2019 had a lot of hit films and a lot of misses (looking at you Charlie’s Angels reboot). Whenever we head to the theater we are prone to sit through about 20 minutes worth of trailers before we can actually see the film we came to see. When I sat back and wondered just what I would pick for my Top 5 list, I came up with a common theme. Most of them had unique and gripping trailers! So instead of trying to think of the best movies of 2019, I decided to look at some of the best trailers of the year instead. Some of these movies turned out to be pretty great, while some of them not so much. At least their trailers turned out to be interesting!
5. Escape Room
In the past few years, literal escape rooms have popped all over the place. You head to a venue, choose from a variety of themed rooms, and find clues to “escape” the room in a set time limit. There was nothing dangerous about it and usually these Escape Rooms are meant for team bonding or parties, not to kill you. Well, Escape Room takes that concept and turns it inside out completely. All the traps are real and can actually kill you if you don’t escape in time.
The technology used throughout the film is something straight out of Area 51. Basically, the premise of Escape Room is that a bunch of random handpicked individuals have been chosen to try out the most immersive escape room ever and if they win a lot of cash is on the line. They have no idea however that a much more sinister organization is at work making these people literal guinea pigs in these many different themed rooms.
The trailer shot for shot pretty much gives away the entire plot of the film but still makes you want to go and see it. It’s creepy enough to have that Saw vibe but without having too much gore. If you love a good thriller with a unique concept then Escape Room is for you, however you may not want to ever head to a real escape room ever again. Also, a sequel is on the way so we haven’t seen the last of this film concept.
4. Countdown
I remember sitting in the theater playing on my phone when this trailer came out and it made me pause. “Death? There’s an app for that,” is the premise of this film. You download the app called Countdown and it tells you how long until you die. Some people get like 63 years, others like the poor main protagonist and others get days! How is that fair? Who decides this? Well once again a sinister supernatural demonic force is at work here and the app accurately predicts your death. So to survive, according to the trailer, you have to beat the clock. It’s a scary concept and the even scarier part about this is they made an actual app you can download that went alongside this film, but no you won’t die when you download it.
I was wondering when they were going to come up with a movie about how our phones can literally kill us and then boom, here comes Countdown. There were so many cheesy moments in this film, so many plot holes and just it was a mess in general. The trailer was better than the film and that says A LOT, but hey if you want to check it out for yourself I won’t stop you.
3. Charlie’s Angels
Oh boy, where do I even begin with this film? As someone who grew up with the 2000’s movies, I had such high hopes when I heard we were getting another Angels film. Much to my disappointment, it started to go in a different direction from the previous two films. Kristen Stewart stars as one of the Angels with Patrick Stewart and Elizabeth Banks as the new Bosleys (it’s complicated). It tries to be humorous and all about girl power but it shoves it down people’s throats way too hard. The original two films didn’t do that, they made us like the three women who can kick ass while still looking amazing while doing it.
Yes, the film has easter eggs in it, especially in the trailer with an outfit worn in Charlie’s Angels (1999). That’s about it though. We get a whole new plot a whole new cast and just an epic fail at best. Another film you can just watch the trailer and boom there you go. It got people talking however when it first debuted so I guess there’s that. I’m glad I waited until it was out of theaters before I sat through it since as a huge fan of Charlie’s Angels, I was embarrassed it even used the same name. Trust me, my anger on how bad this film was is shared by many. I suspect not even an epic Cameron Diaz dance sequence could have saved this. At least the trailer was pretty good.
2. Toy Story 4
Prepare to bawl your eyes out again if you didn’t during Toy Story 3. When we thought Pixar was done with this franchise for good, they surprised us almost ten years later with another sequel. Yes, the movie is about finding a spork, but it will make you invested about a toy’s love life. These were all things I didn’t know I was getting myself into until I sat through this film and again cried my eyes out. Sporky was probably the dumbest thing about this whole film but he asked a pretty deep question; “Why am I alive?” I was so so happy to see Bo Peep and flashbacks to just what happened to her and to also see her new amazing look which (I may or may not have made into a cosplay). The trailer’s song further touched at heartstrings and did such a good job wrapping up the journey that began in the early ’90s. It’s a film that will live on forever and so will these characters.
1. Avengers: Endgame
I pretty much saved the best for last as this is the #1 trailer that hit me and so many movie fans so, so hard. Not only was it the actual end of the first Avengers, story that has been built up for over 20 films, but it was also going to wrap up every single thing that left us crying at the end of Infinity War. Seeing Tony Stark sending what he thinks will be his final message to Pepper while drifting in space, hit me hard and set a good tone for what to expect for the rest of the movie.
This was without a doubt the most anticipated film of 2019 and Marvel fans 100% got what they paid for. From memorable lines, memorable moments and that glorious theme, Endgame delivered on the promise “part of the journey is the end”. With other films and spin-off shows headed to Disney+ the MCU will continue in our hearts forever. I only hope the upcoming Black Widow film doesn’t disappoint.
