Film Preview: The Death of Stalin (2018)

Page Revisions:

(March 4, 2018) Original

Release Date:

March 9, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Follows the Soviet dictator’s last days and depicts the chaos of the regime after his death.”

Poster Rating: B- / C (8) / C+

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Review: (#1) If you’ve seen the trailer, you can probably guess who is playing tug of war over a dead Stalin, but other than generic symbolism, the poster doesn’t give sufficient information about the plot. (#2-#9) The generic background for all of the character posters isn’t distinctive enough and the taglines get reused multiple times, which makes them not seem as unique as they should be. (#10) There’s not enough humor in this poster to codify what audiences should expect from it. The title might seem slightly indicative, but you have to read the critic notices at the top to get that. Posters are meant for instant interest in the subject matter, not passing disinterest.

Trailer Rating: B+ / B

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Review: (#1) Looking like a newsreel from the period in which the film is set, the clever trailer designers handily set this up as a humorous diversion with political aspects. (#2) Without the stylistic flourish of the first trailer, you’re left with the actions and antics of the cast to sell this as a comedy. It doesn’t come off nearly as well, but is sufficiently amusing.