Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 It seems we've reached peak "spoiler" hysteria, where people break out into a frenzy if someone reveals not only plot points of a movie or show, but even minute and inconsequential details. It's almost become some kind of creepy weirdo cult-like phenomenon where people's enjoyment of media hinges on the element of surprise, as if they think every movie could potentially feature some ESB-type revelation, and if that surprise is no longer there, they don't want to watch it anymore. Isn't the experience of a movie more than just critical story points and turns? This is perplexing to me because I find that my enjoyment levels significantly increase if I know more about the movie before seeing it. Much of the time I find movies difficult to follow, especially modern movies with their unnecessarily complex and convoluted narratives and technobabble exposition. So so-called spoilers help me follow it better. And if I find out someone dies, well I'm even more excited to see how it unfolds! But other people seem to go suicidal if they somehow find this out before seeing it - maybe I'm just out of touch with the fundamentals of geek culture! And what even constitutes a "spoiler" these days? My narrow definition of the term is limited to things with big revelations like The Sixth Sense, where the whole intention was to trick the audience. But other people's definition seems so broad you'd think even the title was a spoiler! I'll never forget the the lead up to the relesse of TFA, a set photo of Mark Hamill in costume leaked online, leading a lot of people who saw it to cry in melodramatic despair because they thought seeing him in costume before they saw the movie destroyed the movie for them! How could something like this distress people so much? Isn't that what you'd expect Luke to be wearing anyway? And another incident I recall on another forum back in 2000 was when some fan was in a state of panic because they read the cast list for AotC and saw the name of some inconsequential background character and was begging for reassurance that the movie hadn't been ruined for them. I ribbed this fella a bit and said he should calm down, but then a moderator scolded me saying "People getting spoiled is not funny, Drax." It's getting a bit ridiculous that we can't talk about movies before other people see them. Loosen up! If you don't let it bother you, you might even become immune to this rigid spoiler cult. DarthDementous and Chen G. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chen G. 3,950 Posted May 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 1, 2019 Spot on. I'm especially bothered by it in marketing. The marketing on films like the new Star Wars films is so intent to keeping spoilers under wraps, that it fails to communicate the premise of the films. Endgame, while its marketing didn't reveal much in the way plot, had its premise well-known from the outset, just based on how Infinity War ended. A PREMISE ISN'T A SPOILER JoeinAR, Unlucky Bastard and Nick1Ø66 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Quintus 5,399 Posted May 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 1, 2019 I don't even like knowing if a movie has big twist at the end of it, because I then end up guessing it, so no, I'm not over being spoiled at all. It irritates me actually, how people always have to rush to tell those who are yet to see a movie (or show, or a game) that there is a really nice twist at the end. It's like they can't control themselves. Professional reviewers are just as guilty as anyone else for doing that, too. #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal, Mr. Who, JoeinAR and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 . Chen G. and Smeltington 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 It doesn't mean we can't respect other's wishes by at least sharing details or whatever privately. By the same token, I've never understood the people who will go out of their way to watch something as soon as they can to avoid spoilers on their social media - well, I don't know what to say other than why can't they simply disengage with social media for a day or two? I can tell you that I've never seen any important news shared on my facebook, twitter or instagram that I couldn't live without. I read the spoiler thread here on Avengers Endgame and it didn't impact my viewing of the film whatsoever, and maybe part of that's because what makes something surprising is in the way the elements come together on screen and not in someone's comment. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Who 919 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I like watching movies and TV shows or reading books knowing as little as possible. That's why I don't watch trailers if it's for something I know I want to watch. I avoid social media, reviews, articles about the movie or tv show etc until I've seen it. But I think newspapers shouldn't have big articles on their front page about what happened in the last episode or the latest big movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docteur Qui 1,544 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I think it's fun to go in completely unaware of what's about to happen. And if someone goes out of their way to spoil something for someone that person is an asshole. I also think some people take it a bit too seriously. I had to wait a couple of days for the latest GOT episode to come out so I just stayed off the internet in general for a little while. Wasn't really difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,950 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Docteur Qui said: I think it's fun to go in completely unaware of what's about to happen. which isn't the same as not knowing the premise of a film alltogether. JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 In my experience, knowing what happens usually improves the experience because I'm way ahead of the characters on screen and knowing what happens to them empowers me as a god-like viewer. mstrox and Arpy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,950 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Well, what is suspense if not being privy to informations that the characters don't have? Its like how the first twenty minutes of Titanic iterate and re-iterate that the ship is gonna drown. On the face of it, its a huge spoiler. In actual fact, its key to the film's success. And don't even get me started on the opening to Lawrence of Arabia. The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I'd rather know next-to-nothing about a movie before I see it. As for movies that I couldn't follow, I can count them on one hand, and none of them were the types of movies that were designed to sell toys. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 46 minutes ago, Chen G. said: And don't even get me started on the opening to Lawrence of Arabia. Hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,346 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Chen G. said: Its like how the first twenty minutes of Titanic iterate and re-iterate that the ship is gonna drown. On the face of it, its a huge spoiler. In actual fact, its key to the film's success. And that goes for every disaster movie: Earthquake, Airport, Towering Inferno, Poseidon, ... they all take advantage of a thing called 'disaster tourism'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Snape kills Dumbledore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 After watching the movie I can say that I found the extreme spoilerphobic marketing of that movie gratuitous and overdone. It kinda reinforces the point that these events like GOT and Avengers are almost entirely predicated on knowing WHAT happens. Kinda shows their reductive value of lack of thereof. There is also the horrid media culture of today and film criticism of today which feature extensive recaps of what happened and readily give away spoilers. I remember Million Dollar Baby. It's second half was considered a twist and in a way it was. But I read about it, and did NOTHING to dull the impact of the movie. It still bludgeoned me. But even so reviews were very careful to stop short of narrating the entire story verbatim. You would think if the stories and movies and shows themselves had more merit, they would not be so completely ruined by spoilers. Think about it - but any means I am not a fan of Sixth Sense - even knowing the twist you can watch the movie for the cleverness of its construction - how is hides it in plain sight. Scene to scene you are intrigued about the how ambiguously the information is presented. That is not even the case with Avengers or GOT. There is no clever hiding or anything. It is straight up plot points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 1, 2019 Author Share Posted May 1, 2019 Exactly, I mean, isn't a compelling story still a compelling story whether you know what happens or not? Chen G. and Gruesome Son of a Bitch 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 . A24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Normally I don’t care, I won’t try to spoil it for anyone else but there are times that I do like to be surprised. Friday night I was checking out YouTube for something else and on the main page was a massive spoiler for the new avengers movie and it kind of pissed me off because it would really surprised me in the film. I hate that people go out of their way to spoil things on purpose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I think the hysteria is also driven by the fact that almost nothing truly surprises anymore. What was the last twist that hit you in a - "I would have never thought of it that way" way. I guess Get Out had a great one. But what other recent movie? Avengers for me couldn't have been spoiled because ZERO things in the movie surprised me. So because real surprises are few and far between, people want to protect the sanctity of being surprised in a futile way. And as I always say, much more valuable than narrative surprise is aesthetic surprise. More story-tellers, film-makers, showrunners should aim for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,293 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 My big franchises growing up were LOTR and Harry Potter where my excitement was basically twofold, I had the pleasure of the narrative twists and turns unfolding while reading, and then my anticipation for the movies was in how they were going to do it. Both versions of Half-Blood Prince got my heart pounding at the end there. The biggest single surprise I’ve probably experienced in a movie theater is the end of Inglourious Basterds when they succeed in killing you-know-who. The crowd reaction was unforgettable and I still love that movie but over the years that is not really one of the scenes I get the urge to rewatch over again. And while it made for a great theater moment I don’t necessarily feel that I would have been robbed of anything in the long run if I knew about it ahead of time. It’d still be a favorite, the whole movie is loaded with the kinds of real cinematic surprises that you can’t get from just reading the Wiki summary. So I totally get wanting to bottle up as much excitement as possible, like why not? But I also think people get anal about it. The latest Avengers had a couple big things that surprised me but one of my favorite bits was something I’d already been spoiled on. Maybe I would have enjoyed it EVEN MORE!!! if I went in a blank slate but who’s really keeping track. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I was genuinely shocked in IB when Spoiler the nominal protagonist dies 2-3rds of the way through. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,373 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 IB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 8 minutes ago, Jay said: IB? Irritable Bowel mstrox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,245 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 16 minutes ago, Jay said: IB? 2 hours ago, mrbellamy said: The biggest single surprise I’ve probably experienced in a movie theater is the end of Inglourious Basterds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,373 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Yea, the protagonists of that movie don't die 2/3 of the way through. I dunno what he's talking about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 44 minutes ago, Fabulin said: Infinity Boal On a more serious notice, Hide contents I thought that all the "protagonists" were there in the final scene, no? Spoiler Shosanna wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,373 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 That event is not 2/3rds of the way through the film, that's the climax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,478 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, Fabulin said: Oh. I didn't consider her that. Landa was more central. (And I rooted for the sniper boi anyway) I think I will rewatch the movie though. He is more central. But he's the antagonist. Among the nice guys, if it is one person's story, it is Spoiler Shosanna's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 4 hours ago, The Original said: Exactly, I mean, isn't a compelling story still a compelling story whether you know what happens or not? I went into all the Star Wars prequels fully spoiled and loved them. Then only surprise was seeing the Death Star in Episode II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 6 hours ago, Alexcremers said: And that goes for every disaster movie: Earthquake, Airport, Towering Inferno, Poseidon, ... they all take advantage of a thing called 'disaster tourism'. Airport gets the disaster tag unfairly. The only continuity between airport earthquake in the Towering Inferno and Poseidon Adventure is it has a relatively all star cast. There is no serious disaster no serious loss of life in fact the movie is a melodramatic soap opera with great acting as everybody tries to be equal or top their co-stars. The body count in this movie stands at 1 hardly Disaster Movie material I will try not to spoil anything recent but when the movie is old I make no promises or effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I think no great movie can truly be spoiled. But this is an era in which plot is far more valued than story Nick Parker and Ricard 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Endgame was a pretty unique event in that everybody knew basically how it was going to end: with all snapped folks coming back. So the burning question on the world's mind was how are these storytellers going to pull this off? That was a lot of the pleasure of not knowing going in. That said, I think Endgame is good enough that if I had known most of the major plot beats it still would've worked because the characterizations are so strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 10 hours ago, Chen G. said: And don't even get me started on the opening to Lawrence of Arabia. Oh yeah! I had forgotten about that over the course of the following three hours. Also, I got part of The Last Jedi spoiled for me just last year. Mainly about... Spoiler Snoke's death, Luke's death Fortunately it did not effect my liking for it. Perhaps I would've liked it more if it was a complete surprise. I have a buddy who goes into these franchise flicks without any knowledge save the title. He deliberately avoids even the teaser trailers as best as he can, that way he can take everything in completely new for the first time in theatres. I don't like that method, but it works for some. Unofrtunately, I now have nobody to speculate about the IX teaser with, so there's another great service JW Fan has provided for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I love that there's a bunch of spoiler tags in a thread decrying spoiler-free culture. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Lois Einhorn is Ray Finkle!!!!!!!! laces...out Bayesian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docteur Qui 1,544 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 11 hours ago, Chen G. said: which isn't the same as not knowing the premise of a film alltogether. Um, yeah, I never implied otherwise. Nick Parker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 12 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said: It kinda reinforces the point that these events like GOT and Avengers are almost entirely predicated on knowing WHAT happens. Kinda shows their reductive value of lack of thereof. --- You would think if the stories and movies and shows themselves had more merit, they would not be so completely ruined by spoilers. Damn... that's pretty much the perfect way of putting exactly what I wanted to say 11 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said: What was the last twist that hit you in a - "I would have never thought of it that way" way. I guess Get Out had a great one. But what other recent movie? Thoroughbreds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 2, 2019 Author Share Posted May 2, 2019 I wonder if there were any nutjobs who would have regarded finding out the title of Episode 9 before the official announcement as a "spoiler"? As in, not a spoiler for the film, but a spoiler for the event? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 5 hours ago, The Original said: I wonder if there were any nutjobs who would have regarded finding out the title of Episode 9 before the official announcement as a "spoiler"? As in, not a spoiler for the film, but a spoiler for the event? Yes but then they need to be ridiculed for their stupidity. If you don't know the title or name of the film how do you know when or what to go see. Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Obviously there is no such person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 2, 2019 Author Share Posted May 2, 2019 I dunno there are some wackos out there. And to Joe, I meant these people wouldn't want to know the title until they saw the Celebration announcment. As in they don't want the announcement itself spoiled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 1 hour ago, The Original said: I dunno there are some wackos out there. And to Joe, I meant these people wouldn't want to know the title until they saw the Celebration announcment. As in they don't want the announcement itself spoiled. Losers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 So I have this mate who irrationally considers even the premise to be a spoiler. She even got the shits when I described the premise of Twin Peaks as "a whodunnit, a murder mystery in a small town full of quirky folks, and a charismatic FBI agent uses unorthodox means to solve the mystery". Sounds about right huh? But nooooo, she's like "I don't want to know anything at all before watching!" How do people even know what to try out unless they at least know the premise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 They just look at the cover art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,293 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 On 5/1/2019 at 2:43 PM, TheUlyssesian said: I was genuinely shocked in IB when Hide contents the nominal protagonist dies 2-3rds of the way through. . On 5/1/2019 at 3:48 PM, Jay said: That event is not 2/3rds of the way through the film, that's the climax 1 Spoiler Just to go back to this, Shoshanna dies less than 10 minutes before credits roll on a 2.5 hour movie. So it is interesting that Ulyssessian remembered it as 2/3rds through. In a way I kind of get how he would think that, though, since Tarantino wrings a lot of suspense out of the remaining minutes, it feels like a lot happens and it is still a big shock that she doesn't live to see her grand plan fulfilled. But he makes a pretty big point of having her "ghost" tyrannize the Nazis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,346 Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 8 hours ago, Þekþiþm said: So I have this mate who irrationally considers even the premise to be a spoiler. She even got the shits when I described the premise of Twin Peaks as "a whodunnit, a murder mystery in a small town full of quirky folks, and a charismatic FBI agent uses unorthodox means to solve the mystery". Sounds about right huh? But nooooo, she's like "I don't want to know anything at all before watching!" How do people even know what to try out unless they at least know the premise? Unmate her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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