Movie Trailers Spoiling Movies

I know many people who don't even bother with movie trailers anymore. A movie trailer is meant to be a preview for a film that is coming out soon in theaters. Production companies compile a feature film into a 2-3 minute trailer, and people can decide whether or not they want to see that movie. However, we often see movie trailers spoil the entire movie or reveal major plots and plot twists, discouraging people from going to see the movie since they know what's going to happen.

Below are examples of trailers that spoil their movie:

1. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Synopsis: According to IMDB, "Two Jedi Knights escape a hostile blockade to find allies and come across a young boy who may bring balance to the Force, but the long dormant Sith resurface to reclaim their old glory." Unless you're a massive Star Wars fan, you probably didn't notice Darth Maul's double lightsaber. Although his double lightsaber is in the movie poster and the trailer, it would have been way better had they not shown it and only have people see it in the actual fight scene when he uses it. Here is the trailer: 

    2. Cast Away (2000)

Synopsis: According to IMDB, "A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island." Now, with the trailer we see in greater detail what actually happens in the movie. Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland and we see his plane crash, he's stranded on an island, he's there for so long that he grows lots of facial hair and loses a lot of weight, we see that he is able to get off the island, people presumed he was dead, and it then shows Tom Hanks reunited with Helen Hunt. All of this in a 2 minute trailer, and it basically reveals the entirety of the movie. Have a look at the trailer yourself: 

    3. Terminator Salvation (2009)

Synopsis: According to IMDB, "In 2018, a mysterious new weapon in the war against the machines, half-human and half-machine, comes to John Connor on the eve of a resistance attack on Skynet. But whose side is he on, and can he be trusted?" In the trailer, we see that Sam Worthington who plays Marcus Wright is revealed as a terminator. And during the movie, about half of the film was trying to hide the fact that Marcus Wright was in fact a terminator. Why would the trailer reveal this important plot? People who saw the trailer and still went to see the movie already knew what was going to happen. Take a look:

 

  

 4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Synopsis: According to IMDB, "A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species." In the trailer we see the reason why the war between human and ape begins. Koba, Caesar's "brother," is snarling at humans and Maurice steps in front of Koba to protect the humans. Koba tells Caesar "Caesar love humans more than apes," and the audience is able to assume Koba is the reason why the war begins. We also see Koba pretending to goof around with two drunk men and ends up killing both, which causes a major plot in the movie. The trailer: 

More recently, with the film The Martian, there was a lot of people online who were let down by the trailer, saying it spoiled the movie. On Reddit, someone even created a thread dedicated to warning people not to watch the trailer if they planned on watching the film, since it contained major spoilers. 

Finally, a look at trailers that don't reveal any plot of the movie, particularly Pixar. Pixar has released a number of movie teasers that include the main characters, but never reveal any plot from the movie. Instead, they create their teaser entirely just to promote the movie, without using any scenes from the actual movie. Some examples include: The Incredibles, Cars, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo. To see the movie teasers, click here.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, people rely on a movie trailer to decide if they want to see a movie. If the movie trailer reveals the plot and major scenes, what's the point of watching it in theaters?