It was a banner year for movie trailers in 2011. Choosing the Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2011 was an almost impossible task. It was even more difficult than selecting our Top 10 Movies of 2011! The science of putting together a compelling teaser has become an art form. Many movies give away too much, but the best of the best know how to deliver nuggets of information coupled with the feel of the movie itself. When done brilliantly, sometimes it can be better than the film itself (hello Battle: Los Angeles).
We did the "hard" work of looking through hundreds of trailers that were released this year to present to you the Movie Fanatic Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2011.
10. The Muppets Parody Trailers
All The Muppets parody trailers were spectacular. Perhaps because we're such big Dragon Tattoo fans, we chose The Pig with the Froggy Tattoo Muppets trailer as our number 10 trailer of the year.
9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The international trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes could be thought of by some as what pushed people over the edge to go see this prequel to the iconic movie series and make it a smash of summer 2011. It builds and builds until you find yourself cheering for the apes, without fully knowing the entire story.
8. Captain America
The first full length trailer for Captain America took our hero from tiny man who couldn't get into the Army to fight in World War II to the superhero leading our troops into battle.
7. The Hobbit
One of the most highly anticipated trailers of 2011 delivered and then some. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit has been a film with more questions than answers for a very long time. When the trailer for The Hobbit arrived, fans could not only breathe a sigh of relief, but relish in the mastery that awaits us when the film premieres in December 2012.
6. The Avengers
Like The Hobbit before, The Avengers has fans buzzing with expectation. You can imagine the collective "yeahs!" exerted by fans of the Marvel superhero collective that is making its screen debut. All our favorite characters are represented, but the star of the trailer has to be Robert Downey Jr.
5. Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises trailer arrived with the fanfare of a conquering hero. Director Christopher Nolan has crafted a teaser that gives us just enough doses of our favorite bat and also introduces us to the villainy that is Bane.
4. Snow White and the Huntsman
Charlize Theron is what makes the Snow White and the Huntsman trailer our number four trailer of 2011. Her take on the evil queen to Kristen Stewart's Snow White is the stuff of legend. Plus, it does what a good trailer should do: Has us drooling for more.
3. The Hunger Games
Only a film of the weight of The Hunger Games could have a teaser to their trailer and have it become a hit. When The Hunger Games trailer actually debuted, the power it created as fans rushed to their computers to watch it reverberated through the world.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Film trailers are usually 30 to 60 seconds, sometimes two minutes at the most. When David Fincher released his eight-minute trailer, he had done the impossible: Given fans a slew of visual images coupled with plot points and yet, not given away a thing.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
When the second Deathly Hallows Part 2 trailer premiered, it truly marked the beginning of the end. Seeing the shot of Harry Potter and Voldemort as Potter grabs him and pulls him off a ledge brought into focus the central theme of the final Potter chapter. Harry and he who shall not be named were in a battle to the death. Whether a trailer or not, these two and a half minutes were better than 50 percent of the films released in 2011!
