Does the new ‘Prometheus’ trailer give away too much?

Will Perkins
·Blogger

Have you ever seen a trailer spoil a movie? If you watched the new three-minute trailer for Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic "Prometheus" then the answer to that question is probably yes. The lengthy trailer for the film debuted over the weekend, featuring new dialogue and a ton of new footage from Scott's "Alien" spin-off. However, fanboy fervor quickly turned to rage, with many now saying that the ad reveals far too much about the film. The trailer, which is less of a tease and more of an abridged version of the full-length film, reveals several major plot points and shows off some of the as yet unseen creatures featured in the film.

You can watch the trailer below, but don't say you weren't warned. Any mystery that Scott's film once had is pretty much thrown out the window.

How much is too much to show when trying to promote a film? For years, people have criticized movie trailers for spoiling important or funny parts of movies, but the trend only seems to get worse. Just watch a trailer for a modern Hollywood comedy cut from the Judd Apatow cloth for proof of this. Memorable gags and killer one-liners are almost always included in the trailers for these movies, essentially spoiling their delivery in the film proper. What is hilarious on the first viewing often doesn't hit the same way the second time around. By the time a high profile comedy with a major marketing campaign behind it hits theatres, audiences have often already seen the funniest parts.

The same is true of modern big-budget blockbusters that give away their best "holy s&%#!" moments in their trailers. Certainly the prospect of seeing that moment play out on the big screen holds some appeal for audiences, but by including that shot or sequence in the trailers the marketers are robbing viewers (and the filmmaker) of that moment's intended impact. What's the point of seeing the movie if you've already seen all the best parts? And studios wonder why movie attendance is down?

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. Powered by smart viral campaigns and clever teaser trailers, films like J.J. Abrams' "Super 8" and Christopher Nolan's Batman movies are able to get audiences enthused without giving away every plot point months in advance. Subtlety in movie marketing is an increasingly rare art, but thankfully a few filmmakers and studios still understand the value of not spoiling the magic for their audiences.

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