Hollywood means perfection. Studios have experienced professionals in everything from directing to designing movie posters. But occasionally a poster ends up looking like it was made by a first-year arts student. Tight deadlines? Lack of care? Or simply an oversight? When a poster fails, it fails hard and we cannot unsee it.
1. Going the Distance (2010)
Get a load of this sweet, sweet hug. Wait, how is that even possible? Either Drew Barrymore knows some incredible yoga poses or a lazy photoshopper combined two different photos of actors hugging and forgot to move Drew’s hand in the final edit.
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
This poster is true art. The visual symmetry is simply breathtaking! Until you notice that Batman is staring directly at the window frame. No wonder the crime rate in Gotham is so high – the Caped Crusader can see no evil.
3. The Accidental Husband (2008)
What the heck! A disembodied arm crawls up from the bottom of the poster. Jeffrey Dean Morgan tries to petrify your soul with his unsettling stare. Someone gagged Uma Thurman with duct tape. Is this a rom-com or a body horror movie?
4. Tomb Raider (2018)
Alicia Vikander looks perfect as Lara Croft, but her neck here is so freakishly long and inhumanely flexible! Fans of the franchise set the Internet ablaze when they saw this poster. She was compared to everything from a giraffe to a tomb raptor. Whoever okayed this dodgy Photoshop job must be fired.
5. Logan (2015)
Logan is a masterpiece. This poster is also great. But take a closer look at the young girl’s hand. We get that she is a mutant, but she is no Elastic Woman. How is her little hand able to fit around Wolverine’s paw?
6. Need for Speed (2014)
At first glance, everything looks normal. Until you consider the height of the cars compared to the actors. Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Kid Cudi and Imogen Poots are all a couple of inches shy of 6 feet. But what are they driving? Mario Go-Karts? Is that an RC helicopter buzzing around?
7. Gulliver’s Travels (2010)
The person responsible for the photoshoot decided that Jack Black didn’t look shocked enough when dozens of little men tied him up. So an order was given to remove Jack’s teeth and tongue. It’s good that they decided to use Photoshop for that and not other tools.
8. Spread (2009)
Are we the only ones who think that this is Ashton Kutcher’s head attached to another man’s body? They must have done it with a mechanical press. His head looks like it was squeezed really hard.
9. Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
Nicholas Cage shoots through the glass with an invisible gun and then reaches into his bottomless jacket pocket for what must be an invisible grenade. This man can shatter glass with his acting alone.
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter knows magic in and out. Or is it in-and-out magic? Whatever it is, he manages to be completely inside and outside the subway car at the same time! Just look at the top of his head. He is, indeed, the Chosen One.
11. Ready Player One (2018)
People with long legs often look very attractive. But this guy looks like Spongebob taking Pearl to the prom. His legs must be at least 6 feet long.
12. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Apparently a decision to hire a long-armed double for the poster shoot had some far-reaching consequences. How else can you explain that MJ’s arm behind Spidey looks several inches too long? Does it make your spider senses tingle, Peter?
13. Hall Pass (2011)
If this really is Owen Wilson’s hand, we have two theories to explain it:
a) He was boxing with a beehive.
b) Owen Wilson has a 10-foot arm.
14. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
This poster is no shallow matter. It even triggered a deep investigation. How does Godzilla pull it off, standing on top of the water in the middle of the ocean?
15. Mamma Mia! (2008)
Just when you think that no one can outdo Alicia Vikander’s horrible Photoshop job, here comes another Queen of the Longnecks. Amanda Seyfried makes dinosaurs green with envy in this shot.
16. 300 (2007)
Get a handle on that! King Leonidas is so manly, he wields his sword without even touching it. A Photoshop hack job or maybe the poster artist was trying… to make a point?
17. The Accidental Husband (2008)
Romantic horror strikes again! Take a good look at Colin Firth’s left forearm. It’s eerily short. Dear Amanda Seyfried, could you spare this poor man a couple of inches from your Jurassic neck, please?
18. Street Kings (2008)
We love Keanu Reeves no matter what. Even when he appears to be firing a handgun without actually pulling the trigger. Look at him, he doesn’t even bother to put his finger inside the trigger guard! A street king for real.
