When I recently went to the theater, I was actually shocked that a movie poster caught my attention as much as it did: Alien Romulus. The poster feels like a beautiful homage to the original Alien poster while still taking on a modern style in a very vibrant, eye-catching red. It's one of the few posters that really sticks in my mind with its simplicity compared to a lot of the same-y ensemble or actor focused ones
If you're interested, my channel is entirely dedicated to talking about movie posters! Mostly reacting to new ones (occasionally there are some gems), but I will have more videos talking about older posters too!
I saw the movie, and while it's a little wonky. The cinematography is GREAT. Like it does have some modern aspects to it, but there are moments where it;s like This is Alien.
I said to my younger brother that after alien Romulus is out of theaters I'll be trying to get an official poster and that's the first poster I've wanted since Sweeney Todd
Growing up I loved reading "A series of unfortunate events" and the covers were always fun to stare at and imagine what was gonna happen in the book before reading it.
I grew up with the UK editions which are mostly the same but a few books have different cover art. The 2004 film too I quite like the poster. It really displays Olaf chasing the children, how he looms over their lives.
Definitely. That’s why it’s so important to support actual artists these days! I touched on it a bit at the end of the video but didn’t mention A.I. specifically. I agree with you. It’s concerning how much they want us to accept it and I wouldn’t be shocked if we start seeing posters, covers, and more marketing using A.I. in the place of artists. Thanks for bringing it up here!
its already begun (albeit for shitty indie movies). i was scrolling on the... seven seas if you will, and saw the ugliest most generic ass poster of some lame ass horror movie and it was so obviously ai generated that i felt genuine anger
This is why I’m so grateful to Letterboxd for having a “Change Poster” feature. So many of my favorite films have some of the ugliest, most uninspired poster designs imaginable. I will say studios like NEON and A24 that specialize in producing independent cinema have been on a strong kick when it comes to poster design. Spencer, Pearl, Moonlight, Parasite, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Under the Silver Lake, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Anatomy of a Fall feature some of my favorite poster designs of all time. It’s mostly the big budget studio films that rely on boring corporate floating head posters to sell the stars of the movie rather than its content. It’s a shame really.
Likewise! Love the change poster feature. If you're interested, my channel is entirely dedicated to talking about movie posters! Mostly reacting to new ones (occasionally there are some gems), but I will have more videos talking about older posters too!
A solid game poster can be as impactful. Ive still had the same Super Smash Bros Brawl poster hanging in my room since I got the game in 2008. And my favorite character isnt even on it. Its that much of a great poster.
While it's not technically "official promotional art", I tend to be drawn to movies/shows/games because of fanart I see online. I constantly see incredible works made by fans that immediately make me interested in the piece of media (most of the time they're even better than the actual official promotional poster) It's how I've discovered so many new things that I likely never would have found on my own
The thing I hate most about ensemble cast posters, is the names are almost never in the same order as the actors. The names are in importance/popularity order, but then the cast are in whatever arrangement is aesthetically pleasing. It just bothers me so much 😂
I am personally not bothered by this at all, but I think this being something that people notice these days thanks to “floating head” posters that essentially act as lists of actors faces. Since higher billed actors often have more important roles in films their faces will start from the center with most important to least important as you move outward. Actual billing is then put on top of the poster design with actual billing order. The end result is a poster that has two lists of the cast, one that is their names in billing order, and one that is their faces with the lead role in the center and supporting cast behind them. The order of billing has always been done completely separate from the design of the poster, and I’d assume if you look back at older posters, for example the original Star Wars trilogy, you would likely not be bothered by this as the posters themselves offer something other than just the actors’ faces, and the billing is clearly not a part of the design of the poster.
I never saw the film in theaters, but the Prince of Egypt's theatrical poster makes me wish I experienced it on the big screen. It's so simple, yet so imaginative and emblematic of what the plot and themes will be about.
The thought came to me when you asked the question "When was the last time you took a chance on the cover alone" I hope I quoted you correctly. My issue is, when i go to my film shop or book shop, Everything is put on its side. We only see the title or a splash of colour. We don't get to see the cover of any of these films, books or games unless they have paid for it or if they have recently won an award. A book grabbed my attention from across the room because it was facing out, when everything else was stacked just like my books at home. All the points you made were great, a good video and open discussion but I would take the chance if the display of these shops were open and inviting to all of it contents.
I really like the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild posters and box art. While it has Link standing there holding a weapon, he is standing in front of the whole kingdom. The castle looks menacing, the towers look interesting, and the wide open sky gives me the feeling of something majestic. While I didn't pick up the game because of the cover, I still REALLY like it.
Yeah, that was probably the best opening to a game I’ve ever played. The way the music swells as you reach the edge of the cliff to overlook the castle in the far distance, you can almost see the entire game from just that view (Gerudo Desert is behind you). Hyrule Castle is the main focus, but then Death Mountain looming in the background and the mountains of Hebra and Lanayru to either side of it.
I don't go out of my way to watch movie trailers, like on UA-cam or wherever, but I go to the theater pretty often and definitely choose what I'm going to see next based on trailers that play in front of what I'm seeing. Thanks to that, I was one of the dozen people that actually saw _The Menu_ in a theater, since the trailer played ahead of _Trick 'r Treat_ when that got a theatrical run a couple years ago
One of my favorite movie posters is 1978s "Death on the Nile". It's an ensemble cast but it works because it's showing the suspects over an pyramid shape with an image of Tutankhamun who is holding a gun and knife
My favorite is Army of Darkness. Perfectly captures the unique and delightful tone of the film. There's so many good ones out there though. It's just as wonderful an art form as the scores, if you ask me! Good video btw. Enjoyed it quite a bit.
It's ironic that posters since the 2000s trended towards highlighting movie stars, when some could argue this was when the 'movie star' began to die... Maybe an element of grasping at straws
I work at a bookstore and good covers are so hard to come by I literally run around showing coworkers when we get them The Other Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker & The Night House by Jo Nebsø are two that definetly stick out
the main Mission: Impossible posters are so dead, but honestly i LOVE the alternate cool red and black ones. I wish the main ones weren't so ass but at least we have those cool other ones, just a shame they aren't pushed more
this was such a good video!! i loved how it just kept delving deeper and into new directions but still with the same throughline. now i can link this to my friends and start some real RANTS haha
i cheered out loud when you said goosebumps during the book covers section like YES. YES. i used to be fucking ENAMORED with goosebumps covers, specifically the older ones that had that solid colour border like oohh mama thats some good shit. my favourite was Stay Out Of The Basement (which is funny cus i grew up to find out i have something of a non-sexual hand fetish lmao)
Weirdly enough, the thing that's drawn me towards movies (and not movies from franchises that I'm already familiar with and wanted to see): are the scores. The majority of the movies I've randomly came across and wanted to hunt down to watch, as of the last couple years, were a result of me getting hooked on a specific composer, coming across a good soundtrack from them with some intriguing or sometimes downright awesome looking cover art, and that's that. Jerry Goldsmith has been an introduction to a quite a few movies for me as of recent. And on a slightly unrelated note: two of my favorite movie posters are Army of Darkness and Matinee.
Hey great video. Part of me does wonder how much two things come into play with this. One being nostalgia, I would argue for a lot of people, seeing the poster as the front of the VHS and seeing them every time there is a visit to the video store is a strong and potent feeling. Even more so as the video store, I know, was my happy place. The other component is the "quality floats" thing, like when people think music used to be a lot better, but there's decades and decades of filter to strain out the forgettable and bolster the positive. And I think that plays out true with posters too, in that there are a LOT of mostly forgettable posters from every decade that don't even warrant a look in, but the awesome stuff stays on top and becomes the standard of the time instead of seen as the high points of a sea of mid and bad. I will also say that so far all of Jordan Peel's posters have been outstanding. Subbed.
It's funny how I watched the whole video and realised about 2 minutes before it ended "I watched some nerd who complains and explains about good and bad movie posters for 33 minutes" Then I realised that it's like someone put a mirror in front of me because that kind of topics is all I talk about in privat and online all the time. I watched those 33 minutes because I felt the exact same passion in you that I have. A video that is not about getting views, subs or likes, a video that is not about the money that can be earned with, a video that is just about a real stinging pain in your heart, a loss we haven't been ready for and will never be ready for
I tend to look at posters that show up on the r/movies reddit if I don't recognize the title and there has been a growing number of excellent, artistic posters being made for smaller films that really makes me hopeful that this might be turning a corner
one of the best recent posters I've seen is the poster for "The Zone of Interest." Brilliantly shows the world outside the house in complete blackness; thus, demonstrating the way the characters view the death camp right next to their home.
The Blu-Ray cover for Bliss (2019) and the original teaser poster for The Rental (2020) are the only two times I’ve bought a movie (ticket) based solely off the promotional artwork!
Wonderful video, I've been fascinated with movie posters and saddened by the fact that it's kind of a dying art form for a while. This movie was a real treat, here's some of my favorite posters in no particular order: American Psycho, both the one with the knife and the close up of his face Midsommar The Witch Suzume Pretty much any Studio Ghibli film I'm not sure how much it counts but I really like the Adventure Time box sets art, each season has a different character on the cover and you can flip them open to reveal more of them Edit: forgot to mention it but Perfect Blue, that movie rules and the poster is gorgeous
A good recent poster that's so so good is Alien Romulus imho And ironically I believe that while a lot of book covers all look the same, at the same time we've never had so many great covers like If We Were Villains, all the Wayward Children covers, A Darker Shade of Magic, Babel, the Cosmere books all have an old flair with a contemporary artistic view
My favourite poster is Twister (1996), i love the dark forboding nature of the tornado captured on grainy film with the murky brown dust around it, the matte black background and especially the font, it's windswept, it's violent, it's angry, the one with the red text makes it feel dangerous. Whereas with the recent sequel, it's bland, it's grey, the people are looking the wrong way and the font feels tamer with its positioning, it needs that black background and dark atmosphere to feel forboding, it just doesn't respect the wind. I did like the use of the font in its marketing especially with the trailer giving it that brown dusty windy text, i just wish they used that brown murkiness in the poster, it just sold the danger of a tornado more to me than the poster we got. I also liked the teaser poster for dune (2021) with just the planet arrakis spliced with the sand dunes, that was cool, the official poster made me want to vomit.
Mine are A.I. Artificial Intelligence and The Prince of Egypt. Their posters feature human silhouettes, emphasizing that the movie is about someone's life or human nature. I also like the ones for Silence of the Lambs and Jurassic Park, which feature iconic animals. Also The Godfather (you've gotta love the fact that amidst the darkness and Corleone's foreboding stare, there's a cat just chilling on his lap). Edit: As for something more recent, del Toro's Pinocchio comes to mind, both versions. The close-up of Pinocchio's face in that orange light accurately depicts the warmth and lighting seen throughout the film. 🙂
Just to answer your question of the last thing that I watched PURELY off the cover artwork: Hundred's of Beavers (2024). Ended up being one of the better choices I've made in movies lately, hilarious silent(ish) black/white slapstick comedy, if anyone still likes looney toons I'd say give it a shot!
I will say I really did like the Deadpool & Wolverine poster. Simple and clean. And of course the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice poster. Modern remix of the iconic original one
Personally my favorite posters are the Godzilla posters for the heisei Era and Millennium era legit they are works of art the Godzilla versus mechagodzilla poster just looks so cool
“Whats your favorite movie poster?” I dunno dude I’m too young to remember the good ones (I was born in 2002) and it’s fucking depressing that I actually wouldn’t be able to think of one unless you showed me some to refresh my memory
I love the old TRON poster, and the TRON Legacy one that has *only* Sam and Quorra is also good since yeah it's a reference to the original but also doesn't have the clutter of some of the other posters that come up if you search.
5:23 one of the funniest tidbits about the Forbidden Planet poster is how clickbait it is. The robot in the poster is really a passive character in the movie. He's the chillest dude, meanwhile the poster looks like he's the main villain.
I mean it seems like horror movies and bollywood (and other east Asian films) seem to have the best posters now. The poster for pearl is a really good throw back as well has the stark Alien: Romulus poster is really effective. Us, Nope, and get out all have great posters that get recontextualized thru the film itself. But man, Indian film posters run on some serious dream logic editing that just gives so much energy.
cant belive you only have 25k! I loved this video and it really inspired me to try using more cover art as references for promotional materials of my stuff
Ooof!!! Good call on this video, it absolutely spoke to the very core of my soul! I 100% agree with everything you mentioned, marketing Art for everything from movies to games to books have definitely been watered down to a level of utter sameness. Hell, when I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be a movie poster artist like Drew Struzan so bad, that I literally spent months trying to nail his style down. Also, the excitement I used to get from teaser posters like that of Batman 1989, and games like Street Fighter and Megan Man is lost to me today when coming across the new stuff.
17:09 Mason you’re kind of ignoring that those weren’t the only Jurassic World posters released. Each film’s initial poster matched the OG Trilogy’s minimal logo design. Jurassic World was chrome on black, Fallen Kingdom’s was broken stone on black & hints of volcanic ash, & Dominion’s changed it up with a single circular amber around the T. rex image. Fallen Kingdom in particular had many individual posters released that were excellent including one I mentioned: a full dinosaurs poster. Of course to your point I think its very odd that all the physical media for the Jurassic World movies gave them the “ugly” posters as the covers. Only Dominion’s I feel works. Even as the die hard Jurassic fan that I am (Fallen Kingdom is the best one Mason, dont @ me), I dislike that wider marketing uses these posters that I feel dont properly represent the movies.
As someone who just started learning digital design, this video was great for me. Especially since one of the first lectures showed how the original Star Wars poster uses the rule of thirds lol. So while my degree is more focused on animation, I am now very motivated to be part of a greater future of artistic marketing
Its been a long time since I've watched such a chill video that gives me insight into a world I didn't really think much about before, but that I now want to interact with by buying a movie poster or two.
Great video! My favorite movie poster is for the movie Dracula Has Risen from the Grave which I never even watched but I think the design is just brilliant, the pink colored band-aid on the girls neck is a brilliant design
The Dark Crystal poster at 30:01 is my favourite. I even got the movie on VHS and I HAD to get the cover with the green border around it, it's so good.
The poster for 'Challengers' is a modern one (as in, within this year) that I think is pretty good. Gets the general point/vibe of the movie through without actually spoiling anything.
Illustrator and (former) bookstore employee here! That pic you showed from your friend of the Romcom table gave me war flashbacks. The theory I've developed regarding books specifically is that publishers worry about the book being "taken seriously." The genres you most often see standout covers for these days are consistently sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and YA - all genres that are (at least critically) considered "less impressive" than general fiction or nonfiction. It also costs less money to slap some stock images on the cover than pay an illustrator to draw something from scratch (I would know!). Most damning are the situations where you see a book released with an excellent cover, and upon being picked up by a bigger publisher, suddenly it looks like trash. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson is a great example; I'll NEVER forgive them for getting rid of the stunning cover drawn by Marlowe Lune. :) TL;DR, love the video!!!! You nailed all your points here I think - let's hope for a poster/cover renaissance in the near future.
One that has stuck with me was Transformers 2007. Not the one that shows boys and humans, the one with Optimus Primes left eye looming over the Earth, with the tagline "Their war. Our world." Love it.
It’s so strange because some of the newer book covers, the ones i grew up with being a bit younger, are actually quite iconic in my eyes. The cover of dune or other remasters and new book covers are deeply ingrained in my mind. Not that older covers were not better, but just a perspective that the newer book covers are also surprisingly iconic.
Fantastic, loved every second. I'm about to go into my last year at university and I'm studying illustration. My dream is to create an illustration for a film poster one day so I hope I can get the chance in an over saturated trend dependant market
Where this still is the case today is boardgames. Many of them are incredibly beautiful. Great artwork. And many times I just bought one just based on the box.
The Zone of Interest's poster kicked a**. The posters for Kinds of Kindness, Parasite, Poor Things, and Civil War were all solid, too. I.e., when I think of the movie, I can see the poster. And while I was one of the few who did not like Anatomy of a Fall, it's poster was fantastic.
4:44 awww never would've expected Way Down East! ❤ But the movie is one of my favourites and the poster is stunning, I always thought of getting one for my wall
I rarely let poster or cover art determine what I watched. I would consult reviewers whose opinions I valued due to their intelligent understanding of film, and of film history. That said, of the posters you've shown here, I think the original Blade Runner poster is my favorite. I agree that newish posters all look like they're phoned in by hacks working for the Lifetime Network or the Hallmark Channel. Bland as hell. Your average Redbox display always was full of that crap.
Haven’t started the video, but my answer to “what’s your favorite movie poster” is DEFINITELY The Thing. I have it hanging on my wall. It’s one of those designs that doesn’t make sense until watching the film-it almost looks like the Captain Cutler from Scooby Doo tbh-but then you realize it’s a man in a winter coat, face shrouded in an otherworldly glow.
A little note-the next and supposedly last Mission:Impossible isn’t going to be Dead Reckoning part 2 now due to Dead Reckoning falling short at the box office. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Amazing video bro. Keep it up. Love seeing NakeyJakey mentioned!
On the subject of cool book covers, Grady Hendrix published an excellent book, "Paperbacks From Hell," that's a fantastic retrospective on retro horror fiction and its beautiful cover art.
Some more recent posters that I really liked were of Stranger Things season 4 the "X Billy Butcher." Each episode got it's own poster, and I loved the designs!!!
As Above So Below, The Hallow, The VVitch, Krampus, The Love Witch, and Malignant are some of my top favorite posters from the last 10 years. All horror.
Hey!! This video reached Brazil (I mean, my fy page haha) and I had so much fun watching it!! I really think you should also check out some brazilian movie posters as well cuz there’s also some really cool ones!! Another topic surrounding this idea of “posters” - would also be talking abt some cool album covers :) if someday you make a video abt it, I’d gladly watch it as well!
About my favourite recent-ish poster, it has to be one for the Hunger games - Catching Fire. I only saw it in germany, but idk if it got released elsewhere as well. But basically it shows the top of a mountain, Katniss standing on top of it, looking into the distance. On first glance it is very simple, with nice warm colors from a rising or setting sun. On second glance you notice that the clouds behind her immitate wings, resembling her role as a savior to the people of Panem, as well as the Mockingjay, a fictional animal shes associated with. I adore that poster. As for older movies, I probably lean towards the Suspiria posters, even the ones for the remake. The colors pop, the strange fonts make you kinda aware that something strange is to expect from these movies. Collage style is also in my opinion the closest to body horror you can't show without body horror. Paper can be cut and ripped, nobody cares. But if body parts are printed on it, it becomes lowkey sinister...
the cars 3 poster in which mcqueen is mid crash. peak
It's almost similar to Iron Man 3 teaser poster which goes hard.
When I recently went to the theater, I was actually shocked that a movie poster caught my attention as much as it did: Alien Romulus. The poster feels like a beautiful homage to the original Alien poster while still taking on a modern style in a very vibrant, eye-catching red. It's one of the few posters that really sticks in my mind with its simplicity compared to a lot of the same-y ensemble or actor focused ones
Yes! That’s exactly what I thought when he asked for a “modern poster”
If you're interested, my channel is entirely dedicated to talking about movie posters! Mostly reacting to new ones (occasionally there are some gems), but I will have more videos talking about older posters too!
@@TheMoviePosterFanClub I’ll definitely check that out
I saw the movie, and while it's a little wonky. The cinematography is GREAT. Like it does have some modern aspects to it, but there are moments where it;s like This is Alien.
I said to my younger brother that after alien Romulus is out of theaters I'll be trying to get an official poster and that's the first poster I've wanted since Sweeney Todd
The best posters tell you everything without showing nothing ❤
Even better is "The best posters tell you everything without showing _Everything_ "
In my opinion it's the best posters tell you who the characters are and nothing more than that
Movie posters, like album covers, provided an outlet for so much inventive and memorable graphic design.
Growing up I loved reading "A series of unfortunate events" and the covers were always fun to stare at and imagine what was gonna happen in the book before reading it.
Ah I loved those covers! That art style is so memorable.
I grew up with the UK editions which are mostly the same but a few books have different cover art.
The 2004 film too I quite like the poster. It really displays Olaf chasing the children, how he looms over their lives.
I felt the same about goosebumps
Are you (like me) worried about the advent of using AI generation for future movie posters? I wouldn’t put it past movie studios nowadays…
Definitely. That’s why it’s so important to support actual artists these days! I touched on it a bit at the end of the video but didn’t mention A.I. specifically. I agree with you. It’s concerning how much they want us to accept it and I wouldn’t be shocked if we start seeing posters, covers, and more marketing using A.I. in the place of artists.
Thanks for bringing it up here!
its already begun (albeit for shitty indie movies). i was scrolling on the... seven seas if you will, and saw the ugliest most generic ass poster of some lame ass horror movie and it was so obviously ai generated that i felt genuine anger
That wouldn't really be a meaningful departure from the bland posters he talked about.
My fave poster has to be The Thing. It's so eerie and cool!
But my fav trend is FANS of the franchise making their version of the promo posters
This is why I’m so grateful to Letterboxd for having a “Change Poster” feature. So many of my favorite films have some of the ugliest, most uninspired poster designs imaginable. I will say studios like NEON and A24 that specialize in producing independent cinema have been on a strong kick when it comes to poster design. Spencer, Pearl, Moonlight, Parasite, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Under the Silver Lake, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Anatomy of a Fall feature some of my favorite poster designs of all time. It’s mostly the big budget studio films that rely on boring corporate floating head posters to sell the stars of the movie rather than its content. It’s a shame really.
Likewise! Love the change poster feature. If you're interested, my channel is entirely dedicated to talking about movie posters! Mostly reacting to new ones (occasionally there are some gems), but I will have more videos talking about older posters too!
I think Criterion has amongst the best covers ever.
70s japanese posters go so hard
I liked that you mentioned vid games and books. When popular book series change their covers every few years. They look so cool
A solid game poster can be as impactful. Ive still had the same Super Smash Bros Brawl poster hanging in my room since I got the game in 2008. And my favorite character isnt even on it. Its that much of a great poster.
@@JurassicLion2049 yeah and other covers like red dead 2, kingdom hearts, botw
@@JurassicLion2049FOR REAL, THE GAME COVER GOES CRAZY!!!!!
While it's not technically "official promotional art", I tend to be drawn to movies/shows/games because of fanart I see online. I constantly see incredible works made by fans that immediately make me interested in the piece of media (most of the time they're even better than the actual official promotional poster) It's how I've discovered so many new things that I likely never would have found on my own
The thing I hate most about ensemble cast posters, is the names are almost never in the same order as the actors. The names are in importance/popularity order, but then the cast are in whatever arrangement is aesthetically pleasing. It just bothers me so much 😂
I am personally not bothered by this at all, but I think this being something that people notice these days thanks to “floating head” posters that essentially act as lists of actors faces. Since higher billed actors often have more important roles in films their faces will start from the center with most important to least important as you move outward. Actual billing is then put on top of the poster design with actual billing order. The end result is a poster that has two lists of the cast, one that is their names in billing order, and one that is their faces with the lead role in the center and supporting cast behind them.
The order of billing has always been done completely separate from the design of the poster, and I’d assume if you look back at older posters, for example the original Star Wars trilogy, you would likely not be bothered by this as the posters themselves offer something other than just the actors’ faces, and the billing is clearly not a part of the design of the poster.
One Missed Call, and Final Destination 3. Absolutely haunting posters. Shaun of the Dead was also a great one.
Ngl I feel like we're starting to step out of the floating heads poster. Deadpool 3, Trap, Alien and some more have done a fantastic job recently
I never saw the film in theaters, but the Prince of Egypt's theatrical poster makes me wish I experienced it on the big screen. It's so simple, yet so imaginative and emblematic of what the plot and themes will be about.
Alien: Romulus, It, and La La Land gotta be the best recent movie posters I can think of off the top of my head.
I also liked those a lot. I’m also a fan of The Batman poster where it’s his dark silhouette in the red background
Which Romulus poster? I reviewed one of them on my poster review channel
@@TheMoviePosterFanClub the red one with the face grabber
What about the ones from A24 movies like; everything everywhere all at once, pearl, midsommar, the witch, florida project
I would argue Blade Runner 2049's poster hurt its ticket sales
The thought came to me when you asked the question "When was the last time you took a chance on the cover alone" I hope I quoted you correctly. My issue is, when i go to my film shop or book shop, Everything is put on its side. We only see the title or a splash of colour. We don't get to see the cover of any of these films, books or games unless they have paid for it or if they have recently won an award. A book grabbed my attention from across the room because it was facing out, when everything else was stacked just like my books at home.
All the points you made were great, a good video and open discussion but I would take the chance if the display of these shops were open and inviting to all of it contents.
I really like the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild posters and box art. While it has Link standing there holding a weapon, he is standing in front of the whole kingdom. The castle looks menacing, the towers look interesting, and the wide open sky gives me the feeling of something majestic. While I didn't pick up the game because of the cover, I still REALLY like it.
Yeah, that was probably the best opening to a game I’ve ever played. The way the music swells as you reach the edge of the cliff to overlook the castle in the far distance, you can almost see the entire game from just that view (Gerudo Desert is behind you). Hyrule Castle is the main focus, but then Death Mountain looming in the background and the mountains of Hebra and Lanayru to either side of it.
And then the European version had to fuck it up by making Link look at the viewer.
I don't go out of my way to watch movie trailers, like on UA-cam or wherever, but I go to the theater pretty often and definitely choose what I'm going to see next based on trailers that play in front of what I'm seeing.
Thanks to that, I was one of the dozen people that actually saw _The Menu_ in a theater, since the trailer played ahead of _Trick 'r Treat_ when that got a theatrical run a couple years ago
One of my favorite movie posters is 1978s "Death on the Nile". It's an ensemble cast but it works because it's showing the suspects over an pyramid shape with an image of Tutankhamun who is holding a gun and knife
I saw that in a theater when it came out. I just looked at the poster and scored 100 percent naming the cast faces.
My favorite is Army of Darkness. Perfectly captures the unique and delightful tone of the film. There's so many good ones out there though. It's just as wonderful an art form as the scores, if you ask me!
Good video btw. Enjoyed it quite a bit.
I was recommended this by the algorithm and I have to say you put on a very informed and thoughtful presentation.
It's ironic that posters since the 2000s trended towards highlighting movie stars, when some could argue this was when the 'movie star' began to die... Maybe an element of grasping at straws
I work at a bookstore and good covers are so hard to come by I literally run around showing coworkers when we get them
The Other Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker & The Night House by Jo Nebsø are two that definetly stick out
I looked up Mrs. Wood to see for myself, and it's telling that although 3 different covers came up, I knew exactly which one you meant.
Seeing a ton of random posters in here that make me want to watch movies that I've never even heard of. 'Nuff said.
The Once Upon A Time in Hollywood poster is great
the main Mission: Impossible posters are so dead, but honestly i LOVE the alternate cool red and black ones. I wish the main ones weren't so ass but at least we have those cool other ones, just a shame they aren't pushed more
I got a red and black Fallout poster from my movie theater. It’s framed and on my wall. It’s kinda minimalist but still cool
this was such a good video!! i loved how it just kept delving deeper and into new directions but still with the same throughline. now i can link this to my friends and start some real RANTS haha
Hold still I’m trying to read your hat. 😂
my favorite recent film poster is The Shape of Water, its so beautiful and haunting.
i cheered out loud when you said goosebumps during the book covers section like YES. YES. i used to be fucking ENAMORED with goosebumps covers, specifically the older ones that had that solid colour border like oohh mama thats some good shit. my favourite was Stay Out Of The Basement (which is funny cus i grew up to find out i have something of a non-sexual hand fetish lmao)
Weirdly enough, the thing that's drawn me towards movies (and not movies from franchises that I'm already familiar with and wanted to see): are the scores. The majority of the movies I've randomly came across and wanted to hunt down to watch, as of the last couple years, were a result of me getting hooked on a specific composer, coming across a good soundtrack from them with some intriguing or sometimes downright awesome looking cover art, and that's that. Jerry Goldsmith has been an introduction to a quite a few movies for me as of recent.
And on a slightly unrelated note: two of my favorite movie posters are Army of Darkness and Matinee.
Hey great video. Part of me does wonder how much two things come into play with this. One being nostalgia, I would argue for a lot of people, seeing the poster as the front of the VHS and seeing them every time there is a visit to the video store is a strong and potent feeling. Even more so as the video store, I know, was my happy place.
The other component is the "quality floats" thing, like when people think music used to be a lot better, but there's decades and decades of filter to strain out the forgettable and bolster the positive. And I think that plays out true with posters too, in that there are a LOT of mostly forgettable posters from every decade that don't even warrant a look in, but the awesome stuff stays on top and becomes the standard of the time instead of seen as the high points of a sea of mid and bad.
I will also say that so far all of Jordan Peel's posters have been outstanding.
Subbed.
It's funny how I watched the whole video and realised about 2 minutes before it ended "I watched some nerd who complains and explains about good and bad movie posters for 33 minutes"
Then I realised that it's like someone put a mirror in front of me because that kind of topics is all I talk about in privat and online all the time. I watched those 33 minutes because I felt the exact same passion in you that I have.
A video that is not about getting views, subs or likes, a video that is not about the money that can be earned with, a video that is just about a real stinging pain in your heart, a loss we haven't been ready for and will never be ready for
I tend to look at posters that show up on the r/movies reddit if I don't recognize the title and there has been a growing number of excellent, artistic posters being made for smaller films that really makes me hopeful that this might be turning a corner
one of the best recent posters I've seen is the poster for "The Zone of Interest." Brilliantly shows the world outside the house in complete blackness; thus, demonstrating the way the characters view the death camp right next to their home.
The Blu-Ray cover for Bliss (2019) and the original teaser poster for The Rental (2020) are the only two times I’ve bought a movie (ticket) based solely off the promotional artwork!
4:41 up until around 2008, in Thailand artists painted giant versions of the posters for the billboards outside. It's a lost art. I kind of liked it.
Wonderful video, I've been fascinated with movie posters and saddened by the fact that it's kind of a dying art form for a while. This movie was a real treat, here's some of my favorite posters in no particular order:
American Psycho, both the one with the knife and the close up of his face
Midsommar
The Witch
Suzume
Pretty much any Studio Ghibli film
I'm not sure how much it counts but I really like the Adventure Time box sets art, each season has a different character on the cover and you can flip them open to reveal more of them
Edit: forgot to mention it but Perfect Blue, that movie rules and the poster is gorgeous
A good recent poster that's so so good is Alien Romulus imho
And ironically I believe that while a lot of book covers all look the same, at the same time we've never had so many great covers like If We Were Villains, all the Wayward Children covers, A Darker Shade of Magic, Babel, the Cosmere books all have an old flair with a contemporary artistic view
Great video! The stone lithographic experience of looking at an early cinema poster (pre ww2) is unlike anything else
My favourite poster is Twister (1996), i love the dark forboding nature of the tornado captured on grainy film with the murky brown dust around it, the matte black background and especially the font, it's windswept, it's violent, it's angry, the one with the red text makes it feel dangerous. Whereas with the recent sequel, it's bland, it's grey, the people are looking the wrong way and the font feels tamer with its positioning, it needs that black background and dark atmosphere to feel forboding, it just doesn't respect the wind. I did like the use of the font in its marketing especially with the trailer giving it that brown dusty windy text, i just wish they used that brown murkiness in the poster, it just sold the danger of a tornado more to me than the poster we got. I also liked the teaser poster for dune (2021) with just the planet arrakis spliced with the sand dunes, that was cool, the official poster made me want to vomit.
I think there are still people that make great posters because imax posters are almost always perfect imo.
Mine are A.I. Artificial Intelligence and The Prince of Egypt. Their posters feature human silhouettes, emphasizing that the movie is about someone's life or human nature. I also like the ones for Silence of the Lambs and Jurassic Park, which feature iconic animals. Also The Godfather (you've gotta love the fact that amidst the darkness and Corleone's foreboding stare, there's a cat just chilling on his lap).
Edit: As for something more recent, del Toro's Pinocchio comes to mind, both versions. The close-up of Pinocchio's face in that orange light accurately depicts the warmth and lighting seen throughout the film. 🙂
Just to answer your question of the last thing that I watched PURELY off the cover artwork: Hundred's of Beavers (2024). Ended up being one of the better choices I've made in movies lately, hilarious silent(ish) black/white slapstick comedy, if anyone still likes looney toons I'd say give it a shot!
Horror movies have been killing it lately in the poster game:
Longlegs
The First Omen
The Substance
I will say I really did like the Deadpool & Wolverine poster. Simple and clean. And of course the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice poster. Modern remix of the iconic original one
Personally my favorite posters are the Godzilla posters for the heisei Era and Millennium era legit they are works of art the Godzilla versus mechagodzilla poster just looks so cool
As an alternative movie poster artist, this video is a blessing! Thank you for that!
I would like to know your take on album cover art and how it's evolved.
First of your videos that I've seen and it's an instant subscribe from me :3 Love your Sonic hat too!
Original Evil Dead, My Darling Clementine and Rocketeer are brilliant
“Whats your favorite movie poster?”
I dunno dude I’m too young to remember the good ones (I was born in 2002) and it’s fucking depressing that I actually wouldn’t be able to think of one unless you showed me some to refresh my memory
I love the old TRON poster, and the TRON Legacy one that has *only* Sam and Quorra is also good since yeah it's a reference to the original but also doesn't have the clutter of some of the other posters that come up if you search.
5:23 one of the funniest tidbits about the Forbidden Planet poster is how clickbait it is. The robot in the poster is really a passive character in the movie. He's the chillest dude, meanwhile the poster looks like he's the main villain.
Hundreds of Beavers is the best movie poster I can think of that came out in 2022.
I mean it seems like horror movies and bollywood (and other east Asian films) seem to have the best posters now. The poster for pearl is a really good throw back as well has the stark Alien: Romulus poster is really effective. Us, Nope, and get out all have great posters that get recontextualized thru the film itself. But man, Indian film posters run on some serious dream logic editing that just gives so much energy.
Have you guys seen the alternate marvel movie posters (ESPECIALLY Spiderman) that shit hurts when you see what they actually put out
cant belive you only have 25k! I loved this video and it really inspired me to try using more cover art as references for promotional materials of my stuff
Ooof!!! Good call on this video, it absolutely spoke to the very core of my soul! I 100% agree with everything you mentioned, marketing Art for everything from movies to games to books have definitely been watered down to a level of utter sameness. Hell, when I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be a movie poster artist like Drew Struzan so bad, that I literally spent months trying to nail his style down. Also, the excitement I used to get from teaser posters like that of Batman 1989, and games like Street Fighter and Megan Man is lost to me today when coming across the new stuff.
I'd say Oppenheimer's posters are some of the best in recent years.
I good poster should be appealing not only to the ones who have yet to see the thing it is for, but also for the ones who have.
17:09 Mason you’re kind of ignoring that those weren’t the only Jurassic World posters released. Each film’s initial poster matched the OG Trilogy’s minimal logo design. Jurassic World was chrome on black, Fallen Kingdom’s was broken stone on black & hints of volcanic ash, & Dominion’s changed it up with a single circular amber around the T. rex image. Fallen Kingdom in particular had many individual posters released that were excellent including one I mentioned: a full dinosaurs poster. Of course to your point I think its very odd that all the physical media for the Jurassic World movies gave them the “ugly” posters as the covers. Only Dominion’s I feel works. Even as the die hard Jurassic fan that I am (Fallen Kingdom is the best one Mason, dont @ me), I dislike that wider marketing uses these posters that I feel dont properly represent the movies.
As someone who just started learning digital design, this video was great for me. Especially since one of the first lectures showed how the original Star Wars poster uses the rule of thirds lol. So while my degree is more focused on animation, I am now very motivated to be part of a greater future of artistic marketing
King Kong 76, Frogs, Scanners and Jaws 2 are my favorite movie posters. All four movies were not necessarily very good but I love those posters.
My favorite poster for the 1972 movie Deliverance. The rifle sticking out of the lake was a very haunting image.
Its been a long time since I've watched such a chill video that gives me insight into a world I didn't really think much about before, but that I now want to interact with by buying a movie poster or two.
The ‘The Batman’ posters are goated
Great video! My favorite movie poster is for the movie Dracula Has Risen from the Grave which I never even watched but I think the design is just brilliant, the pink colored band-aid on the girls neck is a brilliant design
Whoa, hadn't seen that one before, it's great! I review posters on my channel haha
The Dark Crystal poster at 30:01 is my favourite. I even got the movie on VHS and I HAD to get the cover with the green border around it, it's so good.
The poster for 'Challengers' is a modern one (as in, within this year) that I think is pretty good. Gets the general point/vibe of the movie through without actually spoiling anything.
This video is so great! Wonderful work fellow Constant Reader. 🎈
Illustrator and (former) bookstore employee here! That pic you showed from your friend of the Romcom table gave me war flashbacks.
The theory I've developed regarding books specifically is that publishers worry about the book being "taken seriously." The genres you most often see standout covers for these days are consistently sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and YA - all genres that are (at least critically) considered "less impressive" than general fiction or nonfiction. It also costs less money to slap some stock images on the cover than pay an illustrator to draw something from scratch (I would know!).
Most damning are the situations where you see a book released with an excellent cover, and upon being picked up by a bigger publisher, suddenly it looks like trash. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson is a great example; I'll NEVER forgive them for getting rid of the stunning cover drawn by Marlowe Lune. :)
TL;DR, love the video!!!! You nailed all your points here I think - let's hope for a poster/cover renaissance in the near future.
One that has stuck with me was Transformers 2007. Not the one that shows boys and humans, the one with Optimus Primes left eye looming over the Earth, with the tagline "Their war. Our world." Love it.
You should watch 24 by 36, a documentary about the resurgence of movie posters
11:21 Shin Godzilla featured!!!!! 🔥 🔥 🔥
It’s so strange because some of the newer book covers, the ones i grew up with being a bit younger, are actually quite iconic in my eyes. The cover of dune or other remasters and new book covers are deeply ingrained in my mind. Not that older covers were not better, but just a perspective that the newer book covers are also surprisingly iconic.
Fantastic, loved every second. I'm about to go into my last year at university and I'm studying illustration. My dream is to create an illustration for a film poster one day so I hope I can get the chance in an over saturated trend dependant market
Where this still is the case today is boardgames. Many of them are incredibly beautiful. Great artwork. And many times I just bought one just based on the box.
The Zone of Interest's poster kicked a**. The posters for Kinds of Kindness, Parasite, Poor Things, and Civil War were all solid, too. I.e., when I think of the movie, I can see the poster. And while I was one of the few who did not like Anatomy of a Fall, it's poster was fantastic.
fantastic video. more like this please!
4:44 awww never would've expected Way Down East! ❤ But the movie is one of my favourites and the poster is stunning, I always thought of getting one for my wall
Great film. My favorite Griffith.
You referenced Ico, no way!! One of my favorite video games (but that American box art is disgraceful)
I rarely let poster or cover art determine what I watched. I would consult reviewers whose opinions I valued due to their intelligent understanding of film, and of film history. That said, of the posters you've shown here, I think the original Blade Runner poster is my favorite. I agree that newish posters all look like they're phoned in by hacks working for the Lifetime Network or the Hallmark Channel. Bland as hell. Your average Redbox display always was full of that crap.
My favorite recent movie poster is the pencil etching style poster for Shape Of Water. It's just beautiful
Haven’t started the video, but my answer to “what’s your favorite movie poster” is DEFINITELY The Thing. I have it hanging on my wall. It’s one of those designs that doesn’t make sense until watching the film-it almost looks like the Captain Cutler from Scooby Doo tbh-but then you realize it’s a man in a winter coat, face shrouded in an otherworldly glow.
One of the best posters ever is Bulworth (1998) very unique style and design
Brain Froud’s book covers are gorgeous though
I still remember "the Silence of the Lambs" cover at the video store creeping me out, but at the same time intriguing me.
The poster for Challengers is awesome. More like that please.
A little note-the next and supposedly last Mission:Impossible isn’t going to be Dead Reckoning part 2 now due to Dead Reckoning falling short at the box office. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Amazing video bro. Keep it up. Love seeing NakeyJakey mentioned!
On the subject of cool book covers, Grady Hendrix published an excellent book, "Paperbacks From Hell," that's a fantastic retrospective on retro horror fiction and its beautiful cover art.
I honestly like a lot of international posters as they don't care about the actors as much.
Late night with the devil is one of the movies that sold me on the poster
Some more recent posters that I really liked were of Stranger Things season 4 the "X Billy Butcher." Each episode got it's own poster, and I loved the designs!!!
As Above So Below, The Hallow, The VVitch, Krampus, The Love Witch, and Malignant are some of my top favorite posters from the last 10 years. All horror.
have to say Godzilla Minus One for the new & Twelve Monkeys (the one in shape of a clockface)
Hey!! This video reached Brazil (I mean, my fy page haha) and I had so much fun watching it!! I really think you should also check out some brazilian movie posters as well cuz there’s also some really cool ones!!
Another topic surrounding this idea of “posters” - would also be talking abt some cool album covers :) if someday you make a video abt it, I’d gladly watch it as well!
About my favourite recent-ish poster, it has to be one for the Hunger games - Catching Fire. I only saw it in germany, but idk if it got released elsewhere as well. But basically it shows the top of a mountain, Katniss standing on top of it, looking into the distance. On first glance it is very simple, with nice warm colors from a rising or setting sun. On second glance you notice that the clouds behind her immitate wings, resembling her role as a savior to the people of Panem, as well as the Mockingjay, a fictional animal shes associated with. I adore that poster.
As for older movies, I probably lean towards the Suspiria posters, even the ones for the remake. The colors pop, the strange fonts make you kinda aware that something strange is to expect from these movies. Collage style is also in my opinion the closest to body horror you can't show without body horror. Paper can be cut and ripped, nobody cares. But if body parts are printed on it, it becomes lowkey sinister...