Film Preview: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

Poster

Poster #1

Additional posters can be found below.

Trailer Link

Release Date:

August 22, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The town’s most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more reviled inhabitants.”

Poster: D / D- / C (2) / C- (7) / B- (4) / C (2) / C+ (4) / C (4)

Review: (#1-#2) The slight improvement of rating between the first and second design relies more on how much information is provided on the first design as compared to the second. Neither are effectively creative or excessively noticeable.

(#3-#4) Most of these designs are all too similar. Some are slightly better than others, but that doesn’t make them great. The third and fourth designs are more akin to the comic book than to the film, making them seem a little too bland and two one-dimensional. (#5-#11) These character designs are more in line with the film’s style, since they may just steal scenes from the movie, but the characters are given human skin tones, which is not a common trait in the film.

(#12-#15) This array of general movie posters from The U.S. and around the world are probably the best tools the film will have to sell the film. They are all quite similar even though they use different images for each, the images being askew at the same angle as the title doesn’t work nearly as well as it probably should. (#16-#17) The next two designs seem like part of a larger set of character posters, but neither prove the need of a set designed like these.

(#18-#21) These four are probably the most like the film’s visual style, which gives them a slight edge in terms of accuracy, even if they aren’t really that fascinating. (#22-#25) Another quartet of character designs, inverting the frequently used black-white-red styles of the previous designs. It doesn’t work that well.

Trailer: C / B

Review: (#1) The mediocre original didn’t demand a sequel, but here it is. You almost forget why you didn’t adore the first film while watching the trailer for the second. The slick, glossy noir style of the comic book animation and effects is intriguing. That doesn’t completely wash out the bad taste from the original. At least this time, they didn’t rely solely on sex to sell their movie.

(#2) The second trailer sets the stakes better than the first. You can almost forget the first film, but the same cardboard acting is on full display here. This is a movie that relies entirely on style and forgets about substance. The trailer doesn’t entirely alleviate that concern, but it certainly tries.

Oscar Prospects:

The first film wasn’t an Oscar contender even though it could have been. This one might show up at one of the craft guilds like Art Directors, Costume Designers or Cinematographers, but it won’t show up at the Oscars.