Movie posters can be great works of art. Creative, informative, and occasionally brilliant. They need to convey the movie's plot without giving away any secrets. Show the actors without being a portfolio shot. Unfortunately too many are simply cut and paste images of the actors. Posters at their best make you want to see a movie. Posters shouldn't be judged by the movie that they represent, if you wouldn't buy it because you don't like the movie that's fine, but it doesn't mean it's a bad poster.
I've excluded the All About Eve (1950) poster because I just don't find it that impressive. I didn't find the star child 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968) image appealing either, creepy, but not something I'd like to look at. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), while a great movie, is dated. The Sins of Nora Moran (1933), meh, good painting, but a sexy image doesn't mean a good poster. I love Blade Runner (1982), but the poster is a little weak. As with Goodfellas (1990), most of the Star Wars ones, and many others I wanted to add because I loved the movie. But they weren't that good. I haven't, but may still add the Saw posters, while being stomach churning, are effective.
I think these are all original posters and not dvd covers.
Here's my list of Top 5+ movie posters in somewhat alphabetical order, please add your own.
3:10 to Yuma This is a new one, but already a classic. Beautiful colour and look of an old wanted poster.
28 Weeks Later A sequel poster that is better than the original, although the movie isn't. Has the look of an actual warning poster pasted to a wall.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
A simple but clever image, the movie should have followed that theme.
Alien
A brilliant, terrifying poster. You're not sure what it is, but you know it's not good. The best part of the poster is the tag line “In space no one can hear you scream”.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Simply, a beautiful painting. It conveys the soldiers struggle: determined, scared, weary. A must see movie.
Amistad
I had never seen this poster until poking around. This is a brilliant image, expressing a horrible time. It says so much with so little.
An American Tail
Ya, ya, I know. I don't care, I still like it. I'm a fan of the movie and the poster is well done too. A great combination of animation and highly rendered background.
An American Tail v2
I'd never seen this one, but It's as good if not better than the first one. Somewhere, out there...
Apocalypse Now
Wow. That pretty much says it all. Great graphics, definitely representing the movie well.
Attack of the 50 ft woman
One of the most popular posters. One of those great posters that was unfortunately for a poor movie.
Back to the Future
For it's time, a poster that definitely made you want to see the movie.
Being John Malkovich
Brilliant. What a great poster. I wasn't aware of this movie until it came to TV, so I missed this one. If you know the movie, you'll enjoy this poster even more. Not something I would put on my wall, but very creative.
The Birds
Have you ever seen this one? New to me, but I love it. I want to get my hands on this. Nice graphic image, the Asian text adds to that (I don't think it's Japanese).
Bullitt
I want this poster. What an image. A cut and paste poster done very well. McQueen is the epitome of the cool guy and this poster displays that. The blurred car images convey an intense sense of speed.
Casablanca
My favorite movie and favorite movie poster. This was the first movie poster I bought and I still treasure it. Not as popular as the french version, but I prefer it. Simple black and white with a splash of red text. The 2007 movie The Good German copies the poster as well as the style of the movie.
Casino Royale
I wouldn't normally like a simple actor pose, but this one looks very painterly. Nice use of depth and shadow. I could see buying this one. Completely different than the original bond poster.
Clockwork Orange
An iconic poster. No list is complete without it. But it's not one of my favorites.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Simple but powerful image. You wonder what's coming over the ridge. Quite a bit of text for a poster, but necessarily informative.
Cloverfield
Phew. What an image. I prefer this one over the others that show the title of the movie. As the movie was first introduced to people, you were never told its name. Check my review here.
Conan the Barbarian
Kind of corny now, but at the time, yes, yes I do want to see this movie. A Renato Casaro painting, definitely a tribute to Frazetta, but very well done. “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.” I never knew what lamentation meant, and it seems so odd the he would say such a word. The movie was written by Oliver Stone.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Cheesy, but so good. Klaatu barada nikto.
Dead Again
Brilliant poster and brilliant movie. Such a clever image, whoever did it, deserves praise.
Dial M for Murder
Creepy.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
One of those posters everyone remembers. You can't help but want to see the movie. I'm actually not that fond of the movie, seemed like a lot of awkward moments. But I haven't seen it in a long time, I'll need to give it another chance.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial v2
This one is clever as well, copying Michelangelo's Creation of Adam.
The Exorcist
Possibly the creepiest poster, without actually telling you anything about the movie. Great use of light and shadow.
Fargo
Can't imagine a more disturbing combination. Needle point displaying a murder scene.
Forbidden Planet
A guilty pleasure. The 50's version of the future with Robbie the Robot, he even got a credit.
Forrest Gump
I don't care if you don't like the movie, I do, every time it comes on TV I have to watch it. The poster is so simple, kinda like Forrest. And yes, “Life is like a box of chocolates” does irritate me.
Friday the 13th
I had never thought about it, but this is a really good poster. Having the image displayed in the figure is very creative.
Full Metal Jacket
Nice. Simple and effective.
The Getaway
I had never seen this one until I ran across it online, but it looks great.
The Godfather
I love this one. Simple, strong and, well...perfect.
Gone with the Wind
Not my favorite movie, but a classic poster.
Grindhouse
Sweet. It copies the style of many different posters, but so does the movie.
Halloween
Simple and scary.
Hard Candy
A disturbing combination of images. Red Riding Hood and a huge wolf trap. Brrrr. I don't like the use of reviews on a poster, usually means a bad movie.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
Very nice. Again a Struzan. This is the best of the serie's posters.
Heavy Metal
Couldn't resist. One of my favorite posters growing up. Heavy Metal was the cool magazine and movie.
The Illusionist
This is a new one but very clever. Bravo.
James Bond – 007
A very simple but instantly recognizable image.
Jaws
A classic poster. Everyone remembers this one and is drawn to the movie because of it. Hey, is she naked?
The Kid
I had to search a long time to find a poster to represent this great movie well. All the other ones were fairly weak and sloppily done. Whoever painted this was a great artist.
King of California
I just can't resist this one. Michael Douglas's smile and mussed hair are priceless. The text and colours alone are impressive.
La Cité des Enfants Perdus aka The City of Lost Children
Nice poster in a poster idea (a "circus" poster). As odd as the movie. Check my review here.
Little Miss Sunshine
Such a simple image that conveys so much. Everyone's personality is expressed in the picture. I love the harsh shadows against the bright background.
Lolita
Uhm, no comment.
The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Rings
Best of the series's posters. Could be a horrible cut and paste image but the characters merge very well.
The Matrix
A little cut and pasty, but still a bold image.
Metropolis
An early, very long poster that doesn't follow the modern shape.
The Mummy
Beautiful image. One that every fan of movies needs to have.
My Fair Lady
Messy but still very nice picture. Da rine in spine...
The Nightmare Before Christmas
This image alone is enough to sell me on the movie.
A Nightmare on Elm Street.
An eerie and effective poster.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 – Dream Warriors
Loved the movie. Great use of Freddy's Claws.
Nosferatu
Very stylish poster.
Paris, Je Ta'aime
Beautiful design. The heart is made of Eiffel Towers.
Pink Floyd – The Wall
Instantly recognizable image.
Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl
Another cut and paste image, but done well with a unifying colour.
Pirates of the Caribbean – At World's End
Very nice image. I love the Japanese text carved into the background.
Pirates of the Caribbean – At World's End v2
Nice, simple, cool. I could see this on my wall. My favorite movie of the series.
Poltergeist
This is such a great photo. Straight from the movie, it's an automatically terrifying image.
Pulp Fiction
One of my favorite posters. Laying out the poster as a pulp fiction novel and aged with the wrinkled and ripped edges. Nice use of colour too.
The Queen
Great use of negative space. Dignified text with an imposing glare. Check my review of the movie, here.
Raging Bull
Great image of Deniro, pretty sure it's a painting. The puffy, determined look of Jake LaMotta.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Another iconic image. The text alone is automatically identified with Raiders. A portfolio photo done in a painterly way. I also like the overlying images, especially Indy climbing down a rope tied to the text. I think Drew Struzan did this one, but I'm not sure.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
One of the most famous images in film. Can't say I liked the movie, but memorable poster.
Rosemary's Baby
Great colour. The baby carriage standing alone, confusingly on the mountain ridge creates interest and unease.
Scarface
I love this because of the harsh black and white. Brilliant.
Spiderman 3
A typical superhero pose you'd find in any comic, but original on a movie poster.
Star Trek : The Movie Picture
An odd and very effective image.
Star Wars – A New Hope
These two images are pretty much exact copies of each other, the first was done by the Hildebrandt Brothers and I'm not sure of the second. I don't know why these two were done, but if I find out I'll add it to the description. Great paintings, but I'm wondering who those two figures in the center are. Luke and Leia? Really? Ok. Hard to pick which poster is the better one.
Star Wars – A New Hope
This is the re-release Star Wars image by Struzan and I think the best yet. The characters actually look like the actors, and the composition of people and ships looks great.
Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back
Maybe I like this poster more for it's cool images instead of the entire layout.
Star Wars – The Return of the Jedi
Simple and strong image.
Star Wars – The Phantom Menace
Forget how disappointed you are in the movie, and appreciate the poster. This image couldn't help but raise your hopes for the movie.
Straw Dogs
The image didn't give me a good idea of what the movie was about. I didn't like the movie, but the poster is very strong.
Taxi Driver
Nice. Deniro strikes a very disturbing pose here. Notice how Cybil Sheppard's credit stands out from everyone else's.
The Thief of Bagdad
Baghdad without the “h”. Great image for the 1924 movie. I want this one.
To Kill a Mockingbird
A great, expressive image for a great movie.
The Truman Show
The poster is composed of multiple smaller images. I know a computer can make these pictures, but it's still cool.
Vertigo
Another classic movie poster. Should be on every collectors list.
Wanted
Don't know much about his new movie, directed by the guy who did Nighthwatch (2004). Nice poster.
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