Do Trailers Spoil Movies?

Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:36 pm

My friend and fellow critic Kevin McCarthy has a blog post about a woman who filed a lawsuit accusing the “Drive” trailer of false advertising.  She claims the studio, FilmDistrict, misled her into thinking that it would be a car chase movie like “Fast Five.”  Does this trailer say that to you?

There’s more talking in it than racing.  And while the movie does not have a lot of driving, it certainly plays an important role and it is not like the movie fails to provide action.

In any event, trailers have one purpose, and it is not to provide an accurate summary of the movie.  It is to get you to buy a ticket.  Like Kevin, I find that while I do not like it when trailers misrepresent the movie, the bigger problem is when they give away too much.  So, like Kevin, I recommend skipping them, though I often can’t resist them myself.

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Commentary Understanding Media and Pop Culture

The ‘Traitor’ Commercial Gives Too Much Away

Posted on August 10, 2008 at 8:00 am

It infuriates me when trailers and ads give away too much of the movie. This often happens when all the best jokes or special effects are strung together to get you to buy a ticket but once in a while an important plot twist is given away, too. I try very hard to be careful in my reviews not to give away anything I think the audience is better off discovering in the movie. If you have any plans to see the fine terrorism drama “Traitor,” starring Don Cheadle, please don’t watch the ads because they reveal an aspect of the plot I am sure the director and screenwriter wanted to be a surprise.

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Commentary Spoiler Alert
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