Around this time last year, I had a look at the trailers we’d seen for the year ahead, and ranked them in order of how good they were. Since we’ve had most of the trailers for the big releases in 2016, I’m doing the same again this year! Just to clarify, this isn’t a most anticipated list, and this probably won’t be the order of how good these films will be (last year I put the?Tomorrowland?trailer at number 1…), it’s simply judging?the trailers as they are.
11 – Warcraft
There’s a lot riding on the shoulders of this film, and while there are few people who want this film to be as good as I do, this trailer doesn’t help things very much. It’s sure to alienate general audiences, and considering this film’s main selling point is the high-tech visuals, it didn’t look as good as?it should.
10 – Star Trek: Beyond
This trailer for the other J.J. Abrams space franchise really had very little to offer. With a strange choice of music, no real indication of what the story might be, and us not getting a good look at Idris Elba’s new villain, this feels like a missed opportunity.
9 – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
If this was a list of best first halves of a trailer, this one might just be at number one. As it is, this spoilerific ruinfest is right near the bottom. The trailer works as a miniature three act film, with us seeing the introduction, the conflict, and the resolution all right here in the trailer. There are still some cool things here, but this trailer epitomizes everything that’s wrong with modern trailers.
8 – Independence Day: Resurgence
Nobody’s expecting much from this film, let alone this trailer, which?no doubt worked in favour of our first look at?Independence Day: Resurgence,?but it still failed to show us anything particularly exciting, instead relying on nostalgia to sell the film.
7 – X-Men: Apocalypse
After the incredible success of?X-Men: Days of Future Past,?I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed by the first trailer for?Apocalypse.?There were still some good moments (a bald James McAvoy anybody?), but overall it left me, and other people, a little bit let down.
6 – Suicide Squad
We weren’t actually supposed to see this trailer when we did, but when it leaked online Warner Brothers had no choice but to reveal it to the world. Because it was released so far from the actual release date of the film, we didn’t get to see too much footage, but what we did see was fairly promising, especially that look at Jared Leto’s Joker!
5 – The Jungle Book
A lot of people saw more footage from this film at comic con, and were a bit disappointed with the trailer we were finally presented with, but for those of us that hadn’t seen that footage this was a really good trailer. It hints at a lot of bigger things to come, and shows just enough to get us excited.
4 – The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Despite the fact that this is a sequel to a film most people (including myself) didn’t really like, this trailer did a lot to undo the bad reputation Kristen Stewart worked so hard for. With some great visuals, this trailer does well to show off its ensemble cast.
3 – Deadpool
This trailer shows just how far comic book movies have come, with?Deadpool?being one of the most faithful adaptations of all time, and that’s just in a two-minute trailer. Good humour, good action, and some all important braking of the fourth wall.
2 – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Even though it’s just a sneak peek, this first trailer is fantastically (pun intended) put together. I’m not a huge?Harry Potter?fan, but hearing that music and seeing some of the unmistakable visuals got me excited so return to this world once again.
1 – Captain America: Civil War
Quite simply everything about this trailer works. It shows a good amount of story without ruining any major plot points, shows some cool shots without making us wish we hadn’t seen them, and leaves you wanting so much more. Hopefully the actual film can live up to the trailer!
What’s your favourite trailer for any upcoming film in 2016? Do you agree with our rankings? Share your thoughts in the comments.
