Film trailers that arrive like a bolt out of the blue

One of the latest trailers to hit the web was a pretty simple-looking thriller starring Joseph Gordon Levitt as a bike courier dealing with a bent cop, a mysterious package and the busy streets of New York City.

Unlike many trailers, which come following months of speculation by film news blogs and other websites, this short promo reel for Premium Rush seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere – and made me sit up in my seat exclaiming: ‘I’ll have some of that!’

Anyway, this got me to thinking, isn’t it great when a trailer pops up for a film you’ve never heard of and looks fantastic? It seems such a rarity nowadays, now that the internet has made videos, set photographs and teaser images so easily accessible and widely shared, but wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could see a trailer ‘fresh’ for the first time knowing nothing of its existence? Have a look at how clips for three upcoming movies might be received if I had my wish.

Avatar

This film seemed to take forever to arrive, in fact, it was almost like a rumour for a few years. Would James Cameron ever have the technology available to make his eco-epic fantasy? Would studios balk at the idea of funding something so expensive when it was based on an untested property? Well, a couple of years ago we got our answer. While the result has divided some people, there is no question that without such a build-up, the very first Avatar trailer would have been mind-blowing.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Many of us will be familiar with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, whether it’s because we’ve read the book or seen the recently released Swedish-language films. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have been anxious to see what David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network) could possibly do with the franchise – especially so shortly after its previous incarnation on film. There’s no question, when the trailer did arrive, it was worth the wait, but wouldn’t it have been amazing to have not known what we were seeing that very first time we heard the wail of Karen O covering Led Zeppelin?

The Dark Knight Rises

Just imagine it. One moment you’re sat happily in your cinema seat, not knowing whether Christopher Nolan will be reunited with Christian Bale for a third instalment in his Batman series; the next, your eyeballs are being thrilled by some Batwing action while Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman zooms about on the Batpod and Tom Hardy’s Bane clatters The Caped Crusader with his super strength. No spy shots, no murky footage or fake trailers, just a proper first look on a good-sized screen. So keep your eye on he latest trailers to hit the web and don’t miss out.