Skip to main content

Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s face too beautiful for movie posters?

Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s face too beautiful for movie posters?

/

Turn and face the Strange

Share this story

A tweet from Cumberbatch Brasil highlights a trend in the posters for films starring actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Imitation Game, and now Doctor Strange promote their star by showcasing his (please forgive me) Cumber-back.

To answer the question raised by the headline — "Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s face too beautiful for movie posters?" — I don't think his face is too beautiful, rather his back is such a fine and sturdy back that it warrants top billing.

The trend isn't limited to a single actor's ouevre. A 2011 post at 22 Words documented the prevalence of the "from the back" cliche, which was used in advertisements for over a dozen films, including Shoot 'Em Up, Anonymous, Walk the Line, Resident Evil Extinction, The Watchmen, and Inception.

Doctor Strange
Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch

A quick Google search shows the trend hasn't slowed since that post. Here are just a few recent examples:

And here's a fantastic movie poster that has nothing to do with this trend whatsoever, but will make you say, "In my day, movie posters featured a dog saving a cat while riding a log down a river rapid."