The 2010s has been a huge decade for movie trailers, but what are the very best? As the decade approaches its end, it’s time to look back upon all the biggest and best movie trailers that have left their mark from 2010-2019.
The past decade hasn’t just brought with it some major movie trailers, but it’s also changed the way we consume them. While trailers have long been an integral part of a movie’s marketing, with the likes of 1989’s Batman using them to great effect, that’s gone up another level in the 2010s, especially thanks to the rise of YouTube and social media. From the internet-breaking first teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to the sheer anticipation around and demand for the first trailers for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, movie trailers have become genuine events in their own right.
That’s been both a blessing and a curse, with many movie studios needing to raise their game, but also a lot of repetition when something works, from post-title stingers to slowed-down covers of iconic songs. Still, the sheer volume and necessity of movie trailers has been incredible, and led to a lot of brilliant ones - and these are the best trailers of the decade.
25. Gone Girl Teaser Trailer
David Fincher’s movies often have superb trailers, which was the case with 2014’s Gone Girl teaser trailer. Using Richard Butler’s cover of “She”, the Gone Girl teaser trailer expertly teases the mystery around Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike)’s disappearance and lets us know something isn’t quite right, without giving clues as to what it is.
24. Battle: Los Angeles Trailer 1
Battle: Los Angeles is not a good movie by any means, but the reason anyone found out is because of its marketing campaign, and especially this first trailer. With some stunning shots and intense action, the Battle: Los Angeles trailer promised it would be a thrilling sci-fi war epic. It wasn’t.
23. The Disaster Artist Teaser
“Oh hai, Mark.” In just 90-seconds, The Disaster Artist takes The Room, widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, and turns it into a masterful comedy. Focusing on the production of one of The Room’s most famous scenes, the first teaser trailer for The Disaster Artist is really just a clip from the movie, but it’s hilarious and showcases James Franco’s pitch-perfect Tommy Wiseau.
22. The Master Trailer
Paul Thomas Anderson is another director whose films often have great trailers, and The Master is a fine example of that. Following some superb teasers, the full trailer for The Master offers up a proper look at what to expect from the film, teasing the twisted relationship between Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix), Lancaster (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Peggy (Amy Adams), as well as showcasing its lush 65mm visuals.
21. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Teaser
The first half of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ teaser is great, nicely setting the stage for the brewing war between humans and apekind. But it’s the second-half that truly thrills, from the extreme close-up on Caesar’s face to pulling back and showing his army, while Michael Giacchino’s score builds around it. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was solid, but this signaled just how different - and more epic - Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was going to be.
20. The Conjuring Teaser Trailer
Horror movie trailers need to strike a delicate balance between scaring you just enough, but also leaving you still wanting to see the movie. The Conjuring’s teaser trailer is a great example, mixing an enticing tease of the story with some well-timed jump scares and music spikes, and a particularly terrifying ending.
19. Suicide Squad Trailer 1
Suicide Squad’s SDCC first look was great too, but this proper debut trailer was the one to truly hype the movie. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was an inspired choice, and the fun, fast trailer offered up a sense that Suicide Squad was going to be dark, twisted, funny, and riotously entertaining. If only that was the Suicide Squad David Ayer had been allowed to make.
18. The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 3
The Dark Knight Rises had a number of superb trailers, but the pick of the bunch is the third official trailer, which offers the full scope of Christoper Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy closer. It offers up a sense of the incredible spectacle to come, but also captures an ominous sense of finality around The Dark Knight Rises too, Bat-signalling that Bale’s time as Batman was at an end.
17. The Handmaiden Trailer
The Handmaiden’s trailer is unique in that it doesn’t include any dialogue. In an attempt to sell the foreign-language film to American audiences, this instead puts the focus on Park Chan-wook’s visuals: beautiful, sexy, twisted, and mysterious, The Handmaiden’s trailer doesn’t need words to sell just how great it looks.
16. Rogue One: Star Wars Story Teaser
The first teaser for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was so great because it looked nothing like any Star Wars movie we’d seen before. Sure, there were Stormtroopers and AT-ATs, but Rogue One’s teaser trailer put the focus on just how this would be a dirty, boots-on-the-ground film that emphasis the war in the Star Wars title. The Imperial alarm rings in your ears long afterwards, and that final shot of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is haunting and just mysterious enough too.
15. Hail, Caesar! Trailer 2
The Coen brothers aren’t conventional filmmakers, and so we shouldn’t expect conventional trailers. Hail, Caesar’s second trailer certainly isn’t, with most of it centered on the hilarious scene between Alden Ehrenreich and Ralph Fiennes. It’s comic genius, and played over some quick shots of George Clooney as a Roman, Scarlet Johansson diving into the water, and Channing Tatum as a dancing sailor, it sells Hail, Caesar! as an unmissable experience for the Coens’ fans.
14. Logan Trailer
Logan’s trailer promised an X-Men film unlike any other. Backed by Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”, it’s a poignant tease that establishes the brutal, emotional journey Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is about to go through. There are some strong action beats too, but what this mostly does so well is set Logan apart from all other comic book movies.
13. Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer 1
Guardians of the Galaxy was one of Marvel’s biggest risks, but you wouldn’t know it from this trailer. Oozing with confidence, charm, and charisma, the first Guardians of the Galaxy trailer introduces us to the titular team, instantly transforming them from a bunch of nobodies to “a bunch of a-holes”, and leaving all MCU fans hooked on a feeling that they had to see this film.
12. The Wolf Of Wall Street Trailer
The Wolf of Wall Street’s first trailer is, like the film itself, all about excess. There’s money, alcohol, drugs, and even a monkey on display, every shot feels like it’s destined to be turned into a gif or meme, and it promises that The Wolf of Wall Street will be the wildest ride of Martin Scorsese & Leonardo Di Caprio’s many collaborations.
11. Prometheus Teaser
Prometheus’ teaser trailer, with its booming score and strange visuals, helped kick-off the viral marketing campaign that would drum up so much hype for the Alien prequel. With a blend of horror and more straight-up sci-fi wonder, Prometheus certainly looked like a great mix between the Alien of old and some bigger explorations of space and humanity.
10. Interstellar Teaser
Mixing archive footage with a few shots from the movie itself, Interstellar’s teaser trailer is a surprisingly emotional reminder of why humans dreamed of going into space in the first place, and suggests a thoughtful sci-fi film that will fully capture that sense of wonder. The Interstellar teaser trailer gives absolutely nothing away, but leaves you desperate to see it.
9. Mad Max: Fury Road Teaser
Mad Max: Fury Road’s first teaser trailer is a microcosm of the movie itself: a cinematic explosion of kinetic energy, jaw-dropping action, and sheer insanity. From the operatic music to the death-defying stunts and incredible visuals, the Mad Max: Fury Road teaser trailer establishes that you’d be, well, mad not to see it, without giving away any of the story.
8. 10 Cloverfield Lane Trailer
10 Cloverfield Lane’s trailer is a pure J.J. Abrams marketing masterclass. Developed in secret, the trailer begins as what looks like an offbeat comedy, the footage and music are brilliantly edited together to ramp up as things move along. It gradually turns darker and more ominous before the astonishing revelation that, yes, this is a new Cloverfield movie, and that 10 Cloverfield Lane would be released in just a couple of months, guaranteeing maximum hype.
7. Godzilla Teaser
The first teaser trailer for 2014’s Godzilla is a marvelous feat of trailer editing, cutting from that first leap into the storm, with some gorgeous cinematography, to quick shots of panic on the streets, all the while ramping up the sense of dread that leads to the stunning first look at Godzilla at the very end, showing just enough of its monster to guarantee we’d want to see a lot more.
6. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Teaser
Another David Fincher movie, another great trailer, and another textbook example of how editing and music can sell a film. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s teaser only hints at the plot, rapidly moving from scene to scene while “The Immigrant Song” thrilling soars around it. The true brilliance is the ending though, cutting between text and a tantalizing zoom on the white house that holds much of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’s mystery and thrills.
5. X-Men: Days Of Future Past Trailer 1
Bringing back some of the original X-Men alongside the new cast, X-Men: Days of Future Past’s trailer deftly merges the two together. It’s a slow, moving teaser that effectively captures the weight of Days of Future Past, and the ending between the two Charles Xaviers should be enough to give any X-Men fan chills.
4. The Force Awakens Teaser 2
Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a flawless marketing campaign, from the first teaser to the final trailer, but its zenith was this second teaser, released at Star Wars Celebration 2015. The imagery is exciting, the plot hints enticing, but what this mostly sells us on is what Han Solo says at the end. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ second teaser trailer, Star Wars really was home.
3. Man Of Steel Teasers V1 & 2
The first set of teasers for Man of Steel - the one above, voiced by Russell Crowe, and another voiced by Kevin Costner - were everything you could want from a Superman reboot. Although giving almost nothing away in terms of plot or even footage, they were extremely evocative and fully captured the symbol hope that the Man of Steel should be.
2. The Social Network Trailer 1
Yes, another David Fincher movie. The Social Network is one of the best movies of the decade, and has one of the best movie trailers of the decade too. It’s another great use of music, capturing just why people used Facebook, before pulling back to reveal just how exciting and fascinating The Social Network’s story was going to be.
1. Inception Trailer 1
Like The Social Network, Christopher Nolan’s Inception is among the best movies of the decade, and this trailer gives us a thrilling tease of what to expect. With trippy visuals that look like an M.C. Escher drawing brought to life, a glimpse of its mightily impressive cast, and the slightest hint of what its story actually is. It’s suspenseful, weird, exciting, and by the time those often-imitated, never-bettered horns come in there’s no way we’re not going to see Inception. Many have tried since, but none have matched his trailer which, despite releasing back in 2010, is still the best of the decade.
Honorable Mentions
There have been a great many movie trailers this decade, and a lot of them didn’t quite make the cut for the top 25 here, but still deserve a mention. Honorable mentions go to Thor: Ragnarok’s “The Immigrant Song” trailer; La La Land’s first teaser; Gravity’s first trailer; Boyhood’s trailer; and Godzilla: King of the Monster’s final trailer, all of which just narrowly missed out on being named one of the best movie trailers of the decade.
More: The Best Movies Of 2019 (So Far)
