After months of waiting, the second full trailer for Rogue One is finally here, and expands what we already know about the pre-A New Hope world: the empire rules all, and its now up to a band of plucky rebels, headed by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) to take the fight to them. The darker tone has been continued, with an ominous score, dark cinematography and martial arts fighting shot in a handheld style. Yet there is one thing that stands out above all the rest...
Watch The Rogue One Trailer Here:
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Darth Vader is back!
The Makings of An Effective Tease
With news that a Suicide Squad fan is suing DC for showing Joker scenes that were cut from the theatrical version, this glimpse of Darth Vader is refreshingly brief, only showing the back of his helmet accompanied by the iconic breathing. What the makers of this trailers seem to understand, is that the best way to build hype is to use the power of suggestion. All that is needed to get those fans in seats is the most fleeting of glimpses. How Darth Vader will factor into this anthology film is yet to be known, but this trailer sure makes me want to find out!
To honor this iconic moment, which no doubt will be intensely analyzed frame by frame, here we have compiled some of the best teasers in cinematic history, truly proving that in the world of popular culture, sometimes less is much, much more.
Star Wars The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer
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The team behind the Star Wars films know something about how to create an enticing trailer with teasers galore, the first Force Awakens trailer creating some truly heart-stopping moments. Who can forget the first time the Millennium Falcon blasted onto the screen, accompanied by John Williams majestic score? If that doesn't get your hairs standing up, then nothing will.
Superhero Teases
Thor - Iron Man 2 Post Credits Scene
Marvel has become synonymous with the mid-credits and post-credits reveal, leaving every fan wanting more as they leave the cinema. What's so smart about the tease of Thor is that we do not see the God himself, only his hammer, lying there in the sand, truly whetting our appetites for his first solo outing.
Thanos - The Avengers Mid-Credits Scene
In 2012 The Avengers got the whole team together, marking the superhero event of the year, but the mid-credits scene showed us whole new heap of trouble coming their way, with Thanos aiming to crush them. Not that the Avengers cared: they were too busy eating schwarma.
Watch Every Marvel Mid and Post-Credits Scene Here:
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Deadly Monsters, Robots and Aliens
Godzilla (2014) / Godzilla (1998)
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The Jaws handbook of scary monsters is simple. Don't show too much, because they are always scarier in smaller doses. Godzilla (2014) understands this perfectly, framing the titular beast enigmatically emerging out of dense layers of smoke. Even better was the original, which shows the monster ironically crashing into a dinosaur museum. All we see is his foot, but that's all we need.
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Aliens
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Aliens follows a similar technique, with the mother alien being shown only at the end for a couple of seconds. With a tagline inviting war, its a brief but chillingly effective introduction.
Terminator 2
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One of the cleverest things Terminator 2 did to differentiate itself from the original was switch Arnie's character from the bad guy to the good guy. Back in 1991 however, everyone assumed he was still the bad guy, so his reveal with the ominous words "I'll be back" was a smart and effective red herring.
Element of Surprise: Independence Day
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The first teaser for Independence day, with promises of an alien attack, ended with a truly surprising image of destruction - the total annihilation of the White House. It may have passed over into cliché today, but back in '96 it was truly terrifying.
Blink and You'll Miss It: Matrix Reloaded
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Did you even notice this tease in The Matrix Reloaded trailer? Lasting for only a frame, its a brief insert shot of Mr Smith about two-thirds of the way through. Presumed dead in the last film, Reloaded suggests otherwise.
Perhaps The Best Of All Time?
Jason Statham at the end of Fast Six
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The key to a truly great tease is it coming completely out of nowhere. Not only did this clip establish the events of Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift implausibly happening between those of Fast Six and Seven, it revealed that Han Seoul-Oh was in fact killed by a rogue mercenary played by none other than Jason Statham, thus setting in motion unbearable hype for him to play the villain in the next instalment.
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