Do you ever go back and look through old photos, looking back at the ‘good times’? Well, this is the closest thing film has to that feeling of reminiscing. 

      Over time, trailers have gone from literally describing the entire plot of the film with voiceover to having a small 5-second teaser for the real trailers… which have now found ways to explain the entire plot of the film minus the voice over. Making a great trailer is extremely difficult, and takes a good effort to master. Even if the film didn’t live up to the hype, these are the trailers that work for their time and are super fun to revisit (in no particular order.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales –  Official Trailer

     It had been six years since we had seen Jack Sparrow and company on screen, and 10 since we’d had a good Pirates movie, so hopes were high. From the opening, with the children singing bringing an eerily feeling calling back to “Hoist the Colours” from At World’s End, to seeing Sparrow in prison again, and seeing an intimidating villain, these moments brought hope that maybe the franchise could finally return to its former glory. On top of all of that, the remix of the original theme song was the icing on the cake.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice – Teaser

     “Tell me, do you bleed? You will.” With just a few words this teaser went from being another superhero film to something else entirely. The teaser gives a good idea of the tone the film is going for when it uses the voice-over of many well known, real-life and fictional, people, such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, commenting on a world where Superman exists. If a teaser can make a bad movie like this look great, it has done its job.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Teaser

     This is a fantastic example of how to make a good teaser trailer and, just like the film, still holds up 30 years later. It is very different from how teasers are today because back then there was no internet; you had to convince your audience that they should see your film in 2 minutes max. With that in mind, this gives the perfect look into both the story and behind-the-scenes of the film. One of the best parts of the teaser is when we see that in order for Harrison Ford to keep his hat on for an action scene riding a horse, he had to staple it to his head. 

     Much like this small moment, there are others, such as seeing many of the stunts that not only work to show the process of the film being made but are also a fantastic way to market a film. With these, the trailer says, “Hey look! We’re making our move with real stunts and real actors!” Another small touch is seeing how much fun everyone is having on set to show that the franchise is moving on from the dark and disturbing tone of Temple of Doom, back to more action-adventure fun. 

Avengers: Infinity War – Official Trailer

     There is a reason this is the most viewed movie trailer of all time. There is a serious tone associated with the trailer, which doesn’t necessarily carry over into the more light-hearted film. That’s fine, though, because this trailer wasn’t meant to be funny, but to show how Thanos, a villain that had been built up and teased for nearly a decade, was the most serious threat Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had ever faced. This can also be seen with his menacing monologue played over the trailer that is chill-inducing even now.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Teaser

     The best part about this teaser is that after viewing it, no one had any idea what the film was about. It doesn’t explain in excruciating detail what the story is, who the characters are, or even show any of the original cast, it simply shows shots from the film, including one of the best moments from any trailer, the introduction of Han Solo’s ship, the Millenium Falcon. Also, you know how popular a franchise has become when a lightsaber held by a mysterious cloaked figure, which we now know as Kylo Ren, sparked as much debate online as most presidential elections. This is the definition of how to make a great teaser trailer. 

     While maybe not all of these meet the expectations of every fan or general audience member, it never hurts to look back on what could have been. In reality, most times nothing can truly live up to the hype built around it. I mean… remember when 2020 was supposed to be great?