News + Trends
Trailer Tuesday retro edition: the best trailers ever
by Luca Fontana
Trailer Tuesday, letdown edition: the best trailers to the worst movies
31.3.2020
Translation: Eva Francis
Last week, I showed you some of the best trailers ever. What I’m presenting you with today is even better: not just the best trailers, but the best trailers to the worst movies.
The cinemas remain closed. This also means cinema releases are postponed and new trailers are few and far between. That’s why I’ve decided to give you the best trailers to the worst movies in this weeks edition of Trailer Tuesday.
Pearl Harbor
What a trailer. I remember downloading it as a QuickTime video. At that time, I was thinking to myself: omg, this video quality, wow – just wow! And today? Oh dear... I guess I’ve been spoiled by UHD and HDR.
But the trailer was a big deal in 2001 for other reasons.
It shows heartbreaking images. Horror and bravery. Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech, in which he declares war on Japan. and Hans Zimmer's «Journey to the Line» from the movie «The Thin Red Line». In short: poetry. And the amazement that «Bad Boys» and «Armageddon» director Michael Bay could make a film that would win at least ten Oscars.
But more than amazement didn’t follow.
Cinema release: 25 May 2001
Clash of the Titans
This one is from my colleague Dominik.
Lousy movie, but the trailer with System of a Down and the picture that’s cut to the song in the middle is great.
He must have missed that it’s The Bird and the Worm by The Used, which is playing in the background. But apart from that, he’s absolutely right: the movie really is lousy. Hardly any «Clash» and not many «Titans», although both are in the title. But the trailer? Awesome. Especially because it’s perfectly cut to the song. I wish the movie had been only half as thrilling as the trailer.
Cinema release: 31 May 2010
Battle: Los Angeles
The trailer to «Battle: Los Angeles»? Brilliant. It starts like a 1940s documentary: with black and white photos. The off-screen speaker has a deep, threatening voice. Something has been spotted over Los Angeles. Nobody knows what. Until today: invaders from outer space.
The action scenes follow. Short snippets of film. All nice and oppressive and – somehow – scary. The movie looks like it's trying to be a «realistic» version of «Independence Day». The «Deep Impact» to «Armageddon».
Great expectations – but they remain unsatisfied. Because the result is an alien film that couldn’t be more average. Honestly, have you even seen this movie? If you did, do you remember what happened? Well, I don’t.
Cinema release: 9 March 2011
Suicide Squad
This list wouldn’t be complete without the famous «Suicide Squad» trailer with Queen’s «Bohemian Rhapsody». The trailer is just too good – and the movie too bad. But it’s not the story that messed it up.
Here’s a short version: at the 2015 Comic-Con in San Diego, USA, fans got to see this trailer. At that time, filming hadn't even finished. And the trailer is gloomy. Brutal. Everything the movie should have been. It’s met with modest reactions. No more than that. Not much excitement.
Six months later, the Suicide Squad trailer edited by Trailer Park and featuring Bohemian Rhapsody was released – and proved to be a game-changer: suddenly, there’s massive interest in the movie. The anticipation rises and the creators finally got the fan reactions they’d hoped for. But the problem was: film that was going to follow didn’t fit the trailer at all. Film studio Warner Bros. had to do something. So they decided to have Trailer Park produce a completely new cut. One that fits to the trailer. The result? Well...
Cinema release: 5 August 2016
Sausage Party
This one’s from our reader orange71113nero.
There are several trailers to this movie, but this one’s special. The music, the voices, the atmosphere, the variety, I can watch it again and again and it never gets boring.
I imagine reader orange71113nero saying: «Hey kids, there's a new cartoon coming out soon. It's like Toy Story, but with food. You'll love it!»
He’s secretly smiling.
Cinema release: 11 August 2016
Next week, we’ll do the opposite: I’ll show you the worst trailers to the best movies. Know a good example? Let me know by commenting below. I’ll add it to my list.
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
23 comments
later