Review: THE ART OF DREW STRUZAN

For those of you who don’t know anything about Drew Struzan, you are about to be impressed. Actually, you might not recognize his name, but you should recognize his work. He has illustrated some of the most impressive and stunning movie posters over the years. Over 150 actually!

The book, THE ART OF DREW STRUZAN, shows us stunning works such as posters for HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, THE THING, BACK TO THE FUTURE, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, E.T. and HOOK. It touches on his feelings about the death of creativity in the film industry, which he does have a point, and even showcases never before seen works. The thing that I found most interesting about the book is that he is honest. He talks about his opinion on photo-shopped movie posters, studio executives, and all aspects of the industry. Not to mention that it is a beautifully written lament to his career.

I really can’t say enough about how beautiful his posters are. They aren’t just posters. They truly are works of art. The details and accuracy are wildly impressive. I love his enthusiasm as he talks about the most successful times of his career. By the end, he does get real, and quite bitter about the transition from artist rendered posters to the photo-shopped, creative-lacking posters that are around today, and the way the industry has turned more toward mass marketing than actual creative expression. In a way, he really is right! For example, his art for PAN’S LABYRINTH was rejected for being too artsy. Really? A ridiculously strange movie like that rejected an artistic poster? RIDICULOUS!!!

He illustrated some of my favorite films. Heck, I would be proud to drench my walls with his artwork. Maybe it’s my art therapy degree talking, but I think he is brilliant.

I could tell you over and over how AMAZING this book is, but I would rather you get off your hindquarters and go pick it up. You will be blown away.

OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5 stars