Fans are debating the best trailers of all time: "May even be better than the film itself"

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker — (Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

From The Matrix to a few Star Wars installments, fans have been sharing their picks for the best movie trailers of all time this week. The resulting list is an exciting combination of iconic films, unexpected choices and even some very recent releases.

The conversation was started by the popular account @cinesthetic on Twitter, generating hundreds of responses from users.

"Cliché as hell, but I honestly don't think any trailer got me as excited as the first teaser for The Force Awakens. Maybe The Dark Knight," wrote one fan, naming two of the most mentioned movie titles in the list. The trailers for Christopher Nolan's critically-acclaimed Batman sequel and Star Wars' anticipated return to the big screen in 2015 certainly left their mark, but there are more.

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"Theater went wild when this dropped," said another user, sharing the trailer for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which completed George Lucas' divisive prequel trilogy.

Beyond popular franchises and characters, viewers seemed to find consensus in naming The Social Network's trailer as one of the best ever. "There's only one answer. This trailer single-handedly started the "stylized song cover" trend that still plagues trailers to this day," wrote a fan sharing the trailer for David Fincher's Oscar-winning film.

"The Social Network trailer may even be better than the film itself… Its cinematic and that choir singing Creep by Radiohead," commented another one.

Jumping back to the late 1990s, a few users praised The Matrix title, describing it as a "game changer" for cinema. "Didn't give a single thing away but still peaked your interest," wrote one of them, while others thought the trailer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon "put the Matrix to shame".

The trailers for Star Trek (2009), Man of Steel, Logan, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo were some of the other popular picks included in the Twitter thread, as well as some recent movies like 28 Years Later and Weapons.

For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.