Special Series · The Art of the Tease(rs)
The Game (1997)
I have a serious problem with movie trailers lately. It seems like nearly every preview that’s released is about 2:30 minutes long and gives away almost every aspect of the movie, acting more like a CliffsNotes version of the movie being advertised rather than something to entice an audience into coming back and seeing the full product.
In this day and age where all aspects of a movie are fairly well known before an inch of footage is seen, the subtlety of a well-crafted “teaser” trailer is totally gone…and I miss it…I miss it a lot. So I decided to go back to some of the teaser trailers I fondly remember and, in a way, reintroduce them. Whether the actual movie was good or bad is neither here nor there…but pay attention to how each of these teasers work in their own special way to grab the attention of movie-goers.
The One-Sheet
Lobby Card
Plot: For his birthday, a wealthy and emotionally closed-off investment banker gets an unusual gift from his estranged younger brother: entry into a mysterious company’s “game,” which soon starts to take over his life.
Released: September 12, 1997
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn, Peter Donat, Carroll Baker
Studio: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Box office: $48.3 million domestic, $109.4 million worldwide
Trivia:
- David Fincher made the teaser himself, built around a marionette shaking on its strings with only a brief shot of Michael Douglas. He wanted the marionette idea to carry through the whole campaign, but PolyGram went with a poster of puzzle pieces forming Douglas’s face.
- The teaser’s CG animation was overseen by digital animation supervisor Richard “Dr.” Baily, and Criterion’s 2012 Blu-ray includes the teaser plus a render test of its animation with his commentary.
The Taglines
Players wanted.
Why It Works
This clever teaser for The Game is so respected it even warranted its own special feature on the Criterion Blu-ray release of the film in 2012. Rendered by computer animation, it teases a film of manipulation where the main character is no longer in control of pulling the strings of his own life. Some may find that David Fincher’s 1997 puzzle box of a film loses something on repeated viewings once you know the twist but I find the movie a fascinating watch to see how it all comes together.
Written by Joe Botten
Joe Botten is The MN Movie Man, a Twin Cities film critic writing spoiler-free reviews since 2012. He also writes for Loud and Clear Reviews, a Rotten Tomatoes approved site. Find him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
Looking for something?
Search by actor, movie, director, genre or keyword.
Leave a Reply