(Higher Level) Write a critical analysis of the poster for the fi lm Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In it, you should consider: (i) the visual impact of the poster; and (ii) whether or not the fi lm poster makes you want to see the fi lm.
Sample Answer
Overall, I feel that the poster has a strong impact. The dark colours used in the building and the character’s clothes provide a great contrast with the bright yellow sky behind. It makes the character stand out and he looks like he is very important and powerful. However, the use of this bright colour does not make me think this is a fi lm full of positivity and optimism. The yellow bleeds into a dark grey and gloomy sky. The colour alone gives the impression that something bad or dangerous has happened or is going to happen in the future.
The image gives some context as to where the story is set. The bright sun illuminates a city skyline and lights up a train passing by on the tracks below. There are people walking below, but it doesn’t look like any city we would know. The crumbling building on which the man stands has a big impact – why does the building look like this? What destroyed it?
I feel that I would like to see this fi lm because the poster conveys the message that this is a dark and thrilling story about magic. The main character holds a briefcase and a wand. Whenever I see a briefcase, I always think that it contains lots of secrets. The magic wand is lit up like it is about to perform some kind of magic. The main character seems to be alert, waiting to use his wand if he needs to.
The overall content stirs my curiosity as I am a Harry Pot er fan anyway. The inclusion of the text `a new era of the wizarding world’ makes me think that this is a new take on the Harry Pot er world and so I’m really interested to see what new world has been created.
