I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, trailers are tricky things. We all know they’re supposed to show you the best of whatever it is you’ll be watching, with the right cuts and a selection of the best clips and sound-bites. When they’re done well, they’re fantastic. But when it comes to watching the full movie, it better deliver what the trailer promised. And wow, does it suck when those promises are unfulfilled.
This past weekend I watched a movie called The Voices. Well, first I watched the trailer, which made it seem like a hilarious off-beat indie black comedy. Plus, with Ryan Reynolds in the cast, who could resist? The trailer was great, and it really looked like the kind of movie I would like. Spoiler alert: the movie actually sucked. It sucked so much I had to give up half-way through, I just couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t nearly as funny as the trailer made it out to be, actually, it wasn’t funny at all. Instead it was just uneven and weird and awkward and tasteless. What a let-down.
But I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling betrayed by trailers. There must be so many instances where a trailer has promised so much, has said that this movie is going to be The Best Thing Ever, but after the movie you’ve walked away feeling like you were blatantly lied to. Which movie did this happen to you with?
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: May 27, 2015
Admiral Chief's Adventure
May 27, 2015 at 11:05
Far too many have betrayed me. I HATE IT when that happens.
Unavengedavo
May 27, 2015 at 11:06
Worst is when the trailer has huge spoilers from the movie O_o
RinceTheElfRoot
May 27, 2015 at 12:06
I’ll be back…
Rock789
May 27, 2015 at 11:29
Most recently, The Lazarus Effect. The trailer actually looked really interesting (not great, but definitely interesting)… But the movie was really meh… If Olivia Wilde wasn’t in it, I’d have probably left halfway through too!
RinceTheElfRoot
May 27, 2015 at 12:07
Rubbish, you were too busy holding my hand to leave… I MEAN 0_O
Axon1988
May 27, 2015 at 11:54
I enjoyed how Mad Max’s trailers didn’t reveal a lot at all. In fact, once the sandstorm entered the movie I thought it would be the biggest thing to happen. But it wasn’t. And I am very glad for that.
Some trailer make or break a movie as well. A bad trailer might make you not want to watch something that is actually a fantastic movie. So yeah, tricky things…
RinceTheElfRoot
May 27, 2015 at 12:14
Totally agree on the Mad Max front.
Axon1988
May 27, 2015 at 12:18
Hope tomorrowland will be the same… though I doubt it. 😐
Andre116
May 27, 2015 at 13:12
Yup, I also agree. I though they showed all the biggest moments in the trailer, but was I wrong when most of what they showed happened in the first quarter of the movie.
Axon1988
May 27, 2015 at 13:40
Yes exactly! Amazing trailer, that only gave you a glimpse into what really awaits!
James Francis
May 27, 2015 at 12:26
I don’t watch trailers for this exact reason, not unless I have to write about it.
The Sten
May 27, 2015 at 12:44
I’ve never really been burned by this myself thankfully, mainly because i never watch a trailer thats more than 30 secs long, but i have had the opposite effect from time to time. The trailer for Looper had me thinking that i was gonna get Time traveling Die Hard (which im still hoping they make btw), but instead I got something far deeper and smarter which was a pleasant surprise.
WhiteRock
May 28, 2015 at 07:25
It’s strange when a director makes an awesome trailer, but somehow can’t seem to piece together a coherent movie. Could be that the longer format just doesn’t suit them, but that the shorter format makes them shine?