Even though moviegoers can have a lot of complaints about trailers that play before the movies, they are still effective marketing techniques in the business. And when a trailer is done really well, it can be thrilling to watch on its own. This is especially true of action movie trailers, which seem to have real energy to them.
The great action movie trailers show you just enough from a movie to get you excited without spoiling the best moments. While the movies don’t always live up to the trailers, they can still be fun to watch. Here are ten action movie trailers that got our adrenaline pumping.
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Few trailers are more anticipated than new Star Wars trailers and The Force Awakens might have been the most anticipated trailer from the entire series. After the disappointing prequels, the beloved franchise was back with the original stars returning to share the screen with new characters.
The second teaser trailer is the one that really got the audience’s mouths watering. Starting with the iconic music, we get narration from Luke Skywalker, a look at some new characters and the Millennium Falcon in action. Then it closes off with the return of Han Solo saying “Chewie, we’re home.”
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The Mission: Impossible franchise is one of those rare film series that seems to get better with each new installment. While the films have always been fun actioners, the recent sequels have really taken things up a notch with Tom Cruise doing some truly epic stunts for our entertainment.
The official trailer for Mission: Impossible - Fallout promised that the trend of escalation would continue here. Though the trailer manages to hide a few surprises and even adds in some scenes that are not in the film, the stunts including the bathroom brawl and the helicopter sequence are teased just enough to draw you in.
Independence Day
Trailers can sometimes be criticized for giving away too much of the movie in an attempt to lure audiences. So it’s pretty refreshing to see a trailer that is confident enough to keep its biggest reveals under wraps. Such is the case with the intriguing teaser trailer for Independence Day.
The alien invasion action film is kept mysterious with various shots of massive shadows overtaking major cities across the globe. People look on in horror, but we don’t see what they see. The taglines read “On July 2nd, they arrive. On July 3rd, they attack. On July 4th, we fight back.”
Watchmen
HBO’s Watchmen is currently one of the most talked-about shows of the year, but it is not the first time Alan Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel was brought to life. After many failed attempts over the years, Zack Snyder finally directed the big-screen adaptation to a mixed response.
Despite what people thought about the film, the first trailer certainly did a great job of selling the ambitious and dark superhero movie. With little dialogue, the trailer instead displayed the melding of Alan Moore’s iconic panels with Snyder’s visionary approach.
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Quentin Tarantino is the kind of filmmaker who could probably attract a large audience even without a trailer. But his films do make for some fun and energetic trailers, and the first Kill Bill was no different.
The revenge film starred Uma Thurman as a betrayed assassin on a bloody mission of revenge. While the trailer avoids showing the buckets of blood that are featured in the final film, it still hooks audiences with some great music, a glimpse at the impressive fight scenes and Tarantino’s signature style.
Inception
Christopher Nolan is another filmmaker who has people’s attention as soon as his next project is announced. He is also keen on secrecy with his films, keeping things a mystery for as long as he can. This makes some of his trailers very hard to decipher but incredibly compelling.
The first trailer for Inceptionwas released before anyone even knew what the film was about. But the trailer still made it a must-watch with the reality-bending effects, the epic score, and the intriguing tagline, “Your mind is the scene of the crime.”
Logan
Sometimes the perfect choice of music can help make a trailer a work of art on its own. Fans knew to expect something different from Logan, which promised to be a more grounded and gritty exploration of Hugh Jackman’s X-Men character, but people still weren’t ready for the powerful first trailer.
Scored by Johnny Cash’s haunting cover of “Hurt,” we see a much different Logan than we knew from previous movies. He is old, tired…and hurt. Along with an equally depressing glimpse at Charles Xavier, the trailer promised a superhero redemption story like nothing else in the genre.
Godzilla
The return of Godzilla to the big screen was a big question mark for some people, but the first teaser did a fantastic job of getting people to sit up and take notice of this latest remake. While the film gained a mixed response, this trailer remains epic.
Without knowing what movie you are being introduced to, we see a group of soldiers preparing for a HALO jump into some dangerous zone. As the soldiers hurtle towards Earth, passing threw storm clouds, we begin to see a familiar and monstrous shape taking form below. It was a brilliant way to reintroduce the character.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
The MCU movies are usually pretty effective at putting together an exciting trailer that gets you excited about the latest superhero adventure. However, the first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy introduced something new that audiences were not ready for.
The trailer had the difficult task of introducing characters that were totally unknown to mainstream audiences. But it managed to do it through the clever framing of an intergalactic police line-up. The use of “Hooked on a Feeling” and the way the heroes are referred to as a “bunch of a-holes” made it clear this was something special.
Mad Max: Fury Road
It stands to reason that one of the best action movies ever made also has one of the best trailers. Mad Max: Fury Road had a long and difficult production and could have gone under many people’s radar. But the epic trailer for the movie made it hard for this one to be overlooked.
The trailer wisely steers away from too much exposition and instead shows off the amazing action sequences at work. Seeing what George Miller has been putting together after all this time was enough to make any action movie fan drool with anticipation.
