If in fact imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu should feel properly and incredibly flattered. Oliver Stone’s newest flick Savages was released earlier this month and its poster bear an uncanny resemblance to Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Babel poster.
Babel with its convergence of distinct storylines was well-represented by its respective poster, as was Savages. Savages basic story-line is about a group of U.S.-based pot growers upsetting the wrong people in a Mexican drug cartel. It is, not unlike Babel, an ensemble piece – a movie replete with many characters, storylines that eventually come together reflectively to make a statement of human nature.
Because Babel’s narrative is interlocking in nature, the poster fit extraordinarily well. The poster features the title diagonally and boldly in the middle. Movie stills, featuring the characters, set the backdrop to the bold typography. Both posters feature a series of horizontal images juxtaposed to the centric title. The posters, like the movies, are complex and somewhat jarring in its diverse images.
Babel is the better of the two films– an unconventional film uses revelatory narrative techniques out of sequence making it completely necessary to pay close attention. The 2006 film received many accolades, including winning the Golden Globe for Best Film-Drama and several Oscar nominations.
With the enormous amount of movies released every year, it is difficult to come out with something completely original. Whether Savages poster is a too-close replica of the Babel poster is up to each individual. What is certain is that the posters are well-executed, eye-catching and serve the films well by highlighting key characters.
Michelle Mayer is blogger at Mijo! Brands in Mexico.
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