DISQUS

MrDeath · 7 months ago

Depends on the movie. Take Lord of the Rings. I didn't even read the books till after each movie was released so I wouldn't know what was happening. But take a movie like Monty Python & the Holy Grail. My friends quoted that so much before I saw it that I practically knew the whole movie. But I still enjoyed it immensely.

Rob_Hunter · 7 months ago

I think your basic analogy is flawed... there's a third group to consider here. Some of us like to experience the awe of the magic trick THEN find out how it's done. Yes I realize that this third group doesn't fit so easily into your movie metaphor, but honestly the other two don't either.

Deadcowporn · 7 months ago

Gabriel Byrne apparantly thought he was Keyser Soze until he saw the finished product. Bet he enjoyed the hell out of that twist.

Tenika · 7 months ago

Honestly I wish people wouldn't post spoilers because as of yet I have not figured out how to not click on the links and read them :(

JMoney · 7 months ago

I personally want to be kept in the dark, I hate major spoilers, but I'm also finding myself wishing I didn't know little things about the movies. I wish I didn't read about movies as much as I do, knowing so much about the pre-release issues/casting decisions/ratings appeals is kind of ruining the enjoyment of some of the movies I look forward to.

But if I did stop reading about movies then I'd actually have to focus on school, and that is just unacceptable.

Shyasmalon · 7 months ago

I think it depends on the show/movie being spoiled. When the Harry Potter books were coming out, watching people spoil that Snape kills Dumbledoor was hilarious, because the books are wish fulfillment trash and a poor excuse for book binding. The recent "Wolverine" movie spoilers? Who cares? More and more, movies and stories are relying on "twists," and when you get down to it, a twist is just a gimmick. A good writer can tell a story without relying too heavily on them. Titanic: we all know the boat sinks, it doesn't ruin the story because we knew about it before. Passion of the Christ: everyone knows Jesus dies, but people still went to go see it. Long before the third Lord of the Rings movie, I saw graffiti saying "Frodo Lives!" and it didn't ruin the movie for me.

AndyIII · 7 months ago

Spoilers absolutely ruin movies.

I'll take it one step farther...most TRAILERS ruin movies.

If there's something coming that I know I'll more than likely go see, I go on complete blackout for months before the movie comes out. I'll go as far as to close my eyes in the theater to avoid a trailer. If it's something I might enjoy mostly for the eye candy in particular...the trailer will more than likely serve up the tasty nougat center almost in it's entirety, ruining the whole thing.

A completely perfect example is 'Transformers 2'...I'm sure someone will drag me to see it...and if the stuff between the eye candy is as bad as the first one, the big effects sequences will be the only redeeming quality.

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One more thing...referencing what MrDeath said up there. I started doing this after seeing 'Fellowship of the Ring'. I didn't really know anything about it, and in fact thought we were going to see a live action version of 'The Hobbit', which I was familiar with and was freaked out by the name 'Bilbo'. So going in fresh, with no expectations at all allowed the movie to kick my ass in a way it hadn't been kicked since I was a kid. So, the less you can know, the better I say.

dionfly · 1 month ago

I am so glad to know that you go into "blackout" mode. I do the same thing. I have an above-average visual memory and so if I see something in the trailer and I know it hasn't occurred yet, I'm waiting for it and not engaged like I'd rather be.

Ann · 7 months ago

As expensive as movies have gotten lately, please spoil them so I know if I should blow $10 to see them in theaters...

maggie · 7 months ago

Good topic, Cole.

Hitchcock got attention by unspoilerizing Psycho. He sent public word that nobody was allowed in after the picture started. Critics were asked to keep the ending secret, which hampered the reviews but intrigued moviegoers who joined in the conspiracy.
A good approach which worked, at least back then.

Could he do that today? Dunno. But the best bits are in the trailers and in our imaginations ... it takes a really good film to supersede what we already have seen on the net or in our fertile minds.

Except 24. There's a real opinion division -- some fans turn their TVs off right after the ep ends so they don't see any of next week's appetite-whetting scenes. Not me. I can't wait a week to find out if Jack lives another hour.

Bethany P · 7 months ago

*shrug* The only thing I worry about spoiling is my honey-flavored body glitter. A film spoiler doesn't particularly bug or not bug me. Often I have friends that say "I'm not gonna tell you X, because I don't want to ruin the ending." Yeah, well, go ahead and ruin the ending. I don't care. I'm still going to/not going to see/read/test-drive/have sex with it anyway.

whytee · 7 months ago

I only want spoilers for movies I have no interest in seeing. If I'm really looking forward to something and I know I'm going to enjoy it, nothing pisses me off more than stumbling on spoilers. Good movies are so few and far between these days to begin with that to remove any element of surprise, delight, inspiration, excitement or whatever seems self-defeating to someone who professes to love movies. mho.

tmccar20 · 7 months ago

Did anyone see the funny people trailer, it seem like the cliffnotes to the movie rather than the paragraph on the back of the book. Which is a dissapointment when all through the trailer you believe adam sandler is going to die then sudden gets saved, and then tries and ultimatly succeeds in finding love (I assume). That was a big spolier for this movie, which sure will have alot of other funny parts but come on let me experience the first time on my own.