Now films are being spoilt by trailers that play before the actual feature

[Neil]

Last night I went to see a couple of films, and before Iron Man 2, they played an advert for the Iron Man 2 videogame.  The problem with this is that it pretty much gave away the whole dramatic arc of the film!  It told you 'here's what's going to happen with a couple of characters', and that then sucked all the tension away before the film had even started.  Once it did actually get underway, it didn't take long for that part of the plot to start, but of course, I already knew the resolution, and I already knew how the film was going to end. 

You could say, of course, that a lot of these films are particularly predictable anyway, but I do still go out of my way not to watch trailers or read reviews.  Who actually wants to see all the good bits of a film - including the end scenes - picked out and mashed up in this way? 

Having said that, the trailer for Grown Ups made sure I'd never bother to go and see it, although I doubt I'd pay to see anything with Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider anyway.  (people are still doing that 'grown child breast-feeding' shtick?  Fucking hell.)

[Custard]

Yeah, thats not on is it. Luckily when I went to see Iron Man 2, the video-game advert wasn't shown.

They did show a trailer for The Losers though, that seemingly gave away all the biggest moments. To the point where I genuinely feel like I've already seen the film. So thats a tenner they won't be getting out of me, right there.

The thing is, a much shorter, ten-second advert for the Iron Man game would achieve exactly what they're after, without ruining parts of the film. Here's Iron Man flying about, here's Iron Man beating people up, here's a fuck-off massive Iron Man logo, with the names of the consoles it's coming out for underneath.

Why the modern day need to show off everything in trailers, I just don't get.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Quantum of Solace is the first film I remember where every single advert before the trailers showed clips from the film. Given the adverts lasted five thousand years, and gave away most of the film, what was most surprising was I liked it so much I paid to see it twice.

As for overly-spoilery trailers, some can not only give away too much, but drastically undersell a film too. I almost didn't go to see Blood Diamond because the trailer was such a messy, noisy, obnoxious car-wreck.

[non capisco]

I'm a bit fussy with spoilers anyway, I gave up on reading any reviews before seeing films after all the reviews I read of 'Moon' stated

Spoiler alert

Sam Rockwell's character is a clone

[close]

, something you're obviously not meant to know, so I couldn't agree more and I was actually quite annoyed when I finally saw the trailer for 'Four Lions' at the cinema, which shows

Spoiler alert

Faisal blowing up

[close]

for fuck's sake, after vowing to go in as fresh as I possibly could. I'm not sure that this wasn't always the case rather than it being an especially new thing though, certainly 60s and 70s trailers showed huge chunks of the films, often in chronological order.

[The Widow of Brid]

I don't fully agree that the trailer for Four Lions spoilers

Spoiler alert

Faisal's death. The tone of the trailer means it's entirely possible anyone watching it in a non-fan context is likely to expect that it's just going to be a comedic injury scene. I don't think I'd have necessarily read it as a character death.

[close]

[Ginyard]

I went to watch Sophie's Choice downstairs at The Garrison a while back. Bloody glad there was no videogame trailer of that.

[falafel]

I don't fully agree that the trailer for Four Lions spoilers

Spoiler alert

Faisal's death. The tone of the trailer means it's entirely possible anyone watching it in a non-fan context is likely to expect that it's just going to be a comedic injury scene. I don't think I'd have necessarily read it as a character death.

[close]

Yeah - but you see it coming a mile off when it happens, and that's partly the bloody trailer's fault. I know it's basically telegraphed but still, completely removed the surprise for me, replaced it with a general feeling of "oh, so that's when that happens then is it?".

[Serge]

It's a shit film, but the trailer I saw at the cinema for 'The Negotiator' inciudes a scene with Kevin Spacey and Samuel L Jackson standing side by side and Spacey saying something like, "You've got two of us to deal with now." Not only does this reveal a plot point from about 20 minutes from the end of the film, but it's also a scene that isn't actually in the movie, which was a new one for me.

[Mr Colossal]

I've come across a few dvd menus that actually show fragmented spoiler scenes playing for no apparent reason, although if you've never seen the film chances are you probably wont notice them or make any sort of connection before you've watched the film.    Theres the infamous cover and menu for planet of the apes revealing what is meant to be the big cliffhanging ending of the first film.  That ending was pretty much common knowledge when I was in school, although 10-15 years later I find there are a generation of people who havent seen it again...

[Feralkid]

I've come across a few dvd menus that actually show fragmented spoiler scenes playing for no apparent reason, although if you've never seen the film chances are you probably wont notice them or make any sort of connection before you've watched the film.    Theres the infamous cover and menu for planet of the apes revealing what is meant to be the big cliffhanging ending of the first film.  That ending was pretty much common knowledge when I was in school, although 10-15 years later I find there are a generation of people who havent seen it again...

The DVD menu for the 1970's Invasion of the Bodysnatchers is overlaid on top of a big iconic image from the finale.  Yeah, way to ruin the movie for newbies ya bastards. 

[Big Jack McBastard]

Mr Colossal you've hit a nerve with me there. As I'm a filthy pirate of the highest order I see 90%+ of movies for the first time on DVD and so am tremendously pissed off when they start chopping between scenes in the menu revealing important snippets of the film before I've watched it, usually they're pretty innocuous but I've been fucked right off many a time by this trend. It's not as if you need reminding of what's going to happen if you've put the damn disc in the drive in the first place, flinging in a badly considered preview of the film you're about to watch is frigging redundant.

[Jemble Fred]

I once saw a version of A Christmas Carol with a happy Scrooge on the cover, so I didn't bother with it.

[Delete Delete Delete]

On a tagent, when I worked at a rental video store, the Disney relase of Treasure Planet was recalled when it was found that one of the preceeding trailers was for Pulp Fiction, hardly something they should be advertising to small kids.

[madhair60]

See also the various VHS/DVD sleeves of The Wicker Man, ruining the ending.

[madhair60]

And Memento.  Ruins itself instantly.  Then gradually unruins itself.  Then ruins itself again.

[kittens]

The Iron Man 2 game has a completely different story to the film. When I went to see it and that advert played I thought that it had ruined it too, but when I actually watched the film, nothing from it happened. I don't know what you're on about, Neil.

[SOTS]

Quantum of Solace is the first film I remember where every single advert before the trailers showed clips from the film. Given the adverts lasted five thousand years, and gave away most of the film, what was most surprising was I liked it so much I paid to see it twice.

I recall the adverts before Quantum of Solace being hilarious. It was just minute after minute of PURE MACHO MARKETING.

I like how the title of this thread reads like a genuine Daily Mail headline.

[lipsink]

See also the various VHS/DVD sleeves of The Wicker Man, ruining the ending.

And Planet of the Apes.

[Neil]

The Iron Man 2 game has a completely different story to the film. When I went to see it and that advert played I thought that it had ruined it too, but when I actually watched the film, nothing from it happened. I don't know what you're on about, Neil.

Spoiler alert

Specifically, it was the fact that the whole trailer centered around Iron Man and a grey Iron Man bashing up loads of baddies.

[close]

That might seem touchy, and I'm definitely more spoilerphobic than most, but it really was far too much information to me.  It's a bit like when people say 'you'll love this movie, it has a GREAT surprise ending!' and then you just spend the rest of the time trying to figure out what it will be.

[Desi Rascal]

http://www.theonion.com/video/wildly-popular-iron-man-trailer-to-be-adapted-into,14226/

[Beagle 2]

I'm a bit fussy with spoilers anyway, I gave up on reading any reviews before seeing films after all the reviews I read of 'Moon' stated

Spoiler alert

Sam Rockwell's character is a clone

[close]

, something you're obviously not meant to know, so I couldn't agree more and I was actually quite annoyed when I finally saw the trailer for 'Four Lions' at the cinema, which shows

Spoiler alert

Faisal blowing up

[close]

for fuck's sake, after vowing to go in as fresh as I possibly could. I'm not sure that this wasn't always the case rather than it being an especially new thing though, certainly 60s and 70s trailers showed huge chunks of the films, often in chronological order.

Yeah, you just basically can't read any reviews before seeing the movie - I saw Moon the other day for the first time, and that thing you say in the spoiler there - finding that out during the course of the movie was where I got all the enjoyment from!

Re Four Lions,

Spoiler alert

Faisal's death

[close]

was completely fucking ruined for me when I saw that there was a feature on it on The One Show on iPlayer, tried to skip to the relevent bit and was immediately presented with that bit. So I switched it off. Probably a load of shit about it being controversial anyway. Of all the clips to show! Is that in the trailer too then? Schoopid.

[Conans Lego Toaster]

I had the immense pleasure of watching "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf' and 'A Room For Romeo Brass' by accident, sat down, turned the tv on, and they had both just started, opening credits (obviously at different times) and my enjoyment of these films was total.  Trailers are the cock of the bollocks.

Also, if you haven't, watch ANVIL:  THE STORY OF ANVIL.  Which is great also.

Big kuggs

x

[Paaaaul]

See also the various VHS/DVD sleeves of The Wicker Man, ruining the ending.

The title of the film doesn't help either.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

it's also a scene that isn't actually in the movie, which was a new one for me

The Golden Compass takes this to the extreme.

The end of the trailer has the shot of Lord Asriel jumping through the void he creates into the new world, ruining the climax of the entire thing.

Then, inexplicably, this doesn't feature in the film itself, which has no ending. The credits roll as Lyra is travelling in Lee Scoresby's airship to what is the end 2 scenes of the book. Don't complain that I haven't spoilered this, think of it as an early warning system for the cuntery that ruined this potentially wonderful film.

At least in some warped, corrupted way, they did actually present the climax to the audience, the total fucking cunts.

[non capisco]

It's a bit like when people say 'you'll love this movie, it has a GREAT surprise ending!' and then you just spend the rest of the time trying to figure out what it will be.

That's another bugbear, films that are actually marketed from the outset with a campaign saying 'you won't believe the twist!' If you're looking for a twist from the get go there's more chance you'll guess what it is and even just knowing there'll be one serves to diminish its impact.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

See The Sixth Sense and The Village. Oh and The Happening, so I'm told.

[JPA]

Re Four Lions,

Spoiler alert

Faisal's death

[close]

was completely fucking ruined for me when I saw that there was a feature on it on The One Show on iPlayer, tried to skip to the relevent bit and was immediately presented with that bit. So I switched it off. Probably a load of shit about it being controversial anyway. Of all the clips to show! Is that in the trailer too then? Schoopid.

The trailer I saw didn't have that in it - I'm almost certain that the one I saw is the same as the one that is up on the Four Lions site and I don't think it does.

I watched that One Show segment though, and thought 'for fucks sake' when they showed that, as if the ordinary trailer isn't bad enough already.

With regards to DVD menus showing you snatches of plot - the Futurama 'films' and Season 1 of 24 are also culprits for this.

[alan nagsworth]

The title of the film doesn't help either.

At least it leaves you guessing. Showing

Spoiler alert

a big flaming effigy and Christopher Lee/Britt Ekland looking utterly mental

[close]

completely ruins the subtle, brooding menace that creeps out from the film as it progresses.

SPOILER FILM POSTER:
http://chasness.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wicker_man.jpg

That cover, for me, is a thousand times more spoiler than the film title could ever wish to be.

[JPA]

The trailer I saw didn't have that in it - I'm almost certain that the one I saw is the same as the one that is up on the Four Lions site and I don't think it does.

I've just seen a different one on Channel 4 actually, and yes, that was in it. What a stupid decision.

[gloria]

This is the ultimate: http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/planet_of_the_apes-dvd.jpg