An obvious patron of the cineplex lists seven examples (along with appropriate clips) of movie trailers that exceed the very films they’re trying to sell. He even provides a handy “Trailer Goodness to Movie Badness Ratio” for each: Pineapple Express (pictured) earns a 20-1 (“possibly the greatest trailer of the year,” he writes), but it’s not the worst offender. I know that a skillful editor can make you want to watch any movie, but I am still scarred by the wicked deceit of the expertly cut teasers for Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace — I’d give it a TGTMBR of 1,000-1. What trailers — recent or old — have burned you?
Dec 8
2008
04:19 PM ET
Site of the Day: Seven Trailers in 2008 that Were Way, Way Better than the Actual Movie
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
It looked like a good horror movie. Yet, I didn’t get scared once. I almost left out of bordom.
Twilight.
“Ransom” /w Mel Gibson. I’ll never forget how the preview made the film out to be a suspense/thriller and it turned out to be a tearful drama.
I never actually feel “scared” during a movie, but the teaser for The Village had my heart racing and my breath held. The Village itself…did not.
Ghost Rider. The trailer with the effects looked cool, but then you watch the movie and the acting stunk up the place, I mean I didn’t expect Oscar worthy performances, but not that bad.
Couldn’t agree more with the choice of Star Wars Episode 1-The Phantom Menace. In fact, when I saw this topic, that was the first movie that popped into my head. Pretty much any of the Star Wars prequels could be on that list too though.
Pearl Harbor, hands down. You know why the trailer was so awesome? It didn’t have ANY dialogue from the movie, just FDR’s speech.
My all-time disappointment was View To a Kill back in 1985. The three minute video of Duran Duran singing the theme song with Grace Jones and Roger Moore running up and down the Eifel Tower were also the only exciting parts of the two and a half hour movie.
Wait, Pineapple Express was a bad movie? I take serious offense to that statement.
I loved this article and I have to admit, the first movie that came to my mind was Vantage Point. That trailer was just so awesome and then the movie was just the biggest let down. I also thought the trailer for Happy Feet looked so fun and entertaining and then the movie was a train wreck of social justice, environmental, animal rights and discrimination issues. I felt like I got slapped in the face with ten different moral and ethical dilemmas while all I wanted was a fun story about happy dancing penguins!
I totally AGREE! I remember my friends and I laughed hysterically at the Pinneapple Express trailer (both times I saw Forgetting Sara Marshall). We even downloaded Paper Planes. The movie didn’t do as much for us.
VAN HELSING. The next great franchise? Looked like a throwback to Universal’s classic monster movies.
WHAT WE GOT: Overwhelmed with FXs, complete and utter B.S. historically, and a really (really) lame Dracula.
3-1
THE BRAVE ONE. Looked Like Jodie Foster was back, darker and grittier than ever, and she (finally) wasn’t trying to rescue her kid.
WHAT WE GOT: Batman. But with a gun. And no cape. And an ending that would never happen. Ever.
2-1
PIRATES, AT WORLD’S END. Chow Yun Fat looked pretty cool. Sweet effects (Like the whirl wind or the upsidedown ship). The chance to finish the saga on a high note.
WHAT WE GOT: Like, 10 Jack Sparrows running around and a giant gypsy.
5-1
SUPERMAN RETURNS. Um, Superman Returns!
WHAT WE GOT: A hero who barely speaks, and stalks his ex. A villain who’s still basically a glorified car salesman. And a super 5-year old. Seriously.
10-1
I like their list for ’08 and I agree with all of them. But I’d throw 10,000 BC on there too.
The first trailer for Independence Day was so terrifically creepy and mysterious, you couldn’t help but be a little disappointed to realize it was a run-of-the-mill summer blockbuster with Will Smith cracking jokes (“now that’s what I call a close encounter!”) the whole movie.
I think I’ll suggest The Fifth Element. I don’t actually remember what the trailer was like, but something got me into that theater on opening day and it wasn’t Bruce Willis and it definitely wasn’t Luc Besson. Turns out, it is the only movie to this day that I wanted to walk out on (I didn’t, of course, but I wanted too).
Oh, and I’d throw Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfur. It just looked like it’d be better. It wasn’t.
Halloween (07). Rob Zombie’s take looked like it’d be hardcore. And it was, but something was just lost from the original.
Any M. Night Shamayalan movie.
The Mummy Returns (noisy and shallow)
Freddy vs Jason (wasted potential)
The Invisible (boring)
Matrix Revolutions (huge letdown)
The Reaping (not cool at all)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
X-Men 3 (blasphemy)
I could go on forever…