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Message: <blockquote data-quote="stevelabny" data-source="post: 554177" data-attributes="member: 9298">(spoilers for: Two Towers, Iron Giant and Phantom Menace and Unbreakable.)I had been complaing to my friends all along that the Two Towers trailer should NOT have revealed that Gandalf was still alive. Sure MILLIONS of people have read the books, but the American movie audience? On average they can't read. I don't read "real" books a lot (too many comics,websites and rpg stuff) but I do read more than most people I know.  I tried to read the LOTR a few times, never got through them. That Tolkein guy, great imagination but a very tedious writing-style. (But this is a convo for another thread) The films that usually have the most problems are bad comedies. They give you all 3 funny jokes and there's nothing left. Plus, bad comedies suceed on the concept of "once someone starts laughing, they laugh easier at the next joke". And when you've already given away the best jokes, you've blown your chances at starting the laughter.The worst offenders I've ever seen are Austin Powers 3 and Men in Black 2, which both had about seven different commercials that gave away almost every scene in the movies.The absolute WORST scene giveaway was in the trailer for THE IRON GIANT where they showed that the giant robot that walks around for the first half of the movie can FLY. Try to watch that movie and imagine you DIDN'T already know that.  That scene would've had tension, excitement and fun. Instead the movie stays dry and bland throughout.Showing Darth Maul's double blade was a bad choice too, but they also released the soundtrack  before the movie came out and it had the track "Death of Qui-Gon" on it. Why people buy the movie soundtracks,  adaption novels and comics BEFORE they see a movie, I'll never know.I'd love to be suprised MORE often.(that's why I watch Buffy, Angel, and Firefly every week)Of course, on the other side of the coin...I NEVER saw The Matrix in the theatre and will regret it until the sequel finally comes out next year.I REFUSED to see Fight Club for the longest time because it had the WORST TRAILER EVER.  Finally I relented and wondered "who chose that trailer? and did they get fired?"The perfect trailer gets people to want to come without spoiling the suprise of the movie. I LOVE the Unbreakable trailer. Two actors and a director who most people were familiar with. The basic premise of the sole survivor of a train wreck. and the mysterious stranger who might know WHY. When I saw that trailer, my friends and I all immediately agreed we were going, and  judging from their reaction so did the rest of the audience.BUt I saw it on opening night, and the entire crowd was so annoyed at Samuel L Jackson's comic book speech mid-movie they grumbled and laughed the rest of the way. (while I sat on the edge of my seat saying "WOW")I'm sure that those who didn't like Unbreakable felt "duped" by the trailer, but I'd still hold it to the best one I can remember.steve</blockquote>

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