As floating head ensemble posters go, the latest key art for Roland Emmerich's Midway is the Bloomin' Onion variant. A spreading cluster (which, by the way, is still under half of the films principle cast of World War II military personnel) sprouts from the fire bombing of aircraft carriers.
It gets the idea across at a glance, but there is a vague, perhaps unintentional, fourth wall break going on in the heavily photoshopped design.
Why does Woody Harrelson's character, Navy Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, look directly at the would-be viewer with such utter disinterest? He seems to be saying with his eyes, that he does not want to be there today.
This is an odd choice in movie marketing, particularly for a heroic 'Roland Emmerich Patriotism' blockbuster. Consider, for a moment, the number of levels of notes and approvals this kind of advertisement goes through before anyone publicly sees it. If it is not an error, it is merely a baffling decision that ran the gauntlet of oversight.
For contrast in how to market this kind of film, the teaser poster for Midway is far more understated. It is more evocative of the promise of the spectacle and the patriotic gravitas. The earlier key art accomplishes everything that I am certain this particular director is striving for, without the clutter or the disdain.
