Movie Websites Launches for February 6 - February 12
February 12, 2004
During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, Eternal. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
50 First Dates
Current Content: This site has a good mix of the usual and the unusual, but since it's the unusual that makes a site stand out I'll concentrate on that. There are two clips of the stars talking about their first kiss, a couple of games and a section on the soundtrack. That was probably the best part, since it had four complete songs you could listen to. And because it was on a separate window, you could listen to these songs instead of the regular background music.
Around the World in 80 Days
Current Content: So far the site only has the trailer and synopsis.
Eternal
Current Content: This is a very unusual movie site, for plugging the movie almost seems like an afterthought compared to presenting information on the legend of Countess Bathory, the Vampire myth and other related information. And this information isn't just page after page of text; there are voice-overs for most of the internal text (as well as links to external sources.) There is so much information that after the movie finishes its run they could remove all mention of the movie and the site would be able to stand on its own. But back to the movie related sections. The usual features are there, teaser trailer, image gallery (in four parts), cast and crew bios, and of course the synopsis. But like the information mentioned above, the synopsis is presented with a voice-over and images; it's more informative than most trailers are. The only concern I have is with the background music, it's really well done but it only appears on one section, (Eternal Secret Archives.) Of course, if it was everywhere they'd have to make sure it didn't overlap the voice-overs. It is a minor problem compared with the overall effect of the site and it easily wins the fiendish Weekly Website Award.
Highwaymen
Current Content: There's been virtually no change in this site since it was launched late last summer. Just three wallpapers were added.
Good Bye Lenin!
Current Content: I like the way this site is setup, it's like a large note board with different pictures for each section. But the note board is larger than the screen so you have to scroll a bit to get to different parts. All the usual features are there, but unfortunately there are no real extras. Each section also has its own background music, which is always impressive.
La Mantale: The Code
Current Content: Typical Sony placeholder site with only a few clips setting it apart.
Monsieur Ibrahim
Current Content: A very simple site without sound or animation. Even the trailer is offsite. The interview with Omar Sharif is interesting, but its not enough.
Robot Stories
Current Content: There have been no new features in the site since I last reviewed it. However, there have been several updates in the web logs and news.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Current Content: The poster can now be downloaded as wallpaper. However, the rest of the downloads are marked coming soon.
Starsky and Hutch
Current Content: There was a major update this week with almost all the content previously marked coming soon added to the site. Most of these additions were the usual features, but a couple of interactive features were also added. Namely, the High Wig Guy fake I.D. maker and the desktop wallpaper maker. The only feature left marked coming soon is the Pinball game, which I'm really looking forward to.
Troy
Current Content: The flash site launched this week and it does exactly what a site should do, make the surfer want to come back again. The format is excellent, which hides the fact that there's very little content, at least at the moment. The synopsis is there, as is the cast list (no bios), image gallery (part 1) and two trailers. Also there to explore is the first parts of the two Production Showcases. The rest is marked coming soon. By doing this the web designers avoid overwhelming the surfer and encourage repeat visits to check for updates.
Submitted by: C.S.Strowbridge
Filed under: Troy, 50 First Dates, Starsky & Hutch, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Around the World in 80 Days, Good Bye, Lenin!, Monsieur Ibrahim, Highwaymen, Robot Stories, La mentale