{"id":43929,"date":"2012-11-30T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.highdefdigest.com\/blog\/?p=43929"},"modified":"2017-06-26T21:51:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T04:51:21","slug":"roundtable-movie-trailers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highdefdigest.com\/blog\/roundtable-movie-trailers\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend Roundtable: Best & Worst Movie Trailers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a world\u2026 where movies need to be advertised by short 2-3 minute previews that encapsulate all the reasons an audience should run out to see them, movie trailers are both an art form and a necessary evil. When done well, they build a viewer’s excitement. When done really<\/em> well, a trailer may even be better than the movie it advertises. But when done poorly, they’ll drive an audience from ever wanting to see the movie at all. In this week’s Roundtable, we highlight some of the best and worst.
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Brian Hoss<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best:<\/strong> ‘RoboCop<\/a>‘ is one of the greatest genre-mixing films of all time, so it should come as no shock that the movie also had an excellent trailer. It’s also no coincidence that the ‘Terminator’ soundtrack works so well to assist in telling the capsule-sized story. Where so many previews are forced to spoil the entire plot of a film or manufacture a new one, this trailer focuses on the dynamic between RoboCop and the savage, crumbling Detroit that he occupies. (It’s also bombastically packed with explosions.) It gives us no origin story, no ED-209, and none of the satirical commercials from the film. It’s just RoboCop versus crime and corruption. The trailer concludes with two scenes that suggest big scores by both sides, insisting that viewers see the film to find out more, without revealing the conclusion or even the face of Peter Weller.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/WxflEz4VDy0<\/p>\n

Worst:<\/strong> Plenty of trailers mislead, especially for films that don’t fit any kind of conventional genre or story structure. The case with this ‘Judge Dredd<\/a>‘ trailer, however, is a triumph of marketing over execution. Any time you begin a film with a bite-sized philosophical voiceover by James Earl Jones, you can check off those moments of screen time as incredibly well-spent. Thus, that moment anchors the trailer. And that’s just it. Much like a comedy whose only funny moments are all found in the trailer, this ‘Judge Dredd’ preview compresses the production value, the casting and some well-staged scenes into enough of a musically driven story to make an awesome trailer. This has always been a lousy movie that overflows with parts that don’t work, but the trailer burns off the meandering plot and uneven characterizations (the wooden acting, the listless humor, the non-starter love story, etc.), and still makes me want to watch the movie, even though I know it’s a lie.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/z0-3_lXYA9I<\/p>\n

Mike Attebery<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best:<\/strong> I think it was Entertainment Weekly<\/em> that called the trailer for ‘Ransom<\/a>‘ the best short film of 1996. Although it spoiled the twist and made the movie look much more exciting than it actually was, the trailer sure was a corker. I guess it was the best AND most misleading trailer that comes to mind, but heck, I’d like to watch it again right now. As for ‘Ransom’… not so much.<\/p>\n