5 Annoying Things about Movie Trailers that need to change
I don’t know about you, but I love theatrical movie trailers. They’re the reason why I endure the unnecessarily long commercial advertisements in front a film. They’re the reason why I will painfully endure a full bladder when I drink too much of the“pregnancy-test friendly” soda before a film. They’re also the reason why I will quickly come to the conclusion that my date is an alcoholic if he’d rather skip the previews to get one more drink in before the film at the bar next door.
Movie trailers give film geeks the deluded hope that in three to twelve months time the cash they give out for overpriced movie tickets will be money well wasted. Recently however, I find that movie trailers have not been bringing film fans to ‘geekgasmic’ bliss like they used to. In fact, they have been inducing more eye-rolling, inappropriate laughter, head-scratching and Tourettes-like cursing rants than at A Lohan’s family dinner. It’s a real shame considering how many times movie trailers prove to be the most memorable things about going to the theatres.
Here are five annoying things I would suggest film editors should change when it comes to making movie trailers. Feel free to add your own annoyances in the comment section below!
STOP PLAYING MUSIC THAT SEEMS OUT OF PLACE OR OUT-DATED
I realize that most mainstream films nowadays are targeted to a younger demographic, but does that mean wiser audience members should have to endure The Bird and the Worm while watching Sam Worthington battle a huge Cracken sea monster in The Clash of the Titans trailer? No. Is Rihanna’s wailing voice in the background of Brooklyn’s Finest a reasonable consolation prize for having to witness Wesley Snipes attempt to relive his “Nino Brown” days with his horrible-looking corn rows on his head? NO!
Also, whose genius idea was it to put Kelly Clarkson’s out-dated Miss Independent in the trailer for the bound to suck Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy, The Back-up Plan? I didn’t think anything could be more cringe-worthy than having to witnessing Harrison Ford featured in the Hollywood Homicide trailer with 50 Cent’s In Da Club playing in the back ground.
STOP RELYING ON A-LIST NAMES TO CARRY THE TRAILER
Ever since Steven Soderbergh proved that putting an A-list ensemble cast in a film could be profitable years back with his Ocean’s trilogy, many A-list celebs have jumped at the opportunity to cashing big pay cheques with minimal effort in big studio ensemble pieces like the recent cheesy and underdeveloped film, Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately trailers with that much star power these days do not focus on anything but the names. I also discovered a film doesn’t even have to have a gaggle of celeb sightings as long as it just has one up and coming actor in it to promote. After watching the insanely long trailer for the upcoming film, Remember Me, I realized that the only thing I knew about the movie afterwards is that Robert Pattinson is in desperate need of mousse for the entire film. That’s all. I’m sorry but a star’s In Touch’s magazine cover ranking is not enough for me to make me go see a movie in theatres. Crazy, I know.
STOP PIMPING OUT RIDICULOUS BLURBS
This may not make most filmgoers angry, but speaking from a film reviewer’s point of view, seeing bad blurbs advertised so blatantly in movie trailers is definitely a huge pet peeve in the online film world. You have no idea how much it pisses us off to see somebody’s generic blurb make the trailer simply because they belong to a well known website or publication. For example, let’s review the movie trailer for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. In the trailer, viewers are witness to one word blurbs declaring how “amazing and spellbinding” the film really is. Then out of nowhere, one critic declares, “Johnny Depp’s performance is electrifying.” The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was the late Heath Ledger’s swan song and somehow a studio felt it was appropriate to just acknowledge Johnny Depp instead. *sigh*
START SHOWCASING RED BAND TRAILERS IN RATED R FILMS
I don’t know about you, but when I go to see an R rated film in theatres, I do not want to see trailers for the latest Pixar film or teaser trailer for the latest addition in the Twilight Saga. I want to be subject to blood, guts, nudity and coarse language in red band trailers. I really could care less about viewing Bella and Edward’s deluded love story. Watching rated R films should spare viewers from this agonizing punishment.
STOP SHOWING THE FINAL FRAME OF THE FILM IN THE TRAILER!!
It’s bad enough that most trailers have no problem spoiling the whole film for audience members, but some now are actually going out the way to reveal the final frame of the film which merely reduces the shot to a cheap “boo” scare. Millions of people were going to see sold out midnight screenings of last year’s sleeper hit, Paranormal Activity and the trailer gave away the final frame that should have been the biggest jumper since seeing a nurse get decapitated in Exorcist III. Didn’t the spoiler-heavy advertisement campaign for Quarantine teach studios anything?
About the Redband thing. Not a bad thought. There were a few times when some trailers of the past would go into R rated films would have R rated content and/or “approved for mature audiences”, but for some reason, the only one I can really think of is that old Chris Rock film, CB4.
Giving away endings in trailers and ads is the Eight Deadly Sin. I don’t understand why the studios need to give that stuff away.
I don’t mind pop music too much, but most of the tunes used have been used a dozen times (hey just be glad folks have gotten past 2 Unlimited and Snap! okay…) but I’d like to add the film scores for Aliens, Dragon The Bruce Lee Story and Under Siege. But I am tired of rapid cut music videos too.
Suspense and horrors with the jump cut before the credit block, junk so common that even the TV reality Ghost Hunter type shows use it, bathe in it.
I want to put a moratorium on using the REQUIEM FOR A DREAM score in any future trailers. That shit was getting crazy for a while there.
Also, the “boo” moment after the credits in Horror Movie trailers is always cheap (and mostly annoying) and makes me feel dirty.
Things I like and could see more of – strange cover versions of songs over the trailer (Sweet Child ‘O Mine, etc.) And, simple trailers with a clear focus on one or two scenes to tell their message instead of 1000s of cuts over 100 seconds.
There should be a law against ever using Mad World in a trailer ever again. After seeing it..again, in THE CRAZIES trailer, I lol’d in the theater.
My new pet peeve is that redundant female scream that gets a lot of play nowadays. Makes the ‘Wilhelm Scream’ seem pleasant.
The most annoying thing for me about movie trailers these days is the constant fade to blacks after every freaking second of seeing a bit of footage.. most of which I can’t tell what the hell is going on.
It drives me nuts!!
Why do I get inverted colors when watching 720p movie trailers?
which one inspired you to seek music from other trailers which you saw later?