WatchMojo

Login Now!

OR   Sign in with Google   Sign in with Facebook
advertisememt

Another Top 10 Misleading Movie Trailers

Another Top 10 Misleading Movie Trailers
VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
Script written by Nathan Sharp

As if last time wasn't bad enough, this list proves that Hollywood really will do anything to get butts in seats. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for Another Top 10 Misleading Movie Trailers. Like last time, we're looking at trailers to movies that failed to do justice to the film's content and vastly mislead audiences, making them expect a different experience.

Head over to WatchMojo.comsuggest to submit your ideas for our next video!

#10: “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2015)

Those who watched this trailer probably thought, “Great, just another spy movie we don’t need.” However, those who watched the film were pleasantly surprised by an experience unlike any other, complete with ridiculous action sequences, hilarious situations, and a movie that never took itself too seriously while overcoming the usual tropes. Unfortunately, the trailer only focuses on the action element, making it look like just another run-of-the-mill secret agent flick rather than the original and refreshing take on the genre that it actually was.

#9: “Ghost World” (2001)

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum there is “Ghost World,” a tragedy disguised as a comedy by a trailer that basically shows every joke in the movie. It looks like a typical coming-of-age film filled with awkward teenage humor, and there’s not even a semblance of a plot present, just joke after joke. The story follows teenagers as they play a prank on a lonely man, only it backfires and ruins all their lives. It’s far more dramatic and evocative than the lighthearted trailer lets on.

#8: “Adventureland” (2009)

Once you make one popular movie, all your others will be judged according to its standards. Such is the unfortunate case with Greg Mottola, whose gross-out “Superbad” was a hit with audiences. This meant that his intimate and meaningful film, “Adventureland,” about a young adult who gets a job at an amusement park, was marketed as another crass, inappropriate film like his predecessor. Although audiences were treated to a relatable story filled with surprising depth, many left disappointed that they didn’t see more nut shots and awkward sex scenes.

#7: “The Skeleton Twins” (2014)

The movie stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig post-“Saturday Night Live,” so of course it should be quirky and hilarious, right? The trailer certainly thinks so, as it’s filled with awkward sibling humor, like silly dancing and mother-hating jokes, and the blurbs all reflect how hilarious it is. While the trailer does hint at drama, it never hits the serious weight of the film, which opens with the two main characters on the brink of suicide. The movie was praised for its dark performances and difficult subject matter, but you wouldn’t know it from this trailer.

#6: “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” (2015)

The movie is called “Sponge Out of Water,” so it seems obvious to market the movie as a SpongeBob adventure on land rather than the ocean floor. The movie follows SpongeBob and his gang as they travel to the surface to take back a magical book, but the problem is that they only break the surface in the last twenty minutes. While audiences were expecting an animation/live-action hybrid on the surface, they were instead given a typical SpongeBob experience with only a fraction of the running time actually taking place on land.

#5: “The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012)

Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are two of this generation’s finest actors, so naturally filmmakers wanted to show the two together when marketing this film. The trailer focuses extensively on Gosling and his story, even though the film is split into three distinct acts, and Gosling disappears after the first. It’s a fantastic story about what it means to be a father, and director Derek Cianfrance was praised for his ambition, but that ambition is stunted in the trailer that only focuses on a small part of a much larger framework.

#4: “Contagion” (2011)

In the wake of epidemics like H1N1 and SARS, it’s only natural that Hollywood would produce a story about the worldwide fear of disease. “Contagion” is about a deadly virus as it travels around the globe, and the trailer does everything it can to instill fear, including showing rampant death and desolate cityscapes like a horror movie. The movie was actually a realistic depiction of an epidemic, featuring many scenes of scientific research and LOTS of talking. While still fascinating, it’s not nearly as exciting as the trailer makes it seem.

#3: “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012)

It’s hard to convey satire in a trailer, so we guess they decided to just drop the satirical angle altogether and create another typical-looking scary movie preview. The trailer features every cliché in the book, including a secluded cabin and a creepy gas station attendant, all playing over loud rock music and ominous text. What they failed to convey was that the movie was actually satirizing these elements and creating an original horror movie that paid homage to all that came before it in a unique fashion.

#2: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004)

With what’s perhaps one of the oddest trailers ever, this movie was marketed as a lighthearted romantic comedy, when it was anything but. The preview shows clips of the characters having tons of goofy fun, complete with happy, bubbly music in the background. The movie is actually about a couple erasing their memories of each other, and is an intensely dramatic and at times depressing film. It even won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, proving how complex and emotional the film really is. Why they used a song like “Mr. Blue Sky” is beyond us, although we’re guessing they were deliberately misleading us.

Before we mislead you with our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Much Darker and Less Funny Than the Trailers Lets On
“Kick-Ass” (2010)
- Instead of a Happy Love Story, It’s About the Destruction of a Relationship
“Blue Valentine” (2010)
- Not a Typical Silly Paul Rudd Comedy
“Our Idiot Brother” (2011)
- Makes It Look Like Birdman Has Superpowers
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (2014)

#1: “Funny People” (2009)

Just like “Adventureland” director Greg Mottola, Judd Apatow has a penchant for raunchy comedies, so when his dramatic “Funny People” was released, the trailers tried to get as many of his fans on board as possible. The trailer is filled with goofy jokes and an upbeat-sounding song, portraying a fun movie. The actual experience definitely wasn’t as innocent, as the film deals with Sandler’s impending death from cancer and his failure as a romantic partner. The film has even been compared to “The Great Gatsby” due to its tragic nature, so when you go in thinking it’s an Adam Sandler comedy, well, you’ll be surprised.

Do you agree with our list? What trailers were you upset about because they misled you? For more truthful top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.

Comments
User
Send
You know, I was kind of hoping to see 'Kung Fu Panda' on the list. I mean, hey, that was probably one of the most misleading trailers out there.
advertisememt