The Magic Echo Chamber

I wanted to put a list together of what I’ve found to be some of the more effective movie trailers I’ve seen. It’s not meant to be any kind of absolute list, just a compilation of the ones I’ve liked over the years. Your mileage may obviously vary.

There are trailers here for movies that ended up being mediocre, and some were downright horrible — I don’t care. I’m not reviewing or grading the movies themselves, just the trailers.

So what’s my definition of effectiveness? Pretty simple. It makes me want to see the movie. But I’ll also add that most of these, for me at least, have some kind of emotional resonance that goes pretty deep. I can be very moved by music, and music with the right imagery can just kill (and isn’t that what movies are all about anyway?).

Yes, these are mostly recent movies. They’re somewhat fresh in my mind, for one thing. For another … well, there is no another. They’re fresh in my mind and I like them.

These are in no particular order. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Superman Returns
Say what you will about the tepid end result, this trailer (okay, this is actually the teaser, but it’s still great) is firing on all cylinders. It still has the power to give me chills.

Star Trek
The drama and action, coupled with brilliant music (which my wife used in our wedding for her entrance theme!), spot-on dialog from Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike (“He saved 800 lives, including yours. I dare you to do better.”) and Eric Bana as Nero (“Fire everything!”) hits this one out of the park.

Inception
Again, perfect visuals, perfect music, and just enough hints at a tantalizing concept that doesn’t give too much away. Beginning with the avalanche, the music and emotional cues really kick it up a notch or three.

The Empire Strikes Back
The sequel to (at the time) the biggest movie of all time. I practically vibrated out of my chair with excitement. The scene where the door opens and Vader is standing at the table was a complete Oh shit! moment. (After watching it again for the first time in decades, I swear that it’s Harrison Ford doing the voice over, attempting to disguise his voice.)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
I could have put the trailers for all of them here, but I figured I’d limit myself to the first one for movies that I’d been waiting my entire life to see … and it looked like they got it right! (“You! Shall not! Pass!”)

The Fountain
The end result didn’t live up to my expectations — it was too cold, with a lot of talk about emotions without any real feeling occurring — but the trailer itself highlights the mystical and intriguing aspect of the film. Beautiful, and intriguing, and moving. Bonus points for the repeated use of the same camera angle in three different time periods (ancient South America, the present day, and the far future).

The Matrix
What is the matrix? I sure as hell had to know after seeing this.

Pearl Harbor
Yes, the movie is ass, but the trailer is another one that brought chills. The music is from Terence Malik’s A Thin Red Line, and I still listen to it quite a bit.

The Social Network
The movie isn’t even out yet, but wow … who would have thought such a dull-sounding concept (“college kid invents Facebook”) could look positively Godfather-like in its sense of backstabbing and betrayal.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Another sequel, and the best of the series. The visuals had me looking around on the floor for my jaw where it had fallen off.