So as you may or may not have heard the first poster for Iron Man 2 was revealed yesterday and is currently spreading across the Internets like wildfire in geek circles. I have to say that I myself was just as excited when I saw director Jon Favreau’s tweet that it would be unveiled on Yahoo Movies in just a few minutes. Once I did get a chance to see the poster, it definitely got me excited for May, but I wasn’t blown away as some people were (mainly because I’ve seen Iron Man 2 footage already from Comic Con back in July).
From a graphic standpoint, here’s why I think it’s a good poster:
- It shows both Iron Man & War Machine–Make no mistake this is a movie about Iron Man, which is why he is front and center in this poster and why War Machine is in the back, but at least we still get to see War Machine in the poster.
- Asymmetrical balance–Ok, I know I’m getting technical on you, but just what is asymmetrical balance you might ask? Well if I remember my undergraduate courses correctly it means that irregular components in the poster balance each other out–in a good way. Take a look for yourself, what is the first thing that you see? Iron Man right? It’s because you see more of him and also because he has brighter colors. BUT, right after you see him, you are immediately drawn to War Machine. Why? Because he’s cool! This action, subliminal or otherwise is a good thing.
- It doesn’t say “Iron Man” on the poster–Why say something when you don’t need to? Most people will be able to recognize Iron Man in the poster already without having to put his name on there. If they can’t, they can always find out what the movie is by going to it’s website.
Here’s why I think it’s not a great poster:
- The cloudy, Photoshopy background–The sky background doesn’t really do anything for me and I don’t think it blends well with the two main elements of the poster.
- It just doesn’t say anything to me–Yeah they look good and all, but this poster doesn’t tell me anything. It’s just a picture of our two heroes standing next to each other. Tell me, if they took out the Iron Man and War Machine suits and replaced them with Robert Downey Jr, and Don Cheadle would it have the same impact? Probably not. A good poster will not only look good, but it’ll tell you something about the movie as well.
In any case, look for more hype to build as speculation puts the first trailer to debut with Sherlock Holmes on Christmas Day.
The Red Band Project 
Love this poster as well. More than asymetry (actually, it’s quite symmetrical; fold the poster in half, vertically), the poster works because of color. Blue/grey clouds are a perfect contrast for a large, red figure. And if War Machine’s eyes weren’t glowing red, he would be totally lost.
My only issue? Not enough headroom for Iron Man. 😉
Touchè about the color. While I don’t prefer the blue and grey clouds, they do make him stand out. Of course I’ll still be trying to get my hands on this thing when I get the chance. 🙂