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The Movie Marketing Team for Which Blockbuster Film Has Assembled the Best Character Posters?

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (41)

Bellatrix_Lestrange.jpg

The latest trend in movie marketing, it seems, is the character poster, which inexpensively allows studios to generate a lot of free publicity from blogs like ours which ask: Who Does It Best? I will give you the two best character posters from each of five yet-to-be-released films, and I charge you all with identifying which movie marketing team has best piqued your interest in the particular movie based on the character posters alone.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Bellatrix_Lestrange_Glowers_New_Harry.jpg

snapy-harry-potter-deathly-hallows.jpg

Captain America

CaptainAmericaCharacterPoster1.jpg

CaptainAmericaCharacterPoster2.jpg

X-Men: First Class

x-men-first-class-character-posters.jpg

x-men-first-class-character-posters2.jpg

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

transformers-3-banner-bumblebee-01.jpg

transformers-3-banner-shockwave-01.jpg


Green Lantern

green-lantern-official-poster.jpg

green_lantern_carol_ferris_poster.jpg









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Comments

I would definitely vote for the HP poster team. They just don't seem as bland and focused on pretty pretty people (although crazy HBC is kind of gorgeous), but on the most interesting characters.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for brooding Alan Rickman?

Posted by: Tess at June 2, 2011 10:35 AM

I say Captain America, because it's got the story's two most iconic characters. January Jones' chestiness will never get me to ignore her horrible "acting," and I don't even know which two Transformers those are. (Does anyone ever know?)

Almost all of them, though, would benefit from giving the observer some sense of what the character actually DOES. Why not show Cap pounding on some Nazis? Or Beast flipping around? Or Carol Ferris... uh... nagging?

Posted by: Todd at June 2, 2011 10:39 AM

Harry Potter hands down. Only movie this summer that contains most of the living Royal Shakespeare Theater luminaries and their good-looking friends.

Also: anything with HBC front and center is totally rad.

Posted by: Sassafrass Green at June 2, 2011 10:40 AM

Definitely HP. Gotta agree with Tess's comment..

Posted by: Heather at June 2, 2011 10:42 AM

Captain America always wins. It doesn't matter what the competition is. Weaving as the Red Skull is pretty epic too.

HBC looks crazy sexy in that shot, but I'm not a fan of the Rickman poster. (Please don't hurt me Pajibans!)

The rest don't impress me too much. (At least as far as I would expect a a still photo with no action depicted to impress me.)

Also Todd, the top Transformer is pretty clearly Bumblebee, but I've no clue who the other one is.

Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at June 2, 2011 10:45 AM

I've said it before and I'll say it again: January Jones was an awful, awful choice for Emma Frost. That being said I'd have to go with Harry Potter on this one.

Posted by: camytaru at June 2, 2011 10:46 AM

I really like the Captain America posters but that "Only in Theaters" crap at the bottom bothers me. This is a blockbuster summer release, do they really think someone is going to think the "Captain America" movie listing they see on USA on 3AM is going to be the same one? Where else besides theaters is this going to go? Youtube? Shadow puppets? It just looks petulant.

Posted by: Mrcreosote at June 2, 2011 10:48 AM

The other transformer is Shockwave. Come on people I can't be the only one who knows this. Please?

Posted by: Mrcreosote at June 2, 2011 10:50 AM

HBC. Hands down. She is so pretty when she gets in the hands of stylists. I think she just likes to look like a nut when she's just by her onesies.

The girl's never done anything to me, but I always seem to involuntarily roll my eyes every time I see Blake Lively. She's just one of those celebrities that I want to hate desperately.

Posted by: Kala at June 2, 2011 10:53 AM

1) HBC -- Get thee to a dentist! (unless that's a movie thing, I don't know I don't read 'em)

2) I dig the Cap costume, but I don't dig the helmet. And no, I'm not looking for little wings sprouting off the sides.

3) Jan Jones should have her name changed to Betty Drapathy on a permanent basis.

Posted by: D-Day at June 2, 2011 10:55 AM

HBC looks gorgeous on that poster. I didn't even know it was her, truth be told. She cleans up nice. I'd vote Potter with the rest of you.

Question: Are January Jones' boobs really that ginormous? I've seen every episode of Mad Men and though they've always looked great, they've never looked huge to me. Is it possible that this does not matter and I should have better things to think about?

Posted by: becks at June 2, 2011 10:59 AM

Captain America. Wins.

Posted by: AmbroseKalifornia at June 2, 2011 11:03 AM

The best are by the far the Harry Potter ones. The worst...hmm it's tie between Captain America(he just looks kinda stupid. I mean props for toning down the horrible costume with dirt but the hat still looks stupid) Green Lantern(seriously the green mask?) and the X-Men ones(seriously what is wrong with January Jones face? She looks like some robot wearing a human skin)

Posted by: Minto at June 2, 2011 11:06 AM

The X-Men poster marketing is doing a damn good job of dissauding me from a movie I'd really like to see. They are just horrible. If it wasn't for the stellar reviews I would probably write the movie off. The HP posters are the best. Props for putting HBC's Bellatrix front and center. I'm hoping they give her some scenes to be truly evil in the finale because she steals every scene in Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows 1.

Posted by: TylerDFC at June 2, 2011 11:30 AM

(seriously what is wrong with January Jones face? She looks like some robot wearing a human skin)

Thank you Minto! I couldn't put it into words, but that is it exactly.

Posted by: Patty O'Green at June 2, 2011 11:36 AM

@D-Day

1) 1) HBC -- Get thee to a dentist! (unless that's a movie thing, I don't know I don't read 'em)

Thank you. I couldn't stop staring at that one, simply because her teeth, they are awful. I do think that it is a movie thing, but yeesh.

That said, Harry Potter, hands down.

Posted by: elleyezee at June 2, 2011 11:36 AM

For me it's the Snape poster specifically just for it's seemingly less heavy-handed use of Photoshop. Who knew that actors and actresses actually have pores!

Posted by: branded at June 2, 2011 11:46 AM

Well, the Xmen team has definitely succeeded in making me LESS likely to see their movie! Surely that counts for something. For the first time ever someone has managed to display Beast in a way that doesn't leave me strangely attracted. :( (yes, that saddens me! I've had the very faintest furry leanings since Ron Perlman wore fur, grrrowl! :3) to be fair, the trailer made me even less interested. I do not at all understand the appeal of the movie and no one excited about it has been able to explain it to me.

HBC wins over all the others, but the Snape totally loses out to Red Skull. Villains are just more interesting by far! Transformers and GL get a resounding 'not interesting and the poster didn't change my mind', although my boy is a massive GL fan so we'll both be seeing it and likely walking away disappointed. (according to plan, since the movie looks ridiculous)

Posted by: Bonnye at June 2, 2011 11:54 AM

Harry Potter FTW. I cannot wait for the movie!

Posted by: Lord-ninja at June 2, 2011 12:05 PM

I don't care about transformers at all, but I think those movie posters are the best out of this bunch. They are interestingly not poster-shaped and well-cropped, showing the "characters" off but still having a bit of background interest to give the viewers an idea of the setting of the movie.

Captain America is second best, in that the production value looks really high.

The HP posters are too close to the face. I hate that. And what's with the text on the HP posters touching the edge? Their faces are also too photoshopped and the red sparks motif seems needless and random.

Green lantern is similarly unsuccessful, minus the sparks.

And the photoshopping on the Xmen posters are just laughable. Look at the fuzzy edges, look at the horrible color choices. Ok the end.

Posted by: jasper at June 2, 2011 12:10 PM

HP hands down.

January Jones always has that Keanu Reeves' look like she has no idea what is happening. Also, she doesn't ooze the necessary sex appeal to be Emma Frost.

And what the hell is that flash on Blake Lively's cheek in that poster?

Posted by: greenblue at June 2, 2011 12:23 PM

Transformers; if you disagree, u dumb. It's just better poster art than HP & GL & the Photoshop jobs on the X-Men & Captain America posters are balls-ugly.

Also, I'm convinced that they only make posters for the female love interests to capture that 3% of the teen market that sees a pretty girl on a poster & decides to go see the comic book movie. Marketing FTW.

Posted by: the new transported man at June 2, 2011 12:28 PM

I also agree with Tess, I love that the HP posters are not just "Hey look, we're pretty and have great makeup and/or costumes!"

to becks: You never noticed January Jones boobs on Mad Men because of Christina Hendricks. NO ONE has boobs around that goddess.

Posted by: kdm at June 2, 2011 12:34 PM

greenblue, it looks like the reflection from a camera flash? But I may be mistaken.

Poster-wise, this round goes to the robots for me, with the Potter posters in close second for not utilizing excessive Photoshop, and because the subject matter is awesome. Blake Lively and January Jones's faces might as well be skin colored blank canvases at this point because aside from the eyes, no other facial features are truly distinguishable. It's disgusting. Here we have two (likability aside) beautiful women who are getting steady work in one of the hardest industries on this planet, and their faces are practically wiped clean. It's senseless (no puns intended.) I do wish Rosamund Pike had been able to keep the Emma Frost role though...Jones is looking out of place and boring already.

Posted by: kiyo-chan at June 2, 2011 1:08 PM

Why on Earth would you put Boobs Legsly on a poster without showing her boobs or legs?? That's just bad marketing.

The Harry Potter marketing teams wins.

Posted by: MelBivDevoe at June 2, 2011 1:09 PM

Also, I'm fairly certain HBC's teeth have been photoshopped in that poster. Her character is fairly nutso and I think it's fair to assume she doesn't practice good dental habits. But if you look at other photos of HBC, her teeth aren't the whitest but they are straight.

Posted by: MelBivDevoe at June 2, 2011 1:14 PM

But...but...my birthday is 7.15! it can't all end then.

Although I suppose it would be worse if it ended the day BEFORE my birthday.

Btw, is that first one supposed to be Helena Bonham Carter? virtually unrecognizable.

Posted by: Sara Tonin at June 2, 2011 1:26 PM

That posted of Helena makes me want to do her SO HARD, even more than normal. So...thanks for that.

Posted by: Nadine at June 2, 2011 1:31 PM

Looks like backlighting and lens flare are trending as well.

Posted by: PissBoy at June 2, 2011 1:52 PM

When I saw that Neville got his *own* poster, my heart swelled just a little bit.

Posted by: Lauren at June 2, 2011 1:56 PM

All I can think of is that almost of all of these are of grown-ups dressed in costumes in order to fight bad guys. In 2011, this is our popular entertainment. Idiocracy is here.

Posted by: Judgement Day at June 2, 2011 2:18 PM

And when does it stop becoming so gosh-darn cute to refer to Ms. Lively as Boobs Legsly?

Posted by: Teeheesnicker at June 2, 2011 2:22 PM

And when does it stop becoming so gosh-darn cute to refer to Ms. Lively as Boobs Legsly?

Probably once she develops talent beyond her looks, Teeheesnicker.

Posted by: yourefunny at June 2, 2011 3:04 PM

The HP team definitely does it best, but I didn't mind the Green Lantern posters (despite my doubts about the movie). The rest of them just look cheap and that Red Skull poster makes me nauseous.

Posted by: kiz at June 2, 2011 5:34 PM

HP wins hands down, for all the reasons mentioned thus far.

The image of beast reminded me of Teen Wolf (the 80s one). Seriously, try looking at it without laughing.

Posted by: Tits McGee at June 2, 2011 7:03 PM

I want to say Harry Potter, for sure, but I wonder if it actually has more to do with what I'm bringing to the poster than it does with the poster itself. They look awesome to me, and I feel like I can see the character's personality in each shot, but maybe I'm just super psyched for the movie and am filling in that excitement. That said, I feel like the Captain America posters look like school pictures (albeit really strange ones), but maybe I'd be more into them if I were into the figures pictured.

I'm excited about X-Men: First Class, but those posters do not flatter -- Beast looks terribly goofy in that shot, and January Jones looks severely lacking in personality (and like she needs a better-fitting bra)...


Here's what I'm sure about: everything about Green Lantern continues to look bland and uncompelling.

Posted by: elisamaza at June 2, 2011 7:47 PM

Apart from the Red Skull poster they're all pretty crap.

Posted by: Ballymena Bob at June 2, 2011 8:18 PM

oh HP, HP, HP. The others are alright, but if Alan Rickman is staring like THAT, it wins. The end.

Posted by: annie711pm at June 2, 2011 8:37 PM

ALAN RICKMAN.

*drops mic, walks offstage*

Posted by: Bequafina at June 2, 2011 10:25 PM

Gah, Boobs Legsley, stop making duckface! You look like an ijit.

Posted by: Figgy at June 2, 2011 10:36 PM

The Harry Potter posters are probably the best ones, but I just have to give the victory to whoever the red guy in the Captain America poster is. He looks like a proper maniac and I want to see the movie because of it!

Posted by: Matthijs at June 3, 2011 4:31 AM