5) Godzilla
One of the most divisive blockbusters of the summer has at least one thing moviegoers can agree on: an incredible and intense trailer. In fact, one of the main qualms many have with the film – the lack of a growling Bryan Cranston – was due to how the marketing foregrounded the Breaking Bad actor and his desperation regarding the carnage going on around him. However, why wouldn’t you use one of your film’s most valuable assets in the trailer?
Like Gareth Edwards’ film, this trailer only gives small glimpses of the titular creature. Some were unhappy with the lack of Godzilla in the final product, but its teases in this trailer make us want to pay $12 and see the monster in action. Unlike the quickly paced FX-heavy reels that often fill the last 30 seconds of action trailers, this one is more content to show various medium-length takes, of the destruction and then the human response to these mysterious occurrences.
The trailer anticipates the arrival of the monster. The makers of the ad take Steven Spielberg’s penchant for awestruck reaction shots (one that Edwards relied heavily on in the final product) and inserts plenty of them to show the scale of the production and build excitement for the reveals that come ahead. Haunting hymns pulsating throughout the trailer only escalate our interest even more.
After seeing this trailer, it became almost inevitable that the final product was going to disappoint a great many people.
