With 2019 wrapping up and Oscar season soon upon us, what better time than now to do a quick recap of the TOP 10 Official Movie Posters of this year. We here at PosterSpy definitely side more on the alternative movie posters but we wanted to make this list a list of the actual OFFICIAL movie posters of 2019 to show that the art of the movie poster is not dead and that some production companies really do put forth the right effort into marketing their films. Please note, what we’ve picked has nothing to do with the film itself – we are strictly looking at the artistic merit of these posters and what they conveyed to us.
Once again – in no particular order.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix | Gravillis Inc.
This is a prime example of a poster that stands out amongst the slew of big-budget blockbuster comic book movies. You’ve seen them, the mashup headshots, the power poses, and everything in between. No, this one is a true marvel (oh yes, you saw what I did there) and looks like it could even be on the front of an actual comic book. I wish that the finished film could’ve had half the style that this poster portrays.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood | BLT Communications, LLC
Being a Tarantino film, the marketing for this particular movie shouldn’t have surprised anyone. If you remember his throwback Grindhouse films, Planet Terror and Death Proof, he kind of did the same thing, playing to the strength of what the movie is about rather than focusing on the star power. There were plenty of these to choose from for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood but I was really drawn to this one. It’s got all the key traits, the font selection, the colors of those fonts, the character pose, the illustrated style, and let’s not forget, the fact that it doesn’t mention the actual movie it’s for is priceless.
A Hidden Life | Alphaville
This is a film by Terrence Malick, and if you’re at all familiar with his films, then this poster should come across as something you might not expect. Most of the movies I’ve seen by Terrence use posters that typically depict shots of the talent in some close-up format or in a collage of sorts. This illustrated approach of two people embracing one another is not only different but it’s raw and evokes so much emotion and curiosity. The color pallet is simple yet powerful and incredibly intentional. I’d hang this in my home on its artistic merit alone.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Gravillis Inc. // Illustrated by: Paul Shipper
What better way to wrap up 9 films in a series than by paying tribute to such a well known poster created by Tom Jung and the Star Wars film A New Hope. Anyone who might be a Star Wars fan will recognize the way this poster is composed, how Kylo’s helmet mimics that of Darth Vader’s helmet from the original poster. Even simple touches like the ships flying around on the right side mirror the ships from the poster created back in 1977. Bravo to Paul for this brilliant work and kudos to the studio for including this in the marketing efforts!
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | B O N D
I have to say, as I was scrolling through the piles of movie posters created for 2019, I definitely did not expect to stop at anything for Maleficent. Most of what I had seen were headshots of Angelina Jolie with those wicked horns, not saying that they don’t work to promote the film but we’ve all seen that before. No, as I clicked on poster after poster, I stopped when I saw this beautifully constructed black and white contrast heavy piece. The way the feathers fall out from her wings, the way she seems to be falling apart, the way that the feathers start to mimic the look of birds … there’s a lot going on in what might seem simple at first and I love that! (It’d almost be more powerful if they would’ve dropped the text and title treatment, or at least made it smaller and/or out of sight)
SOUL | B O N D
Leave it to Pixar to keep the creative juices rolling. Right away I get an incredible sense of knowing what this movie will be about. Not just by the title itself, but by the color, the piano keys, the key character’s style, the particular way the letters have been crafted and everything in between. This entire illustration has “soul” and I personally can’t wait to see how Pixar has undoubtedly done it again!
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum | LA // Illustrated by: Bill Elis
Can you say detail?! Seriously, please take a moment and study this image, look at everything Bill has strategically placed into this piece and take it all in. The halo around John’s head, the angels of death, the ridiculous amounts of weapons, and so forth – nothing goes without consideration and it shows. Even the style, the color selection and lighting are all on point. There were countless great posters for John Wick, but this one kept catching my eye over and over again.
Hellboy | LA
I’ll be the first to admit, I was not ready for a reboot of Hellboy. I’ll also address that David Harbour was not the problem, the problem was the writing and the direction of the film. You can’t go from someone like Guillermo and expect that same magic – but that’s beside the point. What I wouldn’t have expected was to see such awesome art as the above poster depicts. The way they’ve drawn the suggestive hands, pulling, prodding, and manipulating Hellboy’s image along with the inclusion of the demons gives a lot of context but in such an awesome style.
Frozen II | Legion Creative Group // Illustrated by: InSync Plus
I swear, I did not set out to pick so many Disney properties, but I just couldn’t avoid it. Some of these posters are just gorgeous and need the attention that they deserve. This Frozen II poster is no exception. Remember, we’re trying to show OFFICIAL movie posters and when you happen upon one that isn’t rendered with CG and photography from the film, it immediately catches your eye. I really was drawn to how small Anna and Elsa are in this poster – especially since they’re what sell the target audience. Yet, this poster puts them deep into an unknown forest, void of hardly any color and begs you to wonder and to be just as curious as the characters faces seem to be.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire | Illustration by: Akiko Stehrenberger
Greek philosophy classifies fire as one of the four foundational elements that are tied to passion and power. They saw fire as if it were tied directly to a person’s soul in an effort to reach a state of enlightenment. The energy, the excitement that fire can create not only physically but emotionally stirs something within everyone. Combining those ideas along with the painted texture and depth of this poster and how it so aptly applies to the movie it’s been created for, easily puts it as one of our favorite posters of 2019.
Creating a top 10 list of Official Movie posters is harder than it might seem. Even so, there were some incredible ones created for 2019 by some very talented people. What were some of your favorites this year? Did any of yours make the list? Are there any poster creators out there that you think deserve to make the next Official Movie poster for a big movie coming out in 2020? Leave us a comment and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
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