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" Drew Struzan is responsible for some of the most enduring cinematic imagery of the past thirty years, even if few fans recognize his name. That should be partially rectified by this week&amp;#039;s release of Struzan: The Man Behind the Poster, a documentary that pays tribute to the famed movie-poster artist, whose illustrated one-sheets for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Harry Potter, and countless other film franchises are both instantly recognizable and beloved. Hand-painted and marked by photorealistic portraits and signature scenes in evocative montages, Struzan&amp;#039;s work remains the standard to which most action, fantasy, and sci-fi posters aspire, conveying emotion and excitement with a compelling style far superior to the modern era&amp;#039;s Photoshopped-to-death posters. In honor of his prolific and peerless career, we present a look back at thirteen of his most compelling creations. Star Wars (1978)   The one that started it all. Struzan&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Circus&amp;quot;-style poster for Star Wars&amp;#039; 1978 re-release took as inspiration the telephone-flyer advertisements of 1940s serials, which themselves were forerunners of George Lucas&amp;#039;s intergalactic saga. Lucas himself so loved the poster that he began a relationship with Struzan that includes one-sheets for the 1997 Star Wars re-releases, the prequels, and countless spin-off novels. Back to the Future (1985)   The checking-the-watch, lifting-the-sunglasses pose struck by Michael J. Fox in Struzan&amp;#039;s Back to the Future poster proved so memorable, Struzan was asked to replicate it for both sequels. It perfectly encapsulates the mystery, excitement, and race-against-the-clock anxiety of the time-travel franchise. The Thing (1982)   Completed in just twenty-four hours, and without the artist having first seen the film, Struzan&amp;#039;s work for John Carpenter&amp;#039;s The Thing stands as one of the most unforgettable of all &amp;#039;80s horror posters. The bright shining light emanating from the hood of its arctic-bound figure suggests unsightly horrors, and captures the spirit of the film&amp;#039;s who-is-the-alien? terror. Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)   Struzan&amp;#039;s Police Academy art was always better than its source material, and the best was this pitch-perfect poster for Back in Training. With a style that blends photorealism with exaggerated caricature, it conveys the loopy cartoon essence of not only its many subjects, but of the crotch-shot- and cross-dressing-loving film itself. First Blood (1982)   As with Police Academy, Struzan&amp;#039;s First Blood poster is a deceptively effective work. Though providing only a straightforward portrait of Stallone&amp;#039;s Vietnam vet John Rambo set against a swirling forest-and-sky background, it manages to locate both the strength and trauma of the character. In its foregrounding of Rambo&amp;#039;s enormous phallic machine gun, it also exemplifies the era&amp;#039;s celebration of violence as inherently linked to manliness. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)   Struzan&amp;#039;s other outstanding effort for a John Carpenter film, Big Trouble in Little China nails the larger-than-life wiseass attitude of Kurt Russell&amp;#039;s hero Jack Burton, who naturally looms large over various images from his adventure. It&amp;#039;s signature Struzan, full of color, personality, and a sense of scale and movement in tune with its subject. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)   Struzan&amp;#039;s Adventures in Babysitting poster defined the film&amp;#039;s rambunctious night-on-the-town character, with its upward visual trajectory expressing the story&amp;#039;s promise of lifting off into harrowing \u2014 and hilarious \u2014 parts unknown. Again, Struzan&amp;#039;s gift for portraiture is unparalleled, especially with regards to Elizabeth Shue&amp;#039;s tough-yet-sexy furrowed-brow look. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)   The definitive take on Harrison Ford&amp;#039;s swashbuckling hero, Struzan&amp;#039;s Temple of Doom poster highlights Ford&amp;#039;s sarcastic ruggedness, the fiery heart-stopping dangers that await him, the exotic elephants-and-swordsmen nature of his quest, and the beauty and humor of his sidekicks. Plus, the ripped-edge border again harkens back to his original Star Wars poster, evoking an old-school movie-flyer feel. Cannonball Run II (1984)   Struzan&amp;#039;s poster for the original Cannonball Run is a gem, but it&amp;#039;s still inferior to his work for the follow-up. With cars bursting off the poster, a gaggle of smiling and screaming faces, and sexy women framing the montage \u2014 all with front-and-center Burt Reynolds sporting an ascot, no less \u2014 it articulates everything one needs to know about this most ridiculous of sequels. The Goonies (1985)   The quirky characters, the in-over-their-head peril, the pirate-treasure odyssey \u2014 all are brought to vivid life in Struzan&amp;#039;s poster for The Goonies. Like so much of his work, Struzan&amp;#039;s poster is a subtly dynamic construct, designed with a sharp eye toward winding visual lines that mirror the twisting nature of the film&amp;#039;s story. The Muppet Movie (1979)    After Struzan completed this one-sheet for The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson decided that no one else would ever create a poster for one of his Muppet films. The reasons are evident for everyone to see \u2014 from the sunshiny atmosphere of road-trip adventure to the Gone with the Wind-style over-the-rainbow romance of Kermit and Miss Piggy that hovers over everything, it&amp;#039;s as fun and playful as one of Henson&amp;#039;s characters. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer&amp;#039;s Stone (2001)   Given his close association with Star Wars, it made sense that Struzan would be called upon by Warner Bros for its own wannabe-iconic fantasy franchise. The artist didn&amp;#039;t disappoint, producing a poster that not only features compelling portraits of the film&amp;#039;s many main players, but wrapping them around Radcliffe&amp;#039;s protagonist in a way that cleverly conveys how each character serves to nurture and protect the boy wizard. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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