Do trailers spoil movies?

The short answer is: YES! Having said that, there are a few exceptions. I saw the trailer for the Coen brothers new film “A Serious Man” in the theater recently and it was so convoluted, I couldn’t figure out what the hell it was about. For the most part, however, I have come to the conclusion that most trailers give away too much of the films. “The Hangover” is just one of many movies that revealed its best joke/jokes in the trailer. How many times have you seen a film where you’ve already seen all the best parts before you step foot in the theater?

It seems that movies based on books are especially guilty of this. I guess studios figure that people already know the story, so giving up major plot points and key sequences are no big deal. I disagree. For example, after scrounging for pre-release information on the six Harry Potter movies, I have become more jaded and disappointed by the actual films. The magic has been taken away because I’ve already seen it all. Yes, there were a lot of cool things but it’s like when you know how a magician does his trick – it’s no longer an impressive fete.

All you “Twilight” haters aside, the recent trailers for “New Moon” are a perfect example of this. One fan put together a mash up of all 3 trailers as well as the clips from Comic-Con and an event in Italy. In 6 minutes and 23 seconds, it essentially shows the entire movie. If you didn’t know the story before, you certainly would after seeing this. No surprises left here!


When the Twilight trailers were released last year, MTV asked fans to record videos of themselves watching to get their immediate reactions. They were hilarious but I imagine you’d get the same reactions from the legions of fan boys had you asked them to do the same thing with “The Watchmen” or “Transformers” trailers. Seeing those trailer images for the very first time was orgasmic for some! Now imagine if the studios had skipped out on the elaborate trailers and left those goo-geez moments for the movie itself! How much better would the movie going experience have been?

I don’t remember movie trailers being such a big deal back in the day. Could it be that all the manufactured hype is why films make so much more money these days (well, that and the jacked-up ticket prices)? Or, is it a case of inverse proportions: the better the trailer, the worse the film? They design trailers to build hype to get butts in the seats the opening weekend because once word gets out that it’s a crappy movie, no one else will go. Or, maybe if studios can convince people through the trailers that the movie is so super awesome, the people will want so badly to believe it is that they’ll defend it to the death even if it’s not?

I have always loved seeing the trailers for my favorite films and getting caught up in the hype of their releases (midnight show anyone?) but I think I have decided that in the future, I am going to forgo them and save my Ooohs! Aaaahs! Holy Craps! and Oh My Gods! for the theater.