It’s crazy how much movie trailers have changed. Back in the 80’s, the details a movie trailer would give you about a plot were so immense that you basically got the entire story told to you before you’d even seen the thing. Better hope there was a lot of spectacle, because otherwise the whole thing is pretty much spoiled, right?
Compare that to the blockbuster trailers of today, which are often little more than brief, out of context snippets, a little stirring music, and are a bunch of blackouts. They really hype up the mystery of the experience now.
I suppose either one is better than the approach taken by this subreddit, which intentionally explains the plot to you, but really badly.
Here are 21 movie plots hilariously misexplained (original taglines included for contrast.)
21. Titanic (1997)
“Nothing On Earth Could Come Between Them.”
20. The Lord of the Rings (2001)
“One Ring To Rule Them All”
19. Deadpool (2016)
“Sit on this”
18. Speed (1994)
“Get ready for rush hour.”
17. The Martian (2015)
“Help is only 140 million miles away”
16. Finding Nemo (2003)
“71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. That’s a lot of space to find one fish.”
15. The Shining (1980)
“He came as the caretaker, but this hotel had its own guardians – who’d been there a long time”
14. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
“There’s No Room for Mistakes”
13. Harry Potter (2001)
“Journey beyond your imagination”
12. WALL·E (2008)
“After 700 years of doing what he was built for – he’ll discover what he’s meant for.”
11. Every Adam Sandler Movie
“HURRBIDY DOOOO!”
10. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
“The Fairytale is Over”
9. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
8. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
“Who will win?”
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
“The Last Enemy is Death”
6. The Revenant (2015)
“One who has returned, as if from the dead.”
5. Shrek (2001)
“The greatest fairy tale never told.”
4. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
“The epic finale that will live forever”
3. Mulan (1998)
“An Epic Motion Picture Event”
2. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
“Live life 1/4 mile at a time”
1. Arrival (2016)
“Why are they here?”
Man. I’m buying my tickets now!
What movie would you like to explain badly?
Give it a shot in the comments.