Why do film previews give so much away?

Trailers used to be there to give a glimpse at a film's riches, but now they're mini-movies that give away everything – including the ending. JOE GRIFFINtakes a (cautious) look

BROWSING THROUGH Apple's movie trailer section of their website, I've realised the pattern that's developed in my trailer-watching. If it's a film I'm vaguely interested in (such as the forthcoming Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots) I'll give it a look. If, however, it's a film I'm excited about (such as the new X-Menmovie), I'll give it a wide berth. Why? Because trailers give too much away.

Without exaggeration, a typical trailer will often contain moments from each of the film’s three acts (story establishment, obstacle, and resolution). You can avoid it online, of course, but in the cinema waiting for the film to begin, you’re nothing more than a hostage – a literal captive audience.

Apart from various conversations with baffled film buffs about such trailers, I've also overheard numerous grumblings during trailers at the cinema: "Please end," one man growled at the seemingly infinite trailer to last year's Confessions of a Shopaholic. "I feel like I've seen the whole film," said one viewer after the ad for The Eagleand – my favourite – "is this a trailer, or a recap?" was mumbled after the trailer for Thor.

That comment summarised the problem: with few exceptions, movie trailers are usually made by the marketing department and completely separate from the filmmakers.

Consider the 1999 film Double Jeopardy.In this murder mystery, director Bruce Beresford intentionally cast an unknown actor as Ashley Judd's husband, so that he would have no baggage and the audience wouldn't know what would become of him.

A few months before release, the film studio launched a trailer revealing every major plot twist, including moments from the film’s climax.

Shortly afterwards, Beresford said in an interview with Entertainment Weeklythat his requests for the trailer to be re-edited were ignored by the studio.

Financial motivations are clearly the driving factor so; with some marketing departments more concerned about cinemagoers paying to see films than enjoying them.

But it could be argued that these spoiler-filled trailers discourage audiences. If you’ve seen every surprise and sometimes even key moments from a film’s ending, why would you pay to see the movie?

What happens when a cinemagoer feels like they’ve seen the whole film before they’ve bought a ticket? Well, I won’t spoil it for you. . .

The worst offenders

Unknown

Liam Neeson stars as a doctor with an identity crisis in this enjoyable pulpy thriller. The trailer tells us how he ended up in the predicament, what happens next, what the mystery is, and also shows a climactic moment from the film’s final scene.

Morning Glory/The Devil Wears Prada

These two offerings are essentially the same film (written and produced by the same team).

Each trailer shows the plucky young upstart (Rachel McAdams (right)/Anne Hathaway) starting a new media job clumsily, taking wise-ass comments from their monstrous bosses (Harrison Ford/Meryl Streep), conquering their jobs and finally winning the approval of said bosses.

Oh, and their love-interest sub-plots, from inception to climax, also make it into the trailers.

Mammoth

Lucas Moodysson’s art-house drama from last year starred Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams as a disaffected couple. The trailer told everything from the fate of the couple, to their nanny’s predicament, and even what happens to their nanny’s son.

Fright Night

The forthcoming horror/comedy remake starring Colin Farrell looks good, but it has an astoundingly spoiler-filled trailer – with at least two twists revealed as well as footage from the finale.