‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Poster And Trailer Beats Out ‘Wonder Woman’ For Worst Marketing Ploys [Video]
Fans have been very outspoken over the seeming lack of interest DC Entertainment has shown in marketing the upcoming Gal Gadot led Wonder Woman, but that’s trivial in comparison to the recent blunders over at rival Marvel Studios. Proving that there is such a thing as bad publicity, a newly released teaser poster from Spider-Man: Homecoming has come under fire by fans and critics alike with insinuations that the graphic artwork looks amateurish and unworthy of a film expected to be a major blockbuster. Adding to that marketing failure, a new Spider-Man: Homecoming video teaser also has its share of failures, giving Marvel fans even more cringeworthy moments.
Spider-Man: Homecoming Takes A Common Poster Theme And Runs It Into The Ground
Marvel Studios released a new teaser poster for Spider-Man: Homecoming and, as The Verge shares, the image, while familiar in theme, looks more like a draft of concept art than something intended to inspire interest in the film. The poster in question assembles a variety of images from various Spider-Man: Homecoming teasers to showcase the various characters and story arcs in the upcoming Marvel Studios film.
The concept is not a new one. It has been seen in posters for a number of theatrical releases, particularly those that feature an ensemble cast. Most notably, this type of collage has been used in teaser posters for films in the Star Wars franchise.
Yet, as veteran comic book illustrator and artwork designer Tommy Lee Edwards suggests, the poster for Spider-Man: Homecoming comes off looking unprofessional and seems more like a rough draft than something intended for public consumption.
“In a way…that Spider-Man poster almost looks like, ‘Here’s a bunch of references I got from the movie. Let’s put it all together and see how it looks.’ From there, you might be inspired to do a real poster,” says Edwards. “Instead, they just stopped at that point. It just looks like it’s not even finished.”
Tommy Lee adds that a collection of elements from any given film can be assembled together in a single poster and come off looking professional and enticing, so the flaw isn’t with that concept. Instead, he suggests the artists at Marvel Studios might have taken more time in adding a little finesse to the Spider-Man: Homecoming poster.
A New Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer Doesn’t Get Everything Wrong
The Hollywood Reporter recently shared the third trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming, a video teaser which seems to be pushing the “friendly, neighborhood” aspect of Spider-Man just a little too hard. Each scene pushes that concept either blatantly, as when Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark tells Peter Parker outright to stick to being the “friendly, neighborhood” superhero or when Peter is seen struggling with villains bigger than himself.
Even Tom Holland’s character is frustrated with that label and with the rest of The Avengers treating him as the resident kid, even though that’s just what he is in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
While Marvel Studios isn’t forcing yet another Spider-Man origins down our throats, the studio is giving fans a similar Peter Parker. Still wet behind the ears and still trying to understand his place as a young superhero, Homecoming delivers a story of Peter Parker trying desperately to fit in and failing at it.
That said, Spider-Man: Homecoming does deliver an action-packed teaser with its third trailer and reveals more about that suit gifted to Peter Parker by father figure Tony Stark.
Speaking of that father/son dynamic, the Spider-Man: Homecoming does deliver some humor, even in the two and a half minute teaser. The most memorable moment of levity comes when Tony reaches past Peter to open the car door and poor Peter misinterprets the move as a hug and reciprocates. Awkward, but funny.
Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters on July 7.
[Featured Image by Marvel Studios]