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 Cliff Notes 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 Game (1997)

This clever teaser for The Game is so respected it even warranted its own special feature on the Criterion BluRay 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.

Missed my previous teaser reviews? Check out my look at Alien, Misery, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Showgirls, Jurassic Park, Jaws 3D/Jaws: The Revenge, Total Recall, Halloween II: Season of the Witch, In the Line of Fire