My Problem with Movie Trailers

When I was a kid (and probably up until college), I would rush to the theater before a film began to catch the trailers played before. I could barely contain my excitement as I sat there in the dark, clutching my arm rest, waiting for what the next big movie would be to see in the future. Trailers can be an awesome thing when edited right with great music added in. They’re the perfect way to get people pumped for a movie. So why have I decided to never willingly watch one again?

I have made a vow with myself to stop watch trailers simply because I believe they ruin the movie going experience. Terrence Malik’s new film, The Tree of Life, just released a new trailer a couple of days ago, and while it pains me not to see what I’m sure is a gorgeous sight, I just won’t watch it. It’s Terrence Malik’s next film, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, and seems to be incredibly ambitious. That’s all I need to know. Going into a film fresh is a privelege many of us don’t get to have in our media saturated times.

While I had already been wary of watching trailers for a few years, Funny People is what really crossed the line for me. In this travesty of a preview, not only are all the best jokes given away, but it’s also revealed that our main character (Adam Sandler) realizes he has cancer, tries to turn his life around, realizes he doesn’t have cancer, and then deals with those repurcussions. That’s the entire film summed up in 3 minutes! Because of this trailer, my enjoyment of Funny People, which is actually a pretty good movie, was defused.

Imagine going into a movie theater, only knowing the name of the film and perhaps the director and/or actors. Never seeing any of the ground breaking visuals before Avatar or the twisty turning plot points of Inception. It’s an experience that very few experience today, what with advertising acting at full tilt. Still, it’s something I’m determined to do with each movie that comes out, no matter how difficult. When the lights go down, I want to be transported into another world. One I’ve never seen before.