The Best Movie Trailers of the Week

Welcome back to Best Movie Trailers of the Week, a column where we handpick the best new movie trailers that have arrived online over the past week.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The latest trailer for Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is still a bit all over the place, but there are enough comprehensive story details and fully fleshed-out moments to make the piece quite engaging rather than just a one-note voiceover paired with a haphazard montage like the last one.

That opening sequence alone accomplishes quite a bit. It’s got some solid action, functions as a powerful reveal and shows off humor that really works. The trailer does lose a little steam at the midpoint, which doesn’t help Shredder’s big moment, but as soon as that electronic beat kicks in around the one-minute 50-second mark, it powers straight through to the post-title scene, which rocks the comedic timing to get you to crack a smile.

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The Best – and Worst – Movie Trailers of the Week

Other than Miley Cyrus’ half-naked teddy bear romp, one of the big takeaways from the MTV Video Music Awards was the very first teaser trailer for Divergent. As someone who’s very familiar with the book, seeing certain characters and scenes come to life is an undeniable thrill, but it’s also impossible to overlook the fact that the piece is a manic, quick-cut montage with a dizzying amount of fades to black. The March release still has all the potential in the world, but its first big promo is definitely weakened by the information overload and that leaves this week’s top three spots up for grabs.

The Best Stuff

1. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete

The build in the new trailer for George Tillman Jr.’s The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete isn’t as powerful as it could be and the piece gets a bit melodramatic due to the heavy-handed use of B.o.B’s “Ghost in the Machine,” but the charm of the duo that is Mister and Pete is so engaging, it’s all that’s necessary to make this a highly effective promo.

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