Editing movie trailers is always a challenge – enough fascinating details must be revealed to potential viewers without revealing the plot of the movie or giving away spoilers. The best trailers inspire intrigue but essentially divulge no important plot points. Expected action sequences, witty one-liners, minimal exposition introducing the premise, shots that establish the atmosphere of the setting, and, of course, a couple of scenes that demonstrate chemistry between actors, are commonly used elements of good movie trailers.
- New York Mysteries 3 Walkthrough, Guide, and Gameplay
- Insomniacs After School Season 1 Episode 11 Release Date and Time, Countdown, When is it Coming Out?
- Who Won Too Hot to Handle Season 5? Too Hot to Handle Season 5 Episodes 8, 9 and 10 Release Date, Time, Cast, and More
- Fragment of Fear Ending Explained, Cast, Plot and More
- Every Single Dragon Ball Movie (In Chronological Order)
Unfortunately, the temptation to induce surprise in audiences often leads to movie trailers that spoil incredible moments. Even worse is the case where shocking plot twists are included, leading to entire movies being spoiled by their trailers. While the motivation behind such decision-making isn’t difficult to understand, it almost always backfires, leaving audiences feeling no intrigue when it seems like the whole movie’s plot has been given away by a trailer. There are only a few exceptions, like Alien: Romulus, whose spoiler-filled trailers led to speculation about a surprise and added to the hype instead of taking from it.
You are watching: 10 Movie Trailers That Gave Away Important Plot Points
10
Gandalf’s Return
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
One of the most emotional moments of the first The Lord of the Rings movie was the death of Gandalf the Gray. He protected his friends from the Balrog, a fearsome monster, and fought valiantly to stop it, only to be dragged down into a bottomless pit by the demon on its way down. While the “You shall not pass” line has become a meme since then, viewers were left heartbroken and anxious about Gandalf’s fate.
Related
Where to Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Relive the majesty of the second instillation in the trilogy and find out where to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Posts
Those who had read The Lord of the Rings knew Gandalf would be returning after his apparent demise. However, for those who didn’t know, Gandalf’s return is an epic scene in The Two Towers. He’s become Gandalf the White and evolved into an even more powerful wizard. Unfortunately, the trailer clearly shows him appearing in his white gown in a flash of blinding light, revealing his survival.
9
Marcus’ True Identity
Terminator: Salvation (2009)
Skynet, the antagonistic organization in the Terminator franchise, is known for creating the evil cyborgs who unleash death upon humanity. Apart from a few sympathetic exceptions, almost every Terminator is coded as evil, although in some extremist views, they’re not as villainous. Justified or not, Terminators are eternally at war with humans and their differences seem irreconcilable most of the time.
The Terminator franchise has a complicated history with trailers, as the trailers for Terminator 2 and Terminator Genisys also spoiled the film’s respective twists.
So, when a human-cyborg hybrid character is introduced as a well-intentioned character who even sacrifices himself at the end of Terminator: Salvation, to save John Connor’s life, it changes the concept of a Terminator altogether. The shocking revelation is a surprising turning point in the franchise and the movie, but unfortunately, viewers knew beforehand because the character’s identity is revealed in the trailer.
8
Chuck’s Rescue
Cast Away (2000)
Survival dramas are meant to inspire anxiety in viewers regarding the protagonists’ fate. The in-the-moment survival tactics which lead to intense sequences of action and suspense play just as big a part as the general sense of dread regarding the characters’ ultimate survival. The thrill of watching such a film comes from not knowing how it ends and wondering about the possibility of success every time a character tries to save themselves.
Tom Hanks delivered a career-best performance in his survival drama Cast Away, providing a haunting look into the mind of a desperate man trapped alone and hunting for ways to save himself and return to humanity. His acting makes the character’s desperation infectious enough to cross the screen and manifest in the minds of the viewers. However, the anxiety regarding his survival was killed by the trailer itself because it shows scenes of his character Chuck talking with people after being rescued from the island.
7
See more : Gordon Liu’s 10 Best Kung Fu Movies, Ranked
Hostages Watching the Bus Explode
Speed (1994)
While it gave viewers one of the worst sequels in movie history, Speed is a fantastic action thriller with the perfect premise for anxiety-inducing tension. A bomb on a bus will blow up the bus with the people inside if it slows down below a certain speed limit. The hero, played by Keanu Reeves, must get on the bus and somehow figure out a means to save the people before the bus meets with a fatal accident.
[It] features a shot of the bus blowing up in an airport as people watch.
Understandably, the movie’s trailer attempts to hype up the action and tension, featuring memorable dialogue and unbelievable stuntwork. However, it becomes a tad bit overzealous and features a shot of the bus blowing up in an airport as people watch. This essentially reveals that the crisis was successfully averted in an airport, spoiling the climax of the film. Moreover, it features a confrontation between Reeves’ character and the villain, giving away the location of the final scene too.
6
Deckard’s Appearance
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
The best legacy movie sequels have a unique and fresh perspective on the established lore and the world, perhaps even changing some of the mechanics, but featuring the correct callbacks and respecting the fundamental principles to move a franchise into the future. Villeneuve’s sequel to Blade Runner came out as many as 35 years later, and the director uses the modern apocalyptic sci-fi generic conventions to create a vast and visually stunning atmosphere that expands the lore of the Blade Runner universe.
Related
How Blade Runner 2049 Ruined Harrison Ford’s Return
Blade Runner 2049 sees the return of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard, but his big comeback was completely ruined before the movie even started.
Posts
But, the most iconic character from the first movie, the protagonist Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, also returns for the film, appearing out of nowhere an hour into the movie. It’s a shocking revelation because Deckard is assumed dead in the universe. Viewers who watched the trailer knew he would appear, though. Not only is the big twist and surprise reveal ruined for them, but the buildup of the lore surrounding Deckard must have felt inconsequential to them, knowing he’s alive thanks to the marketing campaign.
5
George’s Cancer Goes Into Remission
Funny People (2009)
Judd Apatow’s dramedy about a failing actor returning to his stand-up comedy roots has a promising emotional core in the character’s experience with leukemia. The apparent expiry date on his life gives him the freedom to make choices he has been afraid of, leading him to become a low-brow, poorly-received actor. He forges an unexpected mentorship bond with a young stand-up comedian, and this friendship is the dramatic core of the movie.
The other source of drama is between the character and his ex-wife, who he decides to try to get back with after his leukemia goes into remission and makes him reconsider his life choices. He decides to live his life to the fullest and not hold back anymore. However, his disease doesn’t go into remission until the end of the second act, so revealing that in the trailer ruins the surprise that he survives and changes as a person. The trailer is ridiculously long at over 3 and a half minutes and could have left this detail out without harming its chances.
4
Carrie’s Revenge
Carrie (1976)
While it is based on a book, there’s no reason to assume everyone knows the plot of Carrie, the first-ever Stephen King movie adaptation. So, the fact that the trailer basically gives away everything about it makes it seem less like an accident and more like a choice. Perhaps the studio decided it was necessary to appeal to those who have read the book and show them what the more iconic scenes look like in the movie.
See more : Who are Vernon Wells Parents? Meet Vernon Wells Jr
The trailer just gives away how she avenges her mistreatment.
Unfortunately, for anyone checking out the trailer today to determine if the movie is for them, there are no surprises left. Carrie’s powers are revealed and so is the fact that she exacts revenge on all her bullies. The whole emotional weight of the film relies on not knowing how Carrie will ever be able to free herself from the influence of the abusive people around her. But the trailer just gives away how she avenges her mistreatment.
3
Hiccup’s Mother’s Return in How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
The How To Train Your Dragon franchise is premised on the idea that humans misunderstand and thus unnecessarily inflict violence on dragons. So, the appearance of a character who seemingly hurts dragons or controls them is naturally a source of anxiety for characters and fans. This new character is introduced as an antagonist, and it’s a big surprise reveal when Hiccup finds out it’s his mother, and she’s not controlling the dragons, but creating a safe haven for them.
However, the trailer of the movie gives away the identity of the masked character. It seems to suggest that the identity isn’t as big a deal as the movie makes it out to be. It’s especially confusing because Hiccup’s mother reveals herself about halfway through the film, which is one of the best animated sequels ever. To give away the conclusion of the arc that takes half a movie to resolve seems like a lapse in judgment during the process of editing the trailer.
2
Harry’s Return
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Harry Hart’s emotional death in Kingsman: The Secret Service set up one of the best character development arcs in the series. Even then, both Colin Firth and his character Harry were so beloved that fans kept making theories about how he might still be alive for the next movie. But then, the first poster was released, and it revealed that Harry had evaded death somehow.
“I begged the studio not to reveal it. Because it’s the whole driving force of the first act and if you didn’t know that scene it would’ve made the whole audience gasp. So you have to ask the lovely marketing guys because I think their job is to open the movie and don’t really care about the experience of the movie.”
Matthew Vaughn (via IGN) spoke about his dissatisfaction with the marketing campaign because he wanted Harry’s return to be a surprise. It would have been difficult to keep hidden because they’d have to figure out a way to keep Colin Firth away from the press tour, but if they had kept the detail hidden, the scene where it’s revealed that he’s alive would have hit home, especially given that Eggsy, who changed after his death gets to greet him.
1
Truman’s Escape
The Truman Show (1998)
The psychological drama The Truman Show, which presented Jim Carrey with a stage to showcase the range of his acting skills, is premised on the horrifying captivity of a man who’s forced to live a doctored life by producers who create a show out of his life. The titular Truman goes through various stages of discovering the truth about his existence throughout the film, but much like the social activists in the movie, viewers can only root for him, not knowing if he’ll ever be able to escape.
Related
10 Most Satisfying Movie Endings, According To Reddit
Movies such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Truman Show will always be remembered for their satisfying endings.
Posts
That is unless one has seen the movie trailer. The iconic climactic scene of the film, which shows him leaving via a staircase in the sky, is included in the trailer, revealing the ending of The Truman Show. It’s not a spoiler without context, but if one has the scene in mind when watching the movie, they’ll know exactly how Truman escapes, and that ruins the entire experience of wondering if he can. The mark of a good movie, however, lies in how enjoyable it is despite spoilers, and The Truman Show passes with flying colors.
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment