Top Ten Film Trailers Of All Time

Film trailers are a simple pleasure. For many people, going to the cinema is as much about the trailers as it is the main feature. Yet while many trailers spend far too much time explaining the plot of the whole film to the audience, there are some that stand out as being art forms in themselves. Counting down from ten, here are Screen-Watch’s best film trailers of all time.

10 – Spider-Man (2002)

The beginning of the major comic book movie craze that continues to this day, the Spider-Man trailer has all the right amounts of camp, action and comedy to set fans’ hearts a-flutter.

9 – Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

With just a couple of lines of dialogue, Spike Jonze’s Where The Wild Things Are trailer is quirky, warm, and full of young life.

8 – Goldeneye (1995)

In 1995 the James Bond franchise was in sore need of a facelift. The opening shots of this trailer let the audience know Bond was back, and he wasn’t messing around.

7 – Kick-Ass (2010)

Jam-packed full of energy, the high octane trailer for Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass was a breath of fresh air. Controversial, nitro-powered and above all funny, the box office figures did not do the film justice. You can read our interview with the editor of the film here.

6 – Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

It had been 16 years since the last instalment of Star Wars, and audiences were ready for a new one. Expectations were high following the release of the trailer – but the less said about the film itself the better.

5 – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The third trailer released for the finale of Christopher Nolan’s comic book sensation, this is a masterpiece of sound and music.

4 – Star Trek (2009)

After the flat swansong of the Next Generation cast in 2002 with Nemesis, fans and non-fans alike couldn’t dispute that we were in for a treat with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. The use of Two Steps From Hell‘s song Freedom Fighters is a perfect addition.

3 – The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

When Peter Jackson was announced as director for the presumed unfilmable Lord of the Rings trilogy, more than a few eyebrows were raised. This trailer put to rest any doubts, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2 – Man of Steel (2013)

Melancholy and beautiful, the soul-searching trailer of Christopher Nolan and Zach Snyder’s upcoming Superman film is near-perfect.

1 – Alien (1979)

Eerie. Dark. Terrifying. The science fiction/horror legend Alien has the greatest film trailer of all time. From the iconic music right down to the final tagline, it is a work of art in itself. Trailer editors of today could learn a lot from this masterpiece, from a time when innovative teasing was a lot more effective than simply revealing the entire film in two minutes.