Controversial films

Recent controversial films

Deadpool - Received 51 complaints. Deadpool is a superhero film, but it is a non-conventional one that features many extremely violent and sexual scenes which would not be found in a typical superhero film. It also had a green band trailer released alongside the red band, suggesting it was intended for a younger audience than the one it eventually received (15). An entire scene had to be cut out due to Reynolds "going too far". A lot of the language also had to be cut out, including "You look like a trucker took a **** on your shoulders and then shaped ears onto it.".

Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - Not sticking to the source material; Batman kills multiple times in the film, in the comics he is shown to be against murder which upset fans of the comics.

The Birth of a nation - Featured a rape scene, the director had also been charge with rape which caused the victim to commit suicide, and therefore created a large amount of controversy.

Doctor Strange, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The Great Wall, Nina - Features people of different ethnicity playing the roles of characters of different ethnicity, e.g. The Great Wall features Matt Damon when the film is set in the days of imperial China

Analysis of Mean Girls poster (Teen Angst)

Analysis of Mean Girls poster

The main poster for the film Mean Girls features the main protagonist towards the left, alongside the "antagonists" to the right in the background. This can be implied without even watching the film as the main focus of any film is on the protagonist, and as one girl is stood in the foreground, the assumption that she is more important can be made. The girls in the back could be assumed to be sidekicks of the main character, however, I feel they are demonstrated more as antagonists (which they are) due to the fact that they are all wearing the same colour - unlike the main character - and are in poses stereotypical for the popular people in a school (trying to show off). They also look a lot more confident whereas the girl in the front looks somewhat concerned.

There is a predominant colour in the poster - pink. This works very effectively in attracting its target audience of teenage girls as teenage girls are stereotypically associated with this colour and similar ones. The girls in the background are also very stereotypical; they look as if they are showing off to the girl in the front (who is a counter-type of teenage girls) and are wearing clothes that are considered fashionable (at least at time of the film's release) whereas the girl in the front doesn't seem too bothered about what she wears.

The text is also effective at attracting an audience as it is also a colour representative of teenage girls. The title "Mean Girls" suggests that there will be conflict between each other, this is shown especially well with the boldness of the word "Mean". Towards the bottom of the page is a review "Awesome, Cool and Wicked-Good!", the fact that the review is positive will undoubtedly persuade people to watch, but the fact that it is so colloquial will encourage teenagers to watch it as they are stereotypically shown to be very informal.

The film also features Lindsay Lohan, who is a fairly popular actor. This will encourage people to watch the film as they will likely be familiar with her other pieces of work and will therefore be a fan of her, which may encourage them to watch it.

Analysis of Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer (Action)

Analysis of Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer

The beginning of the trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins by keeping everything quite ambiguous, not much can be inferred from it; a clip of a rock is shown followed by someone clenching it and gasping for air. The following clip shows her standing over an ocean with someone in the background telling her to "Breath...", this is then followed by another clip - similar to the first one where a hand is shown clenching a rock, but this time there are pebbles floating around the hand. This implies that the voice from the second clip is training her in something which allows her to use certain powers. This will attract an audience as without inferring anything, the whole scene is quite mysterious (which will encourage to view the film in order to find out what is happening), but when thinking about it shows that the girl, and the man talking, are quite powerful if they have the ability to make things levitate and power suggests that there will be a bit of action which is what people who like action films want to see.

The whole trailer is accompanied by mysterious music that is synonymous with the Star Wars franchise, the music is quite quiet at the start of the trailer but later picks up, when the action also does. This is similar to the trailer for Wonder Woman where the music can be used to imply that the film starts of quite slow paced, taking time to explain the plot and characters but it build up later - as demonstrated by the music becoming more intense.

At various points in the trailer, lightsabers are shown, these are key pieces of mise-en-scene in the Star Wars series and highlight the fact that the newest film in the series will not stray too far from the others. This will likely attract long time fans as this is a new film in the series and a continuation from the previous film, therefore people will want to find out what happens after the events of the previous films. For people who are not fans of/familiar with the series, the lightsabers may encourage them to watch it as they are a form of weaponry, and weapons are highly associated with the action genre. Guns are usually most associated, but the fact that lightsabers are so technologically advanced may encourage people to watch the film. The James Bond series does this, while the films do feature guns, they also feature various other pieces of advanced weaponry and the series has gone on to become one of, if not, the most popular film series of all time.

Analysis of Easy A trailer (Teen angst)

Analysis of Easy A trailer

Easy A is a teen angst film, directed by Will Gluck, and released on 22nd October 2010 (UK). Its target audience is teenagers of both genders, but primarily aimed at girls.

The beginning of the Easy A trailer starts with the main character, Olive, setting up a camera and recording herself telling a story, which continues throughout the entirety of the trailer. As the perspective (while focusing on Olive) is that of the camera, it makes the audience feel as though they are connecting with her instantly - even though we don't know anything about her at that point - and therefore engages the audience as we want to know more about her. The diegetic sound is of her talking and explaining the idea behind the trailer, this idea then continues on using voice-overs throughout the trailer alongside some cheerful music. The cheerful music makes it seem quite innocent which is a contrast to what happens later on in the trailer, this is also representative of the teen angst genre; it usually starts off very cheerful and upbeat but a conflict follows which creates various problems.

There is then a montage of various clips from a school, which is very stereotypical of a teen angst film as school is heavily associated with teenagers as they spend a majority of their time there or doing things associated with it. This makes it relatable to the target audience and alongside the direct address aids in making them feel close to the main character.

After this montage various conversations unfold, the first between Olive and another character who asks about Olive, unaware of the fact that they have been numerous classes together. This makes the character seem quite unintelligent, which is a staple of teen angst films, another example of this is in the trailer for Mean Girls where one of the girls is implied to be unintelligent as she gets hit in the face by a basketball after attempting to catch it. Another conversation is between Olive and a boy who asks her to go out with him, Olive then mentions that he recently told her he was gay. This is also stereotypical of teenage life, as many teenagers are in relationships. This further develops into them pretending to be going out with each other, and then pretending to have sex by making various noises and jumping on the bed. This is quite comedic as the boy explains he wants to do it to become more popular, and the scenes themselves are also quite funny. This may attract an audience as many people will find it funny, and will therefore want to watch the film if they have enjoyed the trailer.

Analysis of Wonder Woman trailer (Action)

Analysis of Wonder Woman trailer

The beginning of the trailer for Wonder Woman (WW) begins with a short montage of various clips, all demonstrating staples to the action genre including: explosions, combat and loud music. These clearly demonstrate the genre as being action, due to them being staples of the genre (as I mentioned). The loud music eventually settles down after the title of the film is shown, but a little while later, once a backstory for the main character is set, it begins again - as do the explosions and combat. This shows that while there is a story, the main reason that people watch action films (for the action) is highly prevalent throughout the film. This is very similar to the trailer for Overdrive; the trailer begins with a bit of action, it later begins to explain the basic idea of the main characters and story which is followed by a lot of action.

There is also a bit of comedy in the trailer, where the man is introducing Diana to someone, and she begins to proclaim she is "Diana, Princess of..." before she is cut off by the man who says her name is "Diana Prince". This comedy may attract an audience as it shows that whilst the film is meant to be serious, it is not always serious throughout the film which may prevent it from becoming too boring for some people.

The main character is Diana (Wonder Woman), this is an extreme counter-type as in nearly all cases, men take the lead role in action films due to their target audience mainly being adult males and therefore being a more relatable character. Diana is also a counter-type as she is shown to be strong and independent whereas woman are stereotypically shown to be the opposite and in action films take the role of the one who needs to be saved. The fact that the main character is not a man will likely attract a larger female audience as it shows woman are just as capable as men.

As I previously mentioned, the music slows down after the beginning montage but later picks up again, this could be a reflection of the film showing that the start of the film begins quite calm but a conflict arises in which Diana is needed and it results in a lot of action.

Analysis of Shoot 'em Up poster (Thriller/Action)

Analysis of Shoot 'em Up poster

The poster for Shoot 'em Up makes use of conventions of the action genre, an example of this is the fact that two of the people are carrying guns, due to the fact that these are key conventions of the action genre it will convince people to watch the film as it shows it isn't completely different. There is also one woman in the background, as she is in the background and not wearing clothes suitable for fighting, it can be assumed that she is in need of saving by the man in the foreground as is the case in a lot action films - such as Spectre. The man in the background is likely a sidekick to the man in the front, as it can be implied he is less important due to him being in the background.

The text and background image are at an angle, this implies that something that is not stereotypical of an action film happens, in a lot of action films it is usually a lot of guns and other weapons, but due to the disorientation of it, it could suggest that the film is different. The disorientation could also refer to the fact the the film is full of action.

The colours surrounding the characters are very dark, this is stereotypical of an action film as action films aren't about happiness like comedies are, they are about conflict and a threat to a group of individuals. The background aids in emphasising this as it is quite bright which helps to contrast the characters and make them, stand out more. The background itself looks to be of a small alleyway/street, alleyways are - a lot of the time - associated with danger and danger is also a key convention of action films.

Film poster recreation

Film poster recreation