It’s understandable why filmmakers want audiences to see at least some of the film’s coolest or most impressive moments in a trailer. After all, they are meant to get people interested in the idea of a movie, and ideally tell people if the upcoming movie is going to be one they’ll be willing to pay money to watch.
But the trailers may well go too far, hooking potential viewers. If the trailer gives out too much, it can harm the viewing of the movie, and nobody wants that. The next 10 trailers gave away too much, whether it was a spoiled surprise by the appearance of an unexpected character or made even worse, such as describing most of the plot.
This article will contain spoilers for the films in question.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)
Like a movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tried to do too much. He balanced the three villains, the backstory of Peter Parker’s parents, the relationship drama with Gwen Stacy, alluding to Sinister Six a movie that never happened, and a friendship between Peter and Harry Osborne that was only suddenly established within the confines of this movie. Andrew Garfield did his best in the title role, but the film allowed him (and his versions Spiderman) way down.
Oddly enough, the trailer tried to install all these things in just two and a half minutes and ended up giving way too much. Electro’s villainous origins are explained, much of the climactic fight scene is shown, and the trailer literally shows the final shot of the movie. It’s basically a crash course in how not to make a trailer.
‘Terminator 2’ (1991)
terminator 2 is a great sequel to an already great movie, and Definitely one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best films.. It increases the action and scope, offering a compelling story about averting Doomsday (again) while two Terminators are thrown into the mix.
The spoilers in the movie’s trailer aren’t very significant, but they give away what would otherwise be a neat early plot twist. It is already known that Schwarzenegger plays the hero in terminator 2 after he was the villain in the first movie and the trailers showed it. However, without a trailer, it’s surprising to find that another Terminator (nothing but a cop in disguise) wants to kill John Connor.
The Dark Knight (2008)
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The Dark Knight really didn’t need a trailer, being a welcome sequel to the successful 2005 origin story, Batman Begins. There was a level of hype surrounding the continuation of the story with the Joker as the main villain, which ensured that many moviegoers would want to watch it, with or without a trailer.
However, it does have a trailer, and although it was quickly edited, it ends up showing too many of the film’s best shots. Plus, it shows some of Jim Gordon’s scenes after he reveals he didn’t actually die, meaning viewers who saw the trailer won’t be too surprised when the twist on his survival appears in the movie itself.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Second Lord of the Rings the film is a strong middle chapter. While it may not have as much forward momentum as the first, or as many emotional moments as the third, it still works as a good continuation of the overall story, which is also a great epic fantasy movie in its own right.
Considering the movie is 20 years old, the spoiler from its trailer really doesn’t count as such these days. But back in 2002, viewers who haven’t read the books might be surprised to see Gandalf return, seeing that he appeared to have died in the first film. However, the trailer refutes this, meaning the scene doesn’t have the same impact in the movie.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The first (and better) of two Thor movies Taika Waititi it would have been better if the trailer hadn’t indicated that the Hulk would appear in the movie. Given that Thor is surprised when he shows up as his opponent in a gladiator fight, it would be nice if we viewers could be surprised along with him.
Of course, from a marketing point of view, it makes sense to show the Hulk before the movie is released. He is a great character and another Avenger appears in Thor the film was an exciting idea. However, the film treats this as a surprise and it will be for viewers who shy away from marketing. It’s certainly not for those who’ve seen the trailer.
‘Godfather’ (1972)
Based on the first trailer for The Godfather, the old trailers may have been worse at spoiling movies than the more modern trailers. For those who can only spend three minutes instead of three hours, Godfather the trailer can give you a good 80% of the story.
Most of the scenes from the first two and a half hours are shown as still images, which basically turns the trailer into a slideshow. These include an attempt on Vito Corleone’s life, Michael’s murder of a police captain, and many death scenes, including Sonny’s very surprising murder and his father’s reaction to it. There are many iconic, amazing moments in the first part. Godfatherand his trailer basically ruins them all.
‘Up’ (2009)
Up has a fairly simple story, so it’s no surprise that the trailer gives a good idea of how the film will develop. This is not a big problem, because Up mostly revered for his characters and emotional moments over its main narrative.
That being said, the film does have something of a twist when it comes to its main villain being the protagonist’s childhood hero. It’s a somewhat shocking moment in the second half of the movie shown in the trailer, so it’s a shame the ad had to give away one of the few semi-surprising moments in the movie.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Third Captain America The film has a rather complicated plot, in which the Avengers are separated due to a series of events, both personal and external. The trailer gives an overview of most of the movie, but a quick edit means a few spoilers are very obvious.
In doing so, the trailer highlights the battle in which Iron Man fights Captain America and Bucky, which is the last major scene in the film. Maybe the context changes the scene once you find out why they’re fighting at that particular moment, but it’s a shame part of the movie’s ending was shown so early.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
Of course, A Nightmare on Elm Street it’s a horror movie and that means audiences will expect people to die. If the movie is about a group of young men fighting a bloody villain, maybe the trailer could hint at a death or two.
But the trailer for the first A Nightmare on Elm Street goes too far. It shows fragments of all the death scenes from the film, including the most famous one, in which Johnny Depp - meaning these scenes are less surprising to those who have seen the trailer. In any case, the film is excellent, but the trailer was disappointing.
“The Lion King” (1994)
The Lion King has a fantastic, emotional storyline with great characters and numerous iconic scenes. His trailer essentially compresses the first 60 minutes or so of the movie into a two-minute trailer, meaning those who see it will know everything except the pre-movie climax.
It’s more of a problem for The Lion King than most family movies, considering Mufasa’s infamous death scene. The trailer shows the start of the deadly stampede that took his life, as well as how he appears as a spirit in the sky in front of Simba. Maybe it just let the audience know what they were getting into, given that this is one of the most powerful and tear-jerking scenes in Disney history.
Source: Collider
