It’s Good To Be Home
These are the trailers for the new iteration of old favorites; they are built to focus on nostalgia and are filled with the hallmarks of what made a franchise successful.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
After an over-a-decade long wait, there comes a new Star Wars movie and this trailer had everything we loved about the space extravaganza when we were kids. If only we knew the movie wouldn’t live up to its trailer and our hopes.
Fallout 3
The Fallout series is a staple of post-apocalyptic Role Playing Games; there is no better way to reveal a new one than by reminding players how its world set in an alternative timeline is still has creepily charming as it used to be.
The Start Of Something Epic
Here comes the trailers destined to promote the film, season, or game that is going to propel a moderately successful franchise into super-stardom. These trailers need to effectively, remind fans of what is at stake while introducing new people to the franchise and helping them catching up on prior characters and events.
Game of Thrones Season 2
The song from Florence + The Machine is absolutely haunting and perfect to herald the second season of HBO’s show. In less than 2 minutes so much is packed to give a crash course in what’s happening in Westeros.
Mass Effect 2
If the first Mass Effect game was pretty good with a lot of potential, it’s follow-up is one of the greatest sequels and games ever made. Its trailer offers a glimpse at the scale of this monumental space opera.
That Sad & Creepy Rendition Of A Beloved Song
This is a very common occurrence in 2015/2016 trailers, use an old song, more than often a children one, and make a creepy cover that will intrigue people. The following trailers are the precursors of this trend.
The Social Network
How do you get the attention of people to promote what was called at the time the “Facebook” movie. The answer was quite simple use a very eerie cover of a song adored by most people who were the same age as the movie protagonists during the events depicted.
Gears of War
Before David Fincher directed the Social Network, he produced this memorable trailer for Gears of War; where the vast majority of action games would have a fast paced montage of action shots; the Xbox exclusive took a completely different approach.
The Character Study
Sometimes a trailer isn’t about trying to explain the premise of the story but instead introducing viewers to the main protagonists and the world they live in.
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a singular visual universe where reality and poetry have a symbiotic relationship. When it comes to its magnum opus, introducing the quirky and loveable main character was one the reason the movie was so successful.
Grand Theft Auto V
Very few games have the storytelling pedigree than Rockstar’s quintessential franchise. Making us understand how its protagonists see the cynical world they live is a great way to display what the Grand Theft Auto series is known for.
Giving Us A Reason To Care
Long gone are the days when trailers set in dystopian futures were all about showcasing special effects; the best trailers are focusing on what makes the protagonists compelling and how we can all relate to their struggle and humanity.
Logan
The most recent trailer on this list; Logan has been positively received as it doesn’t focus on the Superhero aspect of the movie but on the sympathetic human nature of its protagonist.
The Last Of Us
Once again, what makes this trailer great is putting the relationships and emotions of its main characters at the center of the trailer to create an immediate bond with the viewers.
Beautifully Average
These visually striking pieces are the embodiment of “a picture is worth a thousand words.” More than often they are used when they promote something that creates its own visual language and, in many cases, is weaker on other aspects.
The Garden State
Zach Braff’s directorial debut is at his image: if the movie isn’t anything special, the Scrubs’ alumni definitely has his own visual and audio language that is perfectly represented here.
Mirror’s Edge
One of most beautiful gameplay trailers to ever grace the eyes of players, Mirror’s Edge unmistakable visual aesthetics shine here. The game was flawed but every frame was just gorgeous to look at.
The Ones We’re Still Waiting For
The one big downfall to outstanding trailers is that in rare cases a trailer can be so perfectly cut and so enthralling that it becomes a piece or art on its own that is far from the content it’s promoting; leaving the viewers very disappointed when the final product is released.
Terminator Salvation
When comparing this trailer to its movie; it is everything wrong with trailers giving you the entire story of a movie including the plot twists; however, as just a trailer; I still want to see the movie that this trailer promised that is very different than the one released in theaters.
Dead Island
One of the most emotionally charged and an editing tour de force; Dead Island was nothing like its trailer: where we all expected to see a heartbreaking intimate family story, the game was nothing more than a mediocre and unoriginal zombie first-person shooter.
