The Oscars 2025: Who will win the film poster review?

The Brutalist 

Lizzie Hutchison: Well this is possibly my fave example of Brutalism. And sure, that’s because it’s not particularly Brutalist. (Don’t come for me, art history people). Striking photography angle, fun typeface, neat design. If they put the same care into the film, it should be brutally beautiful. Brutiful, if you will. 9/10

Stephen O’Neill: I’m not sure I like the big tilt here as much. At this angle, the kerning between "B" and "RUTALIST" looks all wrong, but when the right way up, even though technically still wrong, it looks right. So it's alright. 6/10

Anora

Hutchison: You had me at pink-neon-typeface. I don’t mind this—I like the angle, the dramatic lighting and the colours. It’s giving sad sparkles and fleeting happiness. I hope it works out, but I have a feeling it won’t. 6/10

O’Neill: Remember that game where you’d fold up some paper a few times, then one person would draw the head, someone else the body, and someone else the legs? I’m not saying that was the creative process here but it’s a mish-mash of meh. A "vote for Mikey" publicity still, Sean Baker’s favourite script font and a big dollop of neon by way of Photoshop. 2/10

A Complete Unknown 

Hutchison: So it’s perfectly fiiiiine…but it’s also just our Tim looking a bit affected playing a guitar. Good use of select colours and high contrast. The rest of it’s a bit cluttered and closer to knocking on hell’s door. 4/10

O’Neill: There are many wonderful, iconic images representing Bob Dylan, and this isn’t one of them. Safe, tasteful, predictable—which is what Bob Dylan wasn’t (and still isn’t). Does look a bit Stars in their Eyes. 3/10

Conclave

Hutchison: Ralph Fiennes does a good wounded expression, doesn’t he? Anyway, I like this—strong design, nice font, clean lines and a crucifix for the Jesus fans. Does it upset me that they’ve popped the title over some of the characters’ faces? Yes. Will I live through it? Pray for me. 7/10

O’Neill: Nice use of the cross and Ralph Fiennes; not so nice use of other floaty heads within the cross though. John Lithgow particularly miffed at having a geometric condensed sans serif shoved up his nose. 7/10

Dune: Part Two

Hutchison: It’s the age-old question: how many bald-headed men is too many bald-headed men on a film poster? Maybe the designers thought popping ‘em in an oval with Timmy C and Zendaya brooding overhead would be enough to distract from the fact this looks like a battle between hirsute and hairless. And maybe it is. I enjoy the limited colour palette and repeated use of semi-circle shapes. And the font. What a font. 5/10

O’Neill: "DUNC" part two—and return of the multi-headed montage. Consistently, inconsistent light sources and then a fake bake to try and bring it all together. 3/10 

Emilia Perez

Hutchison: Three annoyingly cropped portraits stacked above each other. Guys, really, is that the best we can do? They’re not even looking in the same direction. Which one’s Emilia? And what did she do to deserve this film poster? 2/10

O’Neill: There are a few different designs for this film floating around and this is by far the worst, capturing absolutely zero of the spirit of the film. So, 0/10 

I'm Still Here

Hutchison: Meh. This one reads a bit like an eye test in terms of decreasing point size with no real literary value. It’s giving AI-generated-family-had-their-picture-taken, and this is the photo they threw away because mum’s doing the dreamily-gazing-into-the-distance thing while everyone else is saying cheese. You might still be here, but I’m out the door. 3/10

O’Neill: The original Brazilian poster for this film is a lovely exercise in simplicity and restraint. Sadly, this new PowerPoint effort is a bit of a mess. 1/10  

Nickel Boys

Hutchison: We’ve all taken a photo in a club’s mirrored ceiling haven’t we? And I guess some of us deleted it from our digital cameras in the 2010s, and some of us turned it into a film poster. That aside, I don’t mind this, I only wish they’d lined the text up with the angle of the cross and made a feature of it. 7/10

O’Neill: This film is shot from a first-person point of view, through the characters’ eyes—tricky to capture in a poster, so looking up to a mirror makes sense. Just not a really striking visual. 6/10

The Substance 

Hutchison: Well it certainly catches the eye. Fair play to these guys who have made a spotlessly tiled bathroom so unappealing. And look, the scarred body helps, doesn’t it? Love that she’s facing away from the camera, love the different angled criss-crosses from the tiles. It’s truly the stuff of nightmares. 7/10

O’Neill: I like the brash, ultra-kerned typography, which is a main feature of the film too - just not sure it works so well with this composition though. And the last-minute gradient at the top at the insistence of the studio rep leaning over the designer’s shoulder is a bit of a shame. 5/10

Wicked

Hutchison: Just when you thought Barbie had maxed out the colour pink, along comes another fantastical film with deep themes to give it a second outing. Look, it probably won’t make it to the revamp of the Sistine Chapel but it does evoke The Creation of Adam. Anyway, it’s a bit fussy but I don’t mind this. Turns out pink does go well with green. 8/10

O’Neill: It may have been nice to just crop in on the hands but I get that it has to appeal to a wider audience and you don’t pay Ariana that much $$$ and not feature her. 5/10 (However, the original teaser poster is…wicked. 10/10. Pictured below.) 

And the winner is….The Brutalist—but will it take home the Oscar for Best Picture at the Hollywood ceremony on Sunday 2 March?

Lizzie Hutchison and Stephen O’Neill are creatives at AML Group