2016 has been a year of controversial trailers. Fans raged against Paramount when the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond featured the Beastie Boys song 'Sabotage' so prominently. The first trailer for the Ghostbusters reboot became the most disliked trailer in YouTube history.
But, there have also been countless trailers that were pretty damn good throughout the year. These are our picks for the 10 best so far.
10. The Girl On The Train - Teaser Trailer #1
If a trailer's job is to pique the audience's interest, then this first teaser trailer for the upcoming adaptation of the best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins accomplishes that task expertly. The trailer builds slowly, peeling back the layers of a mystery with each passing moment. The mood is harrowing and dramatic, and we get some telling glimpses of Emily Blunt's performance, which looks brilliant.
9. Arrival - Trailer #1
Speaking of Emily Blunt, our next trailer is for the new film from her Sicario director, Denis Villeneuve. Arrival, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker, is scheduled for release in November and the first trailer debuted very recently. We think they are shooting for a very Christopher Nolan-esque style here, which is not a bad thing. It looks like sci-fi done in the most 'realistic' and plausible way possible, and we're excited because Villeneuve is one of the most visionary directors working in Hollywood today.
8. The Nice Guys - 70's Retro Trailer
Voiceovers aren't used a whole lot in trailers these days. It's most likely because that technique went out of style a long time ago. Modern audiences are used to the current style that most trailers adhere to. But that's what makes this knowingly retro trailer for Shane Black's The Nice Guys such a charming minute and a half. Complete with degraded picture quality and awesomely tacky 70's title font, the trailer is a hilarious blast. Just like the movie turned out to be, too.
7. The Accountant - Trailer #1
Music is an important tool in movie trailers, and several of the ones on this list use popular songs to great effect. The chillingly intriguing first trailer for the upcoming Ben Affleck thriller The Accountant uses an off-kilter Radiohead track. It works perfectly, the haunting refrain building and building as we witness a frenzied crescendo of images.
This trailer is a great example of how, even with only two and half minutes, great editors can tell a story. For the first minute or so, we don't really know what sort of movie this is. Is it a family drama? Is it a portrait of one man with autism? By the end of the trailer we know that it is both those things, but also a pulsating crime thriller too. Nice.
6. The Lego Batman Movie - 'Wayne Manor' Teaser Trailer #2
This trailer is structured brilliantly. Starting out with an introduction from Lego Batman himself, you'd have to be pretty churlish not to have a silly smile on your face immediately. Will Arnett plays this version of the Dark Knight as a douchey blowhard, and it's hilarious. The trailer then moves into meta jokes based on the previous live-action Batman films, which is inspired.
It also features Batman roundhouse kicking Alfred into Wayne Manor's grand piano, because he has such amazing reflexes. Obviously.
5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Trailer #1
Rogue One, the first ever spin-off movie set in the Star Wars universe, is going to be a behemoth. Everyone knows that. It's going to make all the money. Naturally, fans the world over were always going to go nuts over the trailers for the film. But, that doesn't mean that the trailer isn't still kick ass, even for those who aren't fans of the franchise!
This trailer shows how the movie has a distinctly different feel to any Star Wars movie we've seen before. It looks gritty and intense, like a war movie in space. Director Gareth Edwards looks to have a great handle on the action scenes, and the cast looks solid, despite having few star names.
Oh...and Darth Vader is in it at the end! Eeee!
4. Lights Out - Trailer #1
It's normally a good sign that a horror movie is going to be ace when even the freakin' trailer makes you nervous and sweaty with fear. The initial trailer for Lights Out is one of those trailers. From the first moments, in which we are shown a few glimpses of the movie's villain/monster/horrifying shadow woman, we know we're in for a scary ride. The trailer is cut to cause as much tension in the audience as possible. We defy any horror fan to not want to seek out this movie immediately after watching it.
Admittedly, an accusation could be leveled that they give too much of the plot away here, but we'll forgive that in this case. Because it's so goshdarned frightening, you understand.
3. Wonder Woman - Comic-Con 2016 Trailer
Coming out of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, we reckon that DC/Warner Brothers won the battle of the comic book movie trailers with Wonder Woman. Marvel's Doctor Strange was badass, for sure. And DC also unveiled a first look at Justice League much earlier than anyone anticipated. But Wonder Woman stole the show.
The trailer works like a dream. It's exciting, visually stunning, funny and action packed all at the same time. Gal Gadot and Chris Pine look like they have great chemistry and director Patty Jenkins has shot some gorgeous footage so far. We'll certainly be there opening weekend for this one.
2. Kong: Skull Island - Comic-Con 2016 Trailer
Wonder Woman may have won the comic book movie trailer wars at Comic-Con, but for our money, Kong: Skull Island was the very best trailer debuted at the event. Playing out like a horror movie on an impressively grand scale, the trailer makes us feverish with anticipation for the movie. The footage looks gorgeous, with sumptuous overhead shots of the intimidating Skull Island looking particularly amazing. The cast, which features Loki, Nick Fury and the soon-to-be Captain Marvel, make us believe in the terrified awe they are feeling throughout.
Oh, and that money shot at the end where we get our first hint at the sheer size and scale of this new version of King Kong? Take our money, Warners! Take it now!
1. Suicide Squad - Trailer #1
Our pick for the number one trailer of the year really shouldn't come as a surprise. Even if you hated Suicide Squad when the film was finally released and it turned out to be fun but choppily edited mess, few can deny the impact that the trailers had. They made the movie look like a spectacularly anarchic blast, exactly the kind of shot in the arm that DC movies needed.
Taking a page out of the Guardians Of The Galaxy marketing notebook, the first trailer featured the Queen song 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. It worked superbly well. Just try not to bang your head slightly and grin when that solo kicks in and we see the Squad in action on the screen.
Rumor has it that the company hired to cut this trailer was actually brought in to cut the movie itself, due to the trailer's popularity. Well, they did cut a hell of a trailer, to be fair...
Well, do you agree with our list? Should the trailer for Kevin Spacey's talking cat opus Nine Lives have been number one?! Let us know below.
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