Remember when movie trailers used to be good?

There has been some controversy lately over movie trailers, namely that they simply include too damn much detail.

The director of the latest Terminator installment was critical of that film's trailer as it included a major plot point (that the adult John Connor is actually a terminator!).

The same is true for the Jurassic World trailer too.

Personally, as I'm unlikely to see either film any time soon, I'm all for the trailers revealing as much of the film as possible!  After all, I'm going to read the full plot on wikipedia anyway.  Yes, I'm one of those people who like to know the full plot before I see the film.

I can live with revealing too much, but what bothers me is when the trailer includes scenes that aren't even in the movie!  In a rush to get a teaser out, sometimes studios hash it together and include footage that doesn't actually make it into the final version of the film.

This happened to me when I saw the trailer for Iron Main 2.  Tony Stark's fist scene (when he leaps out of an airplane) just isn't as dramatic in the film as it was in the trailer!

I do miss, though, the lost art of the teaser trailer.  When the point was to entice audiences, not give the whole plot away!

Here is a classic trailer.  The movie, The Shining, is scary as hell.  But I think the trailer - without giving anything away - is just as scary!


 

Cloverfield is a more current example of a great teaser trailer.  Unlike The Shining, this trailer actually uses footage from the film.  But you can't deny that this teaser makes you want to see just what the hell was able to toss the Statue of Liberty's head like that!



Here is the original trailer for Poltergeist.  Not much footage from the film, but how it's set up as a documentary is clever.





Now here is a sentimental favorite, The Transformers, original teaser.  The movie wasn't great, but this teaser made every fanboy sit up in anticipation.

It does just what a teaser trailer should . . . it makes you want to see the movie!




And, of course, perhaps the greatest movie of all time: The Empire Strikes Back.

Just imagine if they would have included Darth Vadar saying to Luke, "I AM your FATHER."

It would have been ruined.

Is it corny?  Yep.  But it's about perfect!