Top 4 Genre Movie Trailers in the Past 4 Years

I won’t lie – I’m a sucker for trailers. I know a lot of people hate them because of spoilers and such, but I’ve rarely had a movie-going experience ruined by one.

Trailers remind me of when chefs try to create a complete dinner experience on a single spoon. For me, trailers can even excel far beyond the movie they are based on.

Trailers are promises that may or may not be filled. Movies are a completed product. Trailers are the first kiss. Movies are long-term relationships.

Here are my top four trailers in the past year. I’ve only seen half of the movies presented because who wants to ruin a good trailer by watching a bad movie?

Joker (2019)

I’ve never seen this movie and to be honest, I probably won’t I’m not a big of Joaquin Phoenix. I don’t really like Batman and I’m kind of sick of the Joker.

That said, I love this trailer. We can all relate to feeling beat down. I love how the trailer starts with the main character struggling up a grim staircase whereas, by the end of the trailer, he is jumping down them.

Also, the music in it is just great all the way around. As for the movie itself? I have no idea – I have yet to see it.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Music and sound make this an awesome trailer. I love how it starts with a single note which is repeated throughout the opening until it is punctuated with a loud crash followed by Redrum. I love the wrongness just underneath the surface and how it builds until he says, “shining”.

The trailer definitely makes callbacks to the original Shining but it definitely has something to say on its own. And of course, it ends with the chilling callback to the original Shining music.

If you are a fan of Stephen King, feel free to check out my audiobook review of Cell.

As for the movie – again – I haven’t seen it. I’ve read the book and I look forward to seeing it sometime.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

I’m not really a fan of superhero movies. I’m currently making my way through the entire MCU. I’ve found most of them to be entertaining, but entirely forgettable. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed Infinity War and recommend it.

I love this trailer because it opens with a call to the Avengers pledging to protect humanity but from the somber tune, you know things are going down.

I also love Thanos in this trailer. When he arrives, he doesn’t posture. He just looks around. He’s going to get the job done.

The rest of the Avengers look weak in comparison. Probably my biggest complaint is that the big Avengers running shot never actually happens in the movie. C’est la vie!

The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

I left The Rise of Skywalker having enjoyed the movie but when I thought about it, the movie fell apart for me. In fact, in retrospect, there’s very little I do like about it.

That said, they made a kick-ass teaser trailer. I love the opening with Rey jumping around the tie fighter even though it makes no sense. It plays the nostalgia card hard with Luke telling Rey that “no one is ever gone” while the music lays it on thick. I love the epic sense of adventure of ships chasing each other through the desert.

This is a great teaser. Not my favorite movie, but I’d probably watch it again (and be disappointed again) based on this teaser alone.

Honorable Mention – Rogue One (2016)

Rogue One is a mess of a movie. I know some people love it and it lately, Star Wars fans have anointed it the best of the new movies but it is a mess. It sounds like the production was chaotic with crazy rewrites and reshoots. It even shows in the trailer with lots of scenes that didn’t make the final cut.

That said, it’s a great trailer. The opening is fantastic with the melodious Empire theme backdropping a grizzled Forest Whitaker. The rest of the trailer is really just a backstory that culminates into a great battle.

Again, messy movie. Fantastic trailer.