IndieWire reported.

The reviews left many people asking if the movie would ever make it to the big screens. Lionsgate and Roadside had purchased the distribution rights for "The Sea of Trees" before its premiere. However, the bad press had them rethinking about releasing the movie.

A24 now, rescues the film by releasing a new trailer that would allow the audience to take a first look inside the film.

Mcconaughey stars as Arthur Brennan, an American professor who travels to Japan to contemplate inside the Aokigahara, also known as "The Sea of Trees". Arthur then finds Watanabe's character, the injured Takumi Nakamura, who also lost his way. The two of them begins a journey of survival and reflection which changes Arthur's dying mindset and affirms his will to live.

The film is directed by Gus Van Sant who is nominated for an Oscar Award Twice already. Starring in this film is the recent Oscar winner, Matthew McConaughey. The movie also features Ken Watanabe, Katie Aselton, and Jordan Gavaris, ComingSoon reported.

"The Sea of Trees" is produced by Gil netter, Ken Kao and Kevin Halloran. Also producing the movie are F. Gary Gray, Allen Fischer, Chris Sparling, and Brian Dobbins. The original screenplay is written by Chris Sparling, who also wrote for the film "Buried".

"The Sea of Trees" will open in theaters and digital platforms on August 26.

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