Hey guys, Hulksta here, don't you guys love trailers? I do. They get me hyped for a movie that will probably suck, and then I can look back and say "Well the trailer was great."
When I say 'best trailers' I'm not passing judgement on the final film. This is just a look at the trailer, the promotional materials.
I chose 10, and I couldn't begin to put them in order of quality; because in my eyes some of these are better than others.
DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER
This trailer does a good job of keeing the mystery of what the movie is well into the 60 second mark, only near the end of the trailer do you realize "Holy shit this is a Die Hard movie!" That element of surprise is kind of nice, and simple. Also, being that this is the 90's, sequels weren't neccesarily as 'in' as they are now. However, this film pulls a
22 Jump Street and addresses the fact that it's a sequel with a funny John McLane style quip.
That music that kicks in 20 seconds to go is completely uneccesary when you have Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
THE DARK KNIGHT
I know this site is quite divided on Christopher Nolan, but say what you will, I think almost everyone who saw this teaser got hyped for the movie. I mean, say what you will about delivering on the hype, this teaser was simple. It's biggest strength is establishing the conflict between The Joker and Batman early on. Obviously this doesn't quite give you the scale and scope of their conflict, but this teaser does a great job of introducing the players.
Even the deterioration of the Batman logo is great, a simple image to showcase the upcoming struggle for Batman.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
For as cool as a time travelling car is, this ad does a great job of subverting expectations (in a good way). You have Marty approaching the car, getting in, and you see the little additions to the car that tell you this isn't a normal car. The line about travelling back also does a great job of loosening the tension, even though tonally this almost strikes you as an action movie, those last few seconds let you know, it's a comedy still.
Nike though, seriously.
JURASSIC PARK
Unlike the recent trailer for the recent
remake,
crappy follow-up,
cheap cash-in, sequel this trailer is simple (a great recurring theme) and just lets you know that man and dinosaur will occupy the world together. A simple concept, which obviously we don't see any of the spectacle of dinosaurs and people, we don't see Jeff Goldblum being a ladies man, just that amber.
I think it's overall a pretty good trailer.
THE SHINING
What's great about this trailer isn't that it's simple (ha!) but that it features a great ense of pacing and looming dread. I mean, seeing the blood slowly leak from the elevator to just a river of blood. It's one of the most iconic shots from the movie and they used that to great effect; and it never spoils the movie, or gives much of anything away. All you know is that things aren't right in this hotel. Which I think is fantastic!
I would've added a shot of the twins, I mean as is it's a great trailer but I think a shot of the twins would've punctuated that rising tension so well!
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
For a film that was as groundbreaking as
Empire Strikes Back it's interesting how low-key the teaser is. I mean concept art sells you on the scope and range of environments, but some of the best parts of the film aren't even mentioned or shown, and that infamous Vader vs. Luke fight just gets a mention and some quick art. I don't think a teaser like this would work these days but still it's pretty cool.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Considering the subject matter of the film, utilizing Facebook's comments system to essentially parlay the plot of the film into a digestable teaser. It really does showcase what this film is all about and never quite lets you forget that it's protagonist isn't quite as friendly as he may seem.
CLOVERFIELD
With a teaser like this, it's hard to forget how underwhelming the movie was. Still, the ay that the monsters attack on the city essentially punctuatesthe trailer, and similar to the
Back to the Future trailer, changes the tone, although to a much more drastic effect. The film also leaves you with such a sense of wonder and curiosity about the monster.
SPIDER-MAN
In a sense, this teaser does a great job of telling an independent story from the film, and with that shot of the Twin Towers and the Helicopter being webbed up between them, you realize this is a Spider-Man film. The level of energy in this trailer is exciting and does a great job of setting up the world of the web-crawler on film; especially the shots of Spider-Man swinging throughout the city.
ALIEN
Remember when I said that this wasn't going to be in order, I lied, because this is the best teaser of all time in my opinion. I mean, you have such a great sense of rising tension, the footage all is quick and works in establishing this universe for people. The final shot of 'In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream' is just great and just points out the futility of the crews efforts to thwart the alien.
Well that's my opinion, what's yours? What in your opinion is the best teaser? Sound off in the comments below, and if you liked this article, please give it a thumbs up.