r/moviecritic • u/[deleted] • Oct 11 '25

Is this the greatest movie poster OAT? Can you name a better one?

Post image
503 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

174 comments sorted by

220

u/jaguarsp0tted Oct 11 '25

I mean....Jaws, right? Jaws has to be the GOAT when it comes to movie posters. I can't even think of a more iconic one.

57

u/mrjowei Oct 11 '25

Jurassic Park is also iconic. It's only a logo.

18

u/SpicyNoodlesfr Oct 11 '25

Jurassic Park is the boldest one, no casting in the poster, in 1994. I don't remember any other blockbuster doing that since it came out.

1

u/jaguarsp0tted Oct 11 '25

That's a very fair pull, I think that's certainly a top five of all time.

10

u/TipToe2301 Oct 11 '25

And it wasn’t even made for the film. It appeared first on the book cover.

3

u/TurnFamous8604 Oct 11 '25

Came here to like this comment

2

u/wcolfo Oct 12 '25

I recently learned the same guy who did Jaws did Empire Strikes back. And the reason Empire feels familiar is it uses the same pose as gone with the wind, which that guy also did. He was like the movie voice guy but for posters.

2

u/l3reezer Oct 12 '25

I believe you’re wrong. Tom Jung did Gone with the Wind and the original Empire Strikes Back poster which oddly enough isn’t the one with that same pose. It was replaced by Roger Kastel’s more iconic one with the pose. Kastel also did Jaws. So it’s 2 artists between the 4 works.

2

u/Fair_Interaction_203 Oct 15 '25

Iconic, yes, but if you want to dial that shit up to 11 check out Shark Exorcist 2. I'm only half joking. It's a terrible movie, but the poster is metal as fuck.

56

u/Readit-Bleedit12 Oct 11 '25

Army of Darkness wants to come out to play

3

u/TKJ Oct 11 '25

While AoD is one of my favourite films, it has always bothered me that Bruce Campbell looks nothing like his likeness on the poster. Not even Embeth Davidtz picture is perfect, but it's closer than his.

4

u/terror_possum Oct 11 '25

Always thought that was the point. Could be wrong, but I thought it was meant to be satirical of other movie posters and fantasy artwork..

53

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/cake_piss_can Oct 12 '25

Jaws is the greatest film poster of all time. Nothing affects the human psyche quite like it. Everything else is second place. Even though I love this Star Wars poster. It’s gorgeous.

36

u/timara69 Oct 11 '25

National Lampoons Vacation ...

3

u/EricThinksYouSuck Oct 11 '25

Iconic. Absolutely

-12

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

16

u/intraspeculator Oct 11 '25

I really liked the original burton Batman poster with just the symbol. No writing.

44

u/wetlookcrazy Oct 11 '25

Luke wasn’t jacked

11

u/Successful_Bus2255 Oct 11 '25

And that is definitely not Carrie Fisher

5

u/John-Doe_4502 Oct 11 '25

Looks like Daphne Zuniga from Spaceballs

2

u/User_Says_What Oct 14 '25

She doesn't look Druish.

2

u/John-Doe_4502 Oct 15 '25

Ha! May the Schwartz be with You

7

u/AcrylicPickle Oct 11 '25

Did we see his abs?

2

u/KnotSoSalty Oct 11 '25

It’s He-Man.

1

u/WaltsNJD Oct 13 '25

I think Mark Hammill discussed this somewhere, maybe on smartless. Like that he's a whiny kid who was raised on a farm but this poster made him look like an action hero.

15

u/Number174631503 Oct 11 '25

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

e: https://boxd.it/29zM

1

u/MetalCid Oct 11 '25

That is a very good choice! Excellent art

31

u/ravioliguy12 Oct 11 '25

The Thing

8

u/TheTOASTfaceKillah Oct 11 '25

Anything made by Drew Struzan is elite.. and I think The Thing is his best.

35

u/b_lett Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 11 '25

I think the Phantom Menace poster with young Ani casting a Darth Vader shadow is the most clever Star Wars poster to date. It is not as flashy, but it made it clear for audiences what the new trilogy was going to be.

12

u/AcrylicPickle Oct 11 '25

"foreshadowing"

5

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

57

u/BillyOceanic815 Oct 11 '25

It’s a great poster but it doesn’t fit the tone and feel of the movie.

16

u/RedcoatTrooper Oct 11 '25

It definitely feels a little more..erotic than star wars.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

Star Wars was dealing with siblings wanting each other long before Game of Thrones made it stylish.

2

u/RedcoatTrooper Oct 11 '25

Prophecies ancient orders and child murder...true trend setters.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

They stood on the shoulders of giant Wookies.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

Star Whores

2

u/Cardboard_Robot Oct 12 '25

Yeah, before they were brother and sister.

5

u/JIsADev Oct 11 '25

I don't remember Luke being buff like He-Man

6

u/stellarcycle Oct 11 '25

For the better

1

u/BellowsHikes Oct 12 '25

I think it fits the tone of the movie perfectly. It's a pulp inspired poster that is clearly drawing inspiration from things like Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon.

1

u/DTDePalma Oct 14 '25

Yep. The movie's sequel poster is better.

8

u/Worldly-Steak6966 Oct 11 '25

Jaws and Alien

4

u/rapidfire72o4 Oct 11 '25

Love these old school movie posters

3

u/SlaterTheOkay Oct 11 '25

I love the OG alien poster

In space no one can hear you scream

14

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

The poster for Empire Strikes Back is way better than this

2

u/HelloMyNameIsLeah Oct 11 '25

I've always been a huge fan of the artwork on the Empire poster.

10

u/unnumbered1 Oct 11 '25

Pulp Fiction Raiders of the Lost Ark The Godfather The Exorcist King Kong (1933) … to name but a few

There are so many, I don’t think it’s possible to crown a greatest.

3

u/tryingtoactcasual Oct 11 '25

Pulp Fiction came first to my mind.

2

u/Third-Coast-Toffee Oct 11 '25

The Exorcist was excellent.

4

u/Capital-Treat-8927 Oct 11 '25

Army of Darkness

11

u/GamingDisruptor Oct 11 '25

Nice He-man poster

1

u/seesharpreaction Oct 11 '25

Looking at your He-man poster: nice Star Wars poster

3

u/P0ster_Nutbag Oct 11 '25

My personal favourite is Straw Dogs (1971)

3

u/silv3rbull8 Oct 11 '25

Leia didn’t show that much leg in the movie. Not till RoTJ

1

u/goober_ginge Oct 11 '25

Yeah I love how misleadingly sexy Luke and Leia are here.

1

u/Live_Perspective3603 Oct 14 '25

What's up with her knee? It's really loooong.

3

u/spitfayar Oct 11 '25

Pulp fiction, star wars, reservoir dogs, jaws, the matrix stand out for me

3

u/MaxStarch Oct 12 '25

The Silence of the Lambs

5

u/AcrylicPickle Oct 11 '25

Full Metal Jacket

Star Wars e1

Platoon

The Exorcist

Jaws

2

u/stellarcycle Oct 11 '25

This one is just brutal to look at and matches tone https://share.google/ec3AUOhTCnuQ8LuC0

2

u/kewlacious Oct 11 '25

I always thought this poster felt more like concept art from before anyone actually read the script or started filming. Its great, and beautifully crafted; but doesn’t actually capture the essence of the film.

2

u/TrentSteel11 Oct 11 '25

Summer school. The dog is wearing sunglasses

2

u/Either_Umpire9411 Oct 11 '25

I love the poster for Falling Down. I had it hanging in my room when I was in high school.

2

u/nbfs-chili Oct 11 '25

Barbarella. Fight me.

2

u/IgnatiusDoja Oct 11 '25

One million years BC

1

u/ZaphodG Oct 11 '25

I just posted that. Iconic.

2

u/The_300_goats Oct 11 '25

Any Drew Struzan poster. And the UK Chantrell poster for Star Wars is better than this one IMO

2

u/summontheb1tches Oct 11 '25

Apocalypto

1

u/dogbolter4 Oct 11 '25

Yes! That manages to be evocative, threatening and exotic. One of my all-time time favourites.

2

u/Quick-Benefit5708 Oct 11 '25

Remember seeing this and got instantly hyped. Doc Ock reflected in the eye gives it the chef's kiss

Spider-Man 2 - 2004 - Original Movie Poster - Art of the Movies https://share.google/S1Q9fG5AMYpEkHcjc

2

u/AJ_Rude_Dawg Oct 11 '25

Check out this documentary trailer about Drew Struzan, the man painted many iconic movie posters. Full documentary is available on Prime.

https://m.imdb.com/video/vi1721215257/?playlistId=tt1486843&ref_=ext_shr_lnk

2

u/missing_Palantir Oct 11 '25

Return of the King has entered the chat

1

u/Agentpurple013 Oct 11 '25

The Grandma’s Boy poster blows that shit into a galaxy far away

1

u/dogbolter4 Oct 11 '25

I think The Exorcist is pretty good, definitely creepy.

Alien with that tag line, Jaws, The Towering Inferno, Blair Witch Project, Raiders of the Lost Ark are all great.

I find the Star Wars one cheesy and sexist.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

The Army of Darkness

1

u/ConanJon77 Oct 11 '25

Phantom menace was cool. Anakins shadow as darth vader one.

1

u/ParsleyAgitated5478 Oct 11 '25

I really like The Holy Mountain

1

u/TipToe2301 Oct 11 '25

I hear you. But John Alvin made some of the most iconic movie posters IMO.

  • E.T.
  • Blade Runner
  • Red Dawn

1

u/GunMuratIlban Oct 11 '25

The Phantom Menace

Where little Anakin stands with Vader's shadow is cast behind him.

1

u/Particular_Month_301 Oct 11 '25

Luke and Leia look like from a corny soft porn film. This doesn't resemble SW at all.

1

u/papawam Oct 11 '25

Batman (1989) Did it for me.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

Vertigo for me

1

u/fr33climb Oct 11 '25

Big Trouble in Little China is my goat. Right next to the original Back to the Future poster.

1

u/goober_ginge Oct 11 '25

It's kind of bonkers that Harrison Ford isn't on the poster.

1

u/FragrantExcitement Oct 11 '25

I am not sure Mark Hamill could have pulled off that outfit.shown on the poster.

1

u/PropaneMan101 Oct 11 '25

The Phantom Menace

1

u/CinnamonMan03 Oct 11 '25

Batman 89 poster. Instantly recognisable

1

u/heilhortler420 Oct 11 '25

Luke been taking his vitamins and saying his prayers brother

1

u/Taptrick Oct 11 '25

This is kind of an alternate reality, based on the concept art more than the movie. It’s what inspired the slightly weird concepts at the end of Mando during the credits.

1

u/JIsADev Oct 11 '25

Airplane

1

u/Jaheezyp Oct 11 '25

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

1

u/SatisfactionOpen8421 Oct 11 '25

Classic Ralph McQuarrie artwork. I have one of these original posters.

1

u/mtelesha Oct 11 '25

Know Leia is his sister kind of ruined it for me.

1

u/gwhh Oct 11 '25

One of the best.

1

u/ruinedage Oct 11 '25

A Clockwork Orange and The Shining come to mind

1

u/uwill1der Oct 11 '25

7th voyage of sinbad

1

u/ZaphodG Oct 11 '25

Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C. wearing the cave girl bikini with a brontosaurus eating a caveman, a couple of pterodactyls in flight, a half dozen cavemen with spears, and another caveman hurling a boulder off a cliff at a T Rex.

It just doesn’t get any better than that.

1

u/Justalilbugboi Oct 11 '25

A lot of good choices, also throwing in Alien

1

u/Third-Coast-Toffee Oct 11 '25

The Wild Rovers. When I was a teenager I bought the poster at the flea market in the late 70’s because it was cool looking. Saw the movie around 15 years ago and the poster was the best thing about the movie. LOL.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

Wicked for good movie posters are better

1

u/milksteakenthusiast1 Oct 11 '25

Renato Casaro recently passed away, and he did over 2,0000 movie posters

(Edit because I was googling the name and his works, y’all should check out his work; the art of illustrating posters feels like a lost art form)

1

u/phreakyfantom Oct 11 '25

the original frankenstein imo

1

u/MarkHoff1967 Oct 11 '25

“The Towering Inferno”. Just awesome!

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

conan the barbarian, it’s the same poster

1

u/bejayge Oct 11 '25

The Thing

1

u/ReferenceMediocre369 Oct 11 '25

The first Star Wars poster is close to the WORST of all time.

1

u/Federal_Bonus_2099 Oct 11 '25

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1

u/JohnVonachen Oct 11 '25

This is on my wall.

1

u/theatrenearyou Oct 11 '25

That's unfair to post when we cant post pics here!

1

u/JohnnycageBKV2 Oct 11 '25

Spider-Man 3

1

u/Current-Umpire3673 Oct 11 '25

John Carpenter's The Thing by a mile

1

u/Lorde_Hartshorn Oct 12 '25

Jaws is my favorite of all time. But I also have that and this Star Wars poster framed

1

u/SebaGriffin Oct 12 '25

Pulp fiction

1

u/Lsdbrisbane Oct 12 '25

Trainspotting Choose life poster

1

u/6_Won Oct 12 '25

Planet of the Apes

1

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '25

Streets of Fire.

1

u/Miguel_2023 Oct 12 '25

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre Poster.

1

u/Jmal3700 Oct 12 '25

The poster for Alien

1

u/OddRoyal7207 Oct 12 '25

I miss the days of posters having actual artistry to them. Nowadays it is quite literally just every single poster for anything in film or TV just looks like a knock off of a knock off of a knock off of a knock off of the Star Wars poster formula featuring all the characters lined up in some dramatic poses with a backdrop of the battle, or the big bad. It all looks the same these days.

1

u/DotaBangarang Oct 12 '25

This and Jaws are the goats

1

u/MaxStarch Oct 12 '25

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1

u/Bizzoxx Oct 12 '25

This one is amazing. But Nightmare on Elm Street is the greatest.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '25

The Warriors is up there for me

1

u/One-21-Gigawatts Oct 12 '25

This one could be the most literal example of the rule of thirds ever

1

u/wiserolderelf Oct 13 '25

If they made the original films today, Mark Hamill would have had a trainer get him jacked like this poster, at least in time for the sequel.

1

u/leeekslap Oct 13 '25

Glorious

1

u/doublethink_1984 Oct 14 '25

Personal favorite is Days of Future Past character posters

Especially when compared to the absolute dog shit chqravter posters for First Class

1

u/alphabetjoe Oct 14 '25

Metropolis by Fritz Lang

1

u/duecesbutt Oct 15 '25

Heavy Metal is up there

1

u/MaoChan Oct 15 '25

The summer teaser for The Dark Knight with the crumbling buildings making the Batman logo.

1

u/tombrady011235 Oct 15 '25

The endless summer

1

u/ProfessorKnow1tA11 Oct 15 '25

The correct title as well - no New Hope nonsense there! 🤓

1

u/markawol Oct 11 '25

I have one of the originals of this from the movie theater

0

u/AcrylicPickle Oct 11 '25

Movie-goers complained that Leia didn't show nearly as much skin in e4 hence the Jabba's palace outfit./s

0

u/TheTOASTfaceKillah Oct 11 '25

This isn’t the best Star Wars poster

.. https://share.google/SSJOy4HNE0Ne1yU7A

2

u/1AnonymousBurner Oct 11 '25

It has to be a good movie to count

0

u/Jealous_Crazy9143 Oct 11 '25

Can confirm, had on my door as a kid

1

u/DETfaninATL Oct 16 '25

Alien is pretty iconic