Comments on: How far will you go to stay unspoiled? http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/ Overthinking It subjects the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:46:21 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Richard http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-12190 Richard Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:55:00 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-12190 First of all, the second trailer for D9 revealed the entire plot if you looked close enough. Second of all, I think to me the element of plot surprise in movies has been all but lost. I've seen too many of them. I knew the twists in World's Greatest Dad but even if I hadn't I still would have seen them coming. Plenty of classic movie endings were spoiled on me before I ever saw them, but the movies are still great. Heck, the good things about Titanic were only enhanced by the knowledge of what will happen at the end. Movies should survive well beyond their plot twists- period. First of all, the second trailer for D9 revealed the entire plot if you looked close enough.

Second of all, I think to me the element of plot surprise in movies has been all but lost. I’ve seen too many of them. I knew the twists in World’s Greatest Dad but even if I hadn’t I still would have seen them coming. Plenty of classic movie endings were spoiled on me before I ever saw them, but the movies are still great. Heck, the good things about Titanic were only enhanced by the knowledge of what will happen at the end. Movies should survive well beyond their plot twists- period.

]]> By: Gab http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-12018 Gab Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:47:48 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-12018 Heh, I've seen that shirt before, on a person, and thought it was pretty damn funny. Heh, I’ve seen that shirt before, on a person, and thought it was pretty damn funny.

]]> By: lee http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-12014 lee Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:52:40 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-12014 I take it this shirt wouldn't be too popular with this crowd: http://www.threadless.com/product/844/Spoilt#zoom I take it this shirt wouldn’t be too popular with this crowd:

http://www.threadless.com/product/844/Spoilt#zoom

]]> By: Susanna http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11953 Susanna Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:51:37 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11953 When I was 10, the Sixth Sense came out and my aunts took me to go see it. Considering we saw it in Abu Dhabi, all we knew about the movie going in was that it belonged in the horror genre (the movie poster gave that away.) I remember the four of us walking out of that theatre and we could not stop talking about the ending. At the risk of being eternally mocked, we REALLY did not see that coming. Give me a break, I was 10. The point I'm trying to make is, I completely agree that not knowing what a movie is about before seeing it helps you enjoy it on a whole different level then if you'd known the plot beforehand. When I was 10, the Sixth Sense came out and my aunts took me to go see it. Considering we saw it in Abu Dhabi, all we knew about the movie going in was that it belonged in the horror genre (the movie poster gave that away.)
I remember the four of us walking out of that theatre and we could not stop talking about the ending. At the risk of being eternally mocked, we REALLY did not see that coming. Give me a break, I was 10.
The point I’m trying to make is, I completely agree that not knowing what a movie is about before seeing it helps you enjoy it on a whole different level then if you’d known the plot beforehand.

]]> By: TheBrummell http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11925 TheBrummell Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:24:10 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11925 "Wouldn’t being surprised by Leonard Nimoy be the bee’s knees?" I was surprised by Mr. Nemoy in Star Trek, and it was indeed the bee's knees. Also the joints of several other insects. How did I acheive this? By running away to the North Pole for 2 months. I spent all of July and most of August on Ellesmere Island, being Santa's neighbour and messing about with greenhouse gases. I saw Star Trek on the flight back home, on August 21. Even on a 6-inch screen, it was good. Personally, I take one of two routes, depending on the movie. For movies I know I will definately watch in theatre, total media blackout. No trailers, no reviews, no still photos, no interviews with cast & crew, nothing at all. I even hold my hand over the banner ads that show up on websites. For movies I'm less sure about, I'll watch the trailers, and look at the pretty pictures in magazines and so forth. I'll often read reviews, too, mainly to help decide whether this is something I want to drop $12 on. This strategy has worked well: I blacked-out everything about Lord of the Rings, so seeing the Uruk-hai for the first time and especially the Ring-Wraiths was awesome. I saw the trailers and read a couple of reviews for Burn After Reading, and enjoyed that movie as well. I'd not heard of Avatar before, but the comments here make me want to see it. I'll keep to the blackout on that one. Am I the only one who thinks that most comedy movies are basically not worth watching because all the jokes are revealed in the trailers? “Wouldn’t being surprised by Leonard Nimoy be the bee’s knees?”

I was surprised by Mr. Nemoy in Star Trek, and it was indeed the bee’s knees. Also the joints of several other insects.

How did I acheive this? By running away to the North Pole for 2 months. I spent all of July and most of August on Ellesmere Island, being Santa’s neighbour and messing about with greenhouse gases. I saw Star Trek on the flight back home, on August 21. Even on a 6-inch screen, it was good.

Personally, I take one of two routes, depending on the movie. For movies I know I will definately watch in theatre, total media blackout. No trailers, no reviews, no still photos, no interviews with cast & crew, nothing at all. I even hold my hand over the banner ads that show up on websites.
For movies I’m less sure about, I’ll watch the trailers, and look at the pretty pictures in magazines and so forth. I’ll often read reviews, too, mainly to help decide whether this is something I want to drop $12 on.

This strategy has worked well: I blacked-out everything about Lord of the Rings, so seeing the Uruk-hai for the first time and especially the Ring-Wraiths was awesome. I saw the trailers and read a couple of reviews for Burn After Reading, and enjoyed that movie as well.

I’d not heard of Avatar before, but the comments here make me want to see it. I’ll keep to the blackout on that one.

Am I the only one who thinks that most comedy movies are basically not worth watching because all the jokes are revealed in the trailers?

]]> By: Tom http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11806 Tom Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:33:16 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11806 It's really funny that I read this article only one day after posting a facebook note listing my 10 most anticipated movies of the rest of the year. When I put Avatar at #10, I wrote "I have intentionally avoided seeing or reading anything about this movie. I want to try going into it with zero expectations." Good luck to both of us. It’s really funny that I read this article only one day after posting a facebook note listing my 10 most anticipated movies of the rest of the year. When I put Avatar at #10, I wrote “I have intentionally avoided seeing or reading anything about this movie. I want to try going into it with zero expectations.”
Good luck to both of us.

]]> By: Gab http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11677 Gab Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:24:51 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11677 Wow, Belinkie, you certainly do like 'em young, eh? (Had to, so sorry) Wow, Belinkie, you certainly do like ‘em young, eh?

(Had to, so sorry)

]]> By: Matthew Belinkie http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11673 Matthew Belinkie Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:11:00 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11673 @Dan - Fantastic example. But I happen to be reading this with my girlfriend, who actually DID manage to see Terminator 2 without previously knowing that Arnold was going to be the good guy. However, her strategy for avoiding spoilers involved being eleven and living in Israel, so it's probably not realistic for most people. @Dan – Fantastic example. But I happen to be reading this with my girlfriend, who actually DID manage to see Terminator 2 without previously knowing that Arnold was going to be the good guy. However, her strategy for avoiding spoilers involved being eleven and living in Israel, so it’s probably not realistic for most people.

]]> By: Dan http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11670 Dan Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:57:17 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11670 The all time worst example for me still has to be Terminator 2. (This post contains a spoiler for the movie, but who hasn't seen it, really?) The first fifteen minutes of the movie are brilliantly set up to make it completely impossible to tell which is the bad terminator and which is the good one. When the two finally meet in the hallway of the shopping mall, it could have been an absolutely terrifying sequence, particularly if you thought Arnold was the bad guy again. There was just one problem. There was simply no way, whatsoever, to reach a movie theater without knowing the score. It had been so thoroughly spoiled by that time that all the virtuoso filmmaking to that point was completely and utterly wasted. The all time worst example for me still has to be Terminator 2. (This post contains a spoiler for the movie, but who hasn’t seen it, really?) The first fifteen minutes of the movie are brilliantly set up to make it completely impossible to tell which is the bad terminator and which is the good one. When the two finally meet in the hallway of the shopping mall, it could have been an absolutely terrifying sequence, particularly if you thought Arnold was the bad guy again.

There was just one problem.

There was simply no way, whatsoever, to reach a movie theater without knowing the score. It had been so thoroughly spoiled by that time that all the virtuoso filmmaking to that point was completely and utterly wasted.

]]> By: Darin http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/08/27/spoilers/#comment-11649 Darin Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:46:36 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=9544#comment-11649 How far will I go? This is a thoroughly hot topic for me and I wanted to read the whole article. I had to stop at "Now compare that to the District 9 trailer. (Warning: D9 spoilers ahead.)" because I didn't know when the spoilers ended. How about an html anchor jump for those that want to skip the spoilers? I will NOT watch trailers of movies I know I will see e.g. Inglorious Bastards, District 9 because I don't want the 30sec spot, I want the 120 minute movie. How far will I go? This is a thoroughly hot topic for me and I wanted to read the whole article. I had to stop at

“Now compare that to the District 9 trailer. (Warning: D9 spoilers ahead.)”

because I didn’t know when the spoilers ended. How about an html anchor jump for those that want to skip the spoilers? I will NOT watch trailers of movies I know I will see e.g. Inglorious Bastards, District 9 because I don’t want the 30sec spot, I want the 120 minute movie.

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