The trailer that got the most attention in 2011 was for Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with its powerful Trent Reznor/Karen O cover of classic Zeppelin. Smart, effective…and completely obvious. “I come from the land of the ice and snow,” yeah, we get. 

For me, true artistry was found in the first trailer for Battle: Los Angeles. A serviceable if unremarkable sci-fi action movie, B:LA will be memorable for years to come mainly for this brilliant teaser featuring music from modern composer Johann Johannsson’s IBM 1401, A User’s Manual.

Filmmakers, take note: this is how it’s done. Johannsson’s haunting, coldly alien sound elevates routine Michael Bey-esque clips into something both terrible and beautiful.