The Top 5 Movie Trailers of 2012

2012 was a great year for film. I don’t remember the last time we had a year that featured so many quality films, particularly genre films. As much as I love seeing movies, I love watching movie trailers just as much. Trailers provide us with that tiny peak through the key hole into what we could expect from a film, even though sometimes what we’re seeing could be a tiny bit misleading. Here I featured a top 5 of trailers for movies that have already been released and to be released in 2013.

5. Holy Motors

Leos Carax’s Holy Motors ended up being one of my favorite movies from 2012, even though I may have not fully understood it in my first viewing. It’s trailer is equally impressive. Many beautiful and haunting images are put on display here, accompanied by some really fantastic music. I particularly love the tonal shifts of the trailer, especially when it gets into Kylie Minogue singing ‘Who Are We?’. The one thing I took away from this trailer was that it looked weird, and I think that’s the best way to get people to see this movie. Obviously there’s more to the film than that, but this trailer is a good start.

4. Stoker

Chan-wook Park is one of my film idols. The Korean filmmaker has made some of my favorite films ever and is a true master of his craft. Well he’s finally breaking into the states with Stoker, and it appears based off the trailer that he will be adding another fantastic movie to his resume. The one thing I took away from this trailer was that Chan-wook Park is fully on display. Many foreign film directors kinda lose themselves when they enter Hollywood, losing sight of what made them unique. I’m not seeing this here with Park. The trailer really hammers home a haunting intense family drama, but knowing Park there’s definitely something more to this. The opening speech from Nicole Kidman’s Evelyn talking to her daughter India (Mia Wasikowska) gave me chills and sold the movie to me right away. Combine that with some clever editing and music that really sets the tone, this is one emotionally dramatic trailer. Look for Stoker to be released on March 1, 2013.

3. Evil Dead

Evil Dead is proving to be a controversial movie, mostly due to the fact that it’s a remake/reboot of Sam Raimi’s much beloved Horror franchise of the same name. Generally remakes of classic Horror films really don’t bode well, with a few exceptions such as The Thing and The Hills Have Eyes. The main problem is that these remakes lose the essence of what made those movies classics, and exclude what made them great to begin with. Well I like to believe that this red band trailer for Evil Dead puts those concerns to rest. It displays everything you want and expect from an Evil Dead film. Lots of blood and gore, crazy off angled shots, quick cuts, and plenty of demon possession are all featured. The one thing that has me excited that it actually looks frightening, which is more in line with the first Evil Dead rather than Part II. Fede Alvarez seems to understand what made the original movies such classics, and just modernized it a bit. The story essentially seems to be exactly the same, just swap out Bruce Campbell for Jane Levy. Definitely one of my most anticipated movies of 2013. The movie opens on April 12, 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceBXUyuv4Q0

2. The Avengers

What more can I say about Marvel’s The Avengers that already hasn’t been said? The biggest movie of the year delivered everything that its trailer promised. Every character gets a spotlight in the trailer, setting up the relationships and essentially selling this as a movie about a dysfunctional family. The one character I believe that they really needed to impress us with in this trailer was the Hulk, mostly due to the fact that both his films really didn’t hit with audiences, and they established his character beautifully in this trailer. There’s plenty of money shots included and some signature character moments, particularly from Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark. My favorite aspects of this trailer is seeing the team interaction with all the bickering and the epic destructive action as a result of the final battle. Honestly, the trailer could have just featured the movie’s title, but it was nice of Disney to show us a little bit more.

1. Star Trek Into Darkness

The trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness has me extremely hyped! This is a franchise that I have not been fond of at all over the course of my life, but J.J. Abrams has captured my attention. I absolutely loved his 2009 Star Trek film, and this one appears to have raised the stakes. Of course in true Abrams fashion, he leaves a bit of mystery in regards to what the story actually is and who exactly Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain is suppose to be. His character’s name is John Harrison, but obviously there’s definitely more to it than that. Even though the trailer is scarce on the story details, it does a fine job of selling this movie. It really plays up the peril that is facing Starfleet, and to Kirk and his crew. It has plenty of destruction, probably from the hands of Harrison, and one particular shot of the Enterprise rising out of the water was a nice touch. I love when the trailer switches focuses from Christopher Pike telling Kirk that his actions are going to get him and his crew killed to Harrison asking him “is there anything you would not do for your family?”. Really sets up the dilemma that the way Kirk is as a human and captain could either win or lose this battle. The imagery is gorgeous and the action appears to be top notch. This will definitely be one of the biggest movies next summer, and the trailer is a good start in getting the hype train rolling. Star Trek Into Darkness will be released on May 17, 2013.

Honorable mentions: Man of Steel, Pacific Rim, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Master, and Django Unchained

What do you think? Leave a comment.