Worst film trailer of all time?

Outlaw Pete

Lots of reasons a trailer can be called as bad..... but for me the worst thing a trailer can do is give away too much of the plot.

Well, for me it has to be The Graduate..... they showed this at the IFI last week giving that it's currently being show over the next while and it's shocking how many key plot points they show, even the final scene.... why would you do it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsdvhJTqLak

What's your choice for worst ever trailer and the reason for it?

Noveight

The trailer for Dog Soldiers (2002) does little justice to the film itself. I find the quick-cut style and attempt at humour don't hit the mark at all. I've seen the film and know it's pretty solid but I can see how that trailer would deter someone.

It's not completely useless and by no means the worst of all time I'm sure, but a darker, slower paced trailer would've suited better imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX9S3hdgZ5g

Mr E

The third trailer for Terminator Genisys gave away the biggest twist of the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TevBYNqFVeg

djjdomahony

hahahaha

Lorelli!

I can't decide whether or not I like the Don La Fontaine voice in trailers.

I was looking at this old trailer the other day and when I listened properly to the words, I found it quite cheesy! Not sure if this is Don La Fontaine, its his style anyway! Then I'm so familiar with that style of trailer that I quite enjoy it sometimes too

pixelburp

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

[...]

Well, for me it has to be The Graduate..... they showed this at the IFI last week giving that it's currently being show over the next while and it's shocking how many key plot points they show, even the final scene.... why would you do it?

Thing is, from what I've seen of trailers from the 70s and prior, that was the standard for those promotions. We think trailers are bad nowadays for giving the game away, but the trailers of yesteryear used to be just as bad as The Graduate's, essentially being fairly sober, 2+ minute narrations of the whole plot. Not sure at what point the whole 'Don La Fontaine' style trailers came along, but they definitely used to be a lot more prosaic.

p to the e

The first one that pops into my head is the trailer for "Shutter Island". I remember watching it and guessing the plot twist straight away.

Sad Professor

pixelburp wrote: »

Thing is, from what I've seen of trailers from the 70s and prior, that was the standard for those promotions. We think trailers are bad nowadays for giving the game away, but the trailers of yesteryear used to be just as bad as The Graduate's, essentially being fairly sober, 2+ minute narrations of the whole plot. Not sure at what point the whole 'Don La Fontaine' style trailers came along, but they definitely used to be a lot more prosaic.

Yeah I was going to say the same thing. Seems like a pretty typical trailer for its era.

I don't think the quality of trailers has changed that much. What has changed is that because of the internet people are more likely to see them. Where as before unless you went to the cinema on a regular basis or it was a very big movie, there's a good chance you would have missed the final trailer and been forced to read reviews, articles, etc in order to decide whether the movie was worth seeing or not. I think this is mostly a generational thing. The younger Youtube generation can never remember anything different.

Outlaw Pete

Ah I do't know about that folks, lots of trailers from that era didn't give away anywhere near as much as The Graduate trailer did.

Sure it pretty much gave away the ending.

Be like the Psycho trailer revealing that all along Norman was just dressing up as his mother.

Sorry to anyone that hasn't seen it :P

WHIP IT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9AT3tQGbIk

I'm gonna have to throw the original trailer for Predator in there... it's basically the whole film in 2 minutes!

The best part about Predator is, like Jaws, you don't get to see the bad guy until an hour into the film. The tension and anxiety has built up to breaking point at that stage... I can't believe they initially showed you the feckin Predator in the trailer!

It also shows Mac and Dillon's death scenes and the big explosion at the end... ah, lads...

WHIP IT!

WHIP IT! wrote: »

I'm gonna have to throw the original trailer for Predator in there...

Actually this one that I just came across is way better!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWQ-15UEIAc

The_Valeyard

The original Star Wars trailer is shockingly bad....

But then compare that to 'The Phantom Menace', great trailer, bad film.

silverharp

as I never heard of the movie, the trailer musnt have helped, though i wouldnt mind seeing a bit more of Jean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E4xA5s0L9A

darkdubh

Wouldn't call it "worst" but the trailer for the original Wicker Man gave away the ending. I like it though in a retrospective sense being so familiar with the film but must have been annoying for someone back in the day planning on seeing it (all five of them as it was a box office flop at the time).

darkdubh

The_Valeyard wrote: »

The original Star Wars trailer is shockingly bad....

But then compare that to 'The Phantom Menace', great trailer, bad film.

I remember first seeing the trailer for the Phantom Menace in the cinema and some guy in the audience shouted "YES!" when it came on. There was a huge level of anticipation about it especially among Star Wars fanatics that I knew. When I went to see the film itself and people trooped out after you could sense the massive collective let down. I sometimes wonder how that guy at the trailer screening felt after though it's not hard to imagine.

k99_64

Im going with Iron Man 3....because it makes the movie look decent/totally different kind of movie that it was.

https://youtu.be/5EjG-1U3wqA

patrickSTARR

Any trailer that shows too much of a movie. Less is more.

fluke

Spider-Man:Homecoming?? Worst Trailer?

Probably not, but I did ask myself why I paid money to see a movie that was sequentially laid out in the trailers...

Soylent Green's trailer is woeful.

BlitzKrieg

In terms of spoilers there are far too many contenders.

but for a trailer that just completely and utterly mis-sells its products it has to be the very first trailer for the first film in the reboot series of the planet of the apes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbCoDf44oCE

It comes across as some sort of scientific monster/techno thriller rubbish in this trailer, something on par with Hollow Man or Deep Blue Sea.

Thankfully the film itself is nothing like the trailer. And ended up being one of the best films of that year.

patrickSTARR

smurf492 wrote: »

Batman 89... Best trailer. Straight to the point. No music no voice over, just the fact that oh fcuk this is a batman movie!!

But this is the worst film trailer thread.....