Useless Movie Trailers

[Andara Bledin]

What is it with movie trailers that don't actually tell you what kind of movie they're advertising? There have been quite a number of movies I've watched because they came on and then wondered what the hell movie the trailers were advertising because it sure as hell wasn't the movie I just watched.

I remember thinking that Fight Club was going to be some testosterone flick with no brains, and the one trailer I recall from The Frighteners made it seem like a typical horror flick.

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[Ginger Tea]

There was a yahoo article last week about trailers that all but spoil the movie's ending, most notably free willy with the poster
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/151601/trailers-that-spoil-movies.html

[firecat88]

What is it with movie trailers that don't actually tell you what kind of movie they're advertising? There have been quite a number of movies I've watched because they came on and then wondered what the hell movie the trailers were advertising because it sure as hell wasn't the movie I just watched.

I remember thinking that Fight Club was going to be some testosterone flick with no brains, and the one trailer I recall from The Frighteners made it seem like a typical horror flick.

^-.-^

They did this with the movie Bridge to Terabithia. Now, having not read the book, I hadn't known what to expect. The trailer made it look like a typical kids-have-an-adventure-in-a-fantasy-world flick. The actual movie, I thought, was far more interesting. I cried, of course, but I did like the movie.

[HYHYBT]

Arachnophobia's original advertising painted it as primarily a comedy, if I remember rightly. I still didn't see it because, regardless of other content, watching a movie full of spiders is not my idea of fun.

[Hyena Dandy]

I hate it more when the movie ads tell you the whole damn story.

Like in "The Town."

Despite being set in Charlestown (in Boston) where I spent the first 10 years of my life, I did not want to see the movie. Because I already saw it in the ads. :(

[insertNameHere]

By the same token, I hate movies that use the BEST scenes for the trailer so when your sitting there, your like, this is alright but I mean I have already seen it.

But, it is also very annoying to see a movie and not be able to catalog it into a basic genre or desire to watch. I think movie trailers are becoming a lost art, I have seen trailers from movies in like 60s to 80s that let you get interested without giving away to much. OR better yet, tossed the events around and made you have a misconception that really didn't disappoint you when you saw the movie because it goes in a different but acceptable direction

[Ginger Tea]

The trailer to speed seemed to plot it out nicely, I was watching it for the first time (iir I got bored and did something else) and during the buddy chat about shooting the hostage and seeing the bus hit the airplaine in the trailer, I just said something like
"gonna end up shooting Sandra Bullock."
"Thank's for spoiling the ending for me." my brother comlained, I just put that line with the trailer and decided it was a probable outcome, I dont think I've ever seen the movie all the way through, even though I have both on DVD and saw the 2nd on TV.

[Giggle Goose]

I hate it more when the movie ads tell you the whole damn story.



I feel like that's MOST movies these days! That's why it takes a lot for me to go see one.

[Andara Bledin]

I've noticed that with the slapstick comedies that are a single gag stretched to fill 90 minutes, you're more likely to have the movie spoiled. But for action flicks, you get blipverts of action sequences and almost no plot, which isn't as bad, but it's still annoying.

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[Ginger Tea]

You couldn't play deadpool with the cast of AvP as the trailer damn near showed who was gonna die due to face huggers, what the trailer didn't tell you was how much of the alien reproductive cycle was abbridged to about half an hour instead of days and would shaft the two franchises royaly.

[gremcint]

How about ones that are really misleading, look at the trailers for highlander endgame.

Or how about the trailers for Star Trek Nemesis, I thought it was going to be an alternate dimension story.

[Ginger Tea]

I wanted to watch the weatherman story that seemed to be showing in the trailer, showing his (ex) wife tatar sauce scene made it out like he was still with his family, instead it's just a flashback. I didn't mind it in the end, but I did leave feeling like there was a better story to be told if they were still together, even if the relationship was showing signs of falling apart.

[Greenday]

I just learned the other day, while reading trivia on Kill Bill, that movies can no longer have trailers that involve blood in color. What gives?

[Racket_Man]

I just learned the other day, while reading trivia on Kill Bill, that movies can no longer have trailers that involve blood in color. What gives?

not sure on that one. though for the trailers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P1 there were multipule still shots released and the trailer that in some showed Hermionie with blood on her hands (after Ron got Spiltched after they escaped from the Ministry) and some that showed no blood on her hands

[Greenday]

Was the blood red though?

[Racket_Man]

Was the blood red though?

Yes it was in some shots that made their way onto the internet. I have to dig back into the "Official" trailer to see if they left it in.

[telecom_goddess]

so why would they not be able to have blood in color? what's the reasoning behind that?

[Andara Bledin]

There is an MPAA restriction on "green band" trailers.

This article at /Film (http://www.slashfilm.com/hermiones-bloody-hand/) shows the shot from two different trailers, the first of which has the bloody hands, and the second, which does not.

Green band trailers are those that have been approved for all, and now, appropriate audiences. R and higher rated movies also have red band trailers, which can only be shown at R and higher rated events.

I suspect that with the advent of the Internet, you will be finding more trailers that don't adhere as strictly to the green/red band hierarchy.

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[Lady_Foxfire]

You guys might find this interesting: Scary Mary Poppins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic). This guy made a trailer for Mary Poppins that makes it appear to be a horror film about a witch terrorizing small children by taking certain scenes from the movie and putting them to creepy music. It's not only funny, but it really drives home the point about how trailers can completely misrepresent a movie.

[Greenday]

Saw the trailer for the last Harry Potter movie. Big spoiler in it. Wtf were they thinking?

[Rageaholic]

How about movies trailers that tell you nothing about the plot or character and just show crappy special effects. Example, the numerous TV spots for Thor showed slow mo CGI fight scenes with blaring orchestra as "backround music". It wouldn't bug me so much except I've seen this same trailer for so many other movies that I can't tell one CGI Sci Fi flick from the others.

[DrFaroohk]

I hate the ones that make lame scenes seem cooler.


Liar Liar - I thought it was a funny joke when he gets on the elevator, and the girl says "everyone's been so nice and I don't know why" and he says "well that's because you have really big -" CUT to slapping noise. That was a funny joke to me. It was less funny in the actual movie when he's rambling on and on for fifteen minutes about it.

[Racket_Man]

Saw the trailer for the last Harry Potter movie. Big spoiler in it. Wtf were they thinking?

most people by now "know the ending" of Deathly Hallows P2. the book has been out now for 4 years and the fan base has been "raging" about it since. I hate to say but unless you have specifically NOT paid any attention to HP over the last several years that is the only way you would NOT know the general concept of the ending/battle/plot

[Greenday]

most people by now "know the ending" of Deathly Hallows P2. the book has been out now for 4 years and the fan base has been "raging" about it since. I hate to say but unless you have specifically NOT paid any attention to HP over the last several years that is the only way you would NOT know the general concept of the ending/battle/plot

Despite the fact that most people who will see the movie already read the books, there are people who didn't and to add in stuff to the trailer that reveals major stuff is stupid.

[Nyoibo]

Saw the trailer for the last Harry Potter movie. Big spoiler in it. Wtf were they thinking?

Probably that pretty much everyone going to see it has read the books.

[Racket_Man]

Probably that pretty much everyone going to see it has read the books.

and even if some people did not read the book, the last book was a HUGE media thing 4 years ago with many outlets disecting the book chapter by chapter and OMG :eek: reveling the ending and epilogue. granted many non readers may not remember all of this BUT almost everyone knows by now that


********** SPOILER ALERT **************

Harry dies and then comes back to life, then KILLS Volty and goes on to a happy life.

they did change the story around in somewhat of a significant way in the next to last chapter in the movie.

[Greenday]

********** SPOILER ALERT **************

Harry dies and then comes back to life, then KILLS Volty and goes on to a happy life.

they did change the story around in somewhat of a significant way in the next to last chapter in the movie.

*******MORE SPOILER ALERT *********

I'm talking about the Weasley twin that dies.

[HYHYBT]

Harry dies and then comes back to life, then KILLS Volty and goes on to a happy life.Weird. My copy has Voldy killing himself :)

[fireheart17]

Weird. My copy has Voldy killing himself :)

To be specific, Voldy fires the curse that is meant to kill Harry, but because Harry is the true owner of the Elder wand, the wand won't kill him.

[Rageaholic]

Not a movie trailer, but ANY trailer for a show on USA network falls into this. Not only do they make you sick of their shows before they even air, but they make them all look the same. As if every show is a lighthearted dramedy about some quirky detective. Well, that may have been the truth for Monk and Psych (god do I miss Monk), but not all their shows are like that. I tried to get into "In Plain Sight" but it was too melodramatic, contrary to what the lighthearted previews will have you believe.

I actually like a lot of what's on USA, but I the advertisements make me want to shoot my TV.

[HYHYBT]

I used to watch USA Network more than any other channel. But then they got rid of their afternoon game show block, and I haven't been back since.

(Somebody *still* needs to do a good revival of Scrabble.)