Kingsman sequel teaser takes shot at trailer culture ... and still produces a great trailer

It’s safe to say we live in an era where trailer and teaser trailer culture has run rampant.

As trailers move from simple marketing videos designed to hype an audience for an upcoming movie into short film territory, studios are investing more money and time into creating the best trailers they can. Think of this teaser trailer for Man of Steel or the exquisite simplicity of the most recent Atomic Blonde trailer. In an effort to mock the teaser trailer culture we belong to, 20th Century Fox has put together a snide, 15-second teaser of its own.

The original teaser, which can be seen above, takes its time introducing the movie. By the time any footage from the sequel make it into the teaser, it’s moving at such a rapid speed that it’s impossible to make out any of the details. There’s no release date present in the video and none of the actors’ names have been listed. It’s clear the teaser has two purposes, both of which it accomplishes: pointedly call out how ridiculous teaser trailers are while at the same time getting people to talk about it.

The oddity of the teaser in itself was more than enough to get people online asking questions and sharing the link, but one of the coolest aspects of the teaser occurs when the trailer is slowed down frame-by-frame. Inside this wasp of a teaser is an actual trailer — a very good trailer, that ambitious editors and internet sleuths were able to deconstruct within hours of the teaser appearing online.

As seen in the video below, the slowed-down teaser doesn’t give anything away — exactly as a teaser should — but gives the audience an idea of what to expect. Director Matthew Vaughn returns with his stylish approach to the spy genre, and we get glimpses of some returning characters among new faces. There’s even an adorable dog, because this is a teaser made for the internet and the internet loves dogs.

Some may be upset that even the slowed-down version of the trailer isn’t overly informative, but it’s important to differentiate between a teaser and a trailer. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, for example, received its first teaser on Friday. It provides a little insight into what’s to come in the film, but the goal of the video is to establish the director and the tone of the movie without giving away any details.

This is what the teaser for Kingsman: The Golden Circle tries to accomplish, and it manages to pull the task off with a sense of nuance that’s often under appreciated in this era of trailer culture.

The first trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle is expected in the coming months. The film will premiere on Sept. 29.