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Anyone else over the spoiler hysteria?


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9 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?


i have a friend who’s worse. He does not want to hear even my opinion of a movie or show he hasn’t seen yet because he fears that will color his own opinion before he even sees it.

8 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

 


 

Spoiler
  Reveal hidden contents

 


i haven’t seen the film since it came out, maybe that’s why I remember it that way. The films we internalize are not the same films that we have seen.

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You remember the movie theater sequence as being 2/3 of the way through the movie?

What did you remember as happening for for another 45 minutes after that sequence?

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21 minutes ago, Jay said:

You remember the movie theater sequence as being 2/3 of the way through the movie?

What did you remember as happening for for another 45 minutes after that sequence?

 

Let's put it this way. If I were summarizing and telling the story of IB to someone, my description of that sequence would come 2/3rds of my way through the telling.

 

In story-telling, not all parts are equal. Some parts carry more weight. Some earlier parts are necessary to set up the story but it is often the later dramatic events that leave the most lasting impression.

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The only scene after the movie theater sequence is Landa getting carved up in the woods, isn't it?

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  • 3 years later...

Most studios are taking this too far with the tentpole movies to the extent that they won't let even the smallest details of a premise leak. They have a built-in audience for some franchises so don't need to bother with pesky plot synopses.

 

Where I support 'spoilers' is for genuine twists or reveals, like who was the murderer in a Poirot film. It's going to significntly impact your enjoyment if you know that in advance.

 

To some extent Doctor Who does this, but I think for maybe a different reason. With Who going to different locations/cultures/worlds, it can be fun to not know where you're going this week. Although keeping the identity of 'villain of the week' top secret is where it goes too far. Knowing a dalek is going to appear in next week's episode is not going to ruin it... it's going to be in a trailer!

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I hope the Who 60th specials manage a couple of surprises ... it was great to not know about Capaldi's or Tom Baker's cameos in the 50th (granted Capaldi's was just a close-up of the 'attack eyebrows' and a short bit of dialogue, but still). 

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My other half hates being spoiled. Even for things like who leaves the tent on Bake Off… I’m fairly relaxed about these things although there have been a few tv shows where I wish I’d had a bit more self control and avoided spoilers, especially when I may not have read anything in particular about a show despite it having been out for some time.

 

I watched the last season of Game of Thrones (slightly rushed but not as bad as its reputation suggests) a couple of years after it came out and had somehow largely avoided finding out a few of the key plot twists and endpoints of main characters then managed to spoil it for myself at the last minute. Fortunately for me I largely enjoy seeing how the plot gets to a particular point even if I know where it is. If the show/movie is written, acted and directed well enough you can just enjoy the journey without worrying too much about the destination. The old axiom about the journey being more important than the destination holds up for me in this case (and I largely detest old axioms as many of them are complete tosh lol).

 

As a flip side to this, when I went to see Dark City (great film and score!) with some friends, we were late to the cinema somehow (it’s a small island…) and missed about the first 10 minutes or so and missed the prologue which sets up a lot of the background. Without that, it meant that we didn’t quite know what was going on and everything was thus largely revealed at the same rate as it was to the characters. This made it even more intriguing and I loved the mystery. Of course if it had been badly made it could just have been tedious and confusing but if you can get it right, that kind of mystery can work like gangbusters. If only the film actually didn’t have the prologue! 

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My best friend doesn't care at all about spoilers. He really doesn't mind to know what will happen in advance in a movie/game/TV show/etc. When we saw Avengers: Endgame together, he entered the movie theater already knowing that Tony Stark dies, Thanos turns to dust, etc. Thankfully, he didn't spoil the movie for me... Well, just one thing or another :lol:

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I was kinda bummed when I found out Luke Skywalker appeared in The Mandalorian before seeing the episode. I wouldn't have had tears of joy streaming down my face like some, but it would've been a fun surprise.

 

The lesson here is, be careful what you search for on the Internet, and stay the hell off YouTube.

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I find I enjoy most films more on repeat viewings so spoilers don't bother me.

 

In any case I have zero interest in new films/series so couldn't be bothered about anything I see online relating to a story's plot, etc.

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The biggest spoiler of all time was that Arnold was the goodie in Terminator 2. (Seriously. Until he says "Get down" it's nearly beat for beat where the skinny creepy guy is the hero and Arnold is, well, Arnold.)

 

SPOILERS FOR SOMEWHAT RECENT STUFF:

 

I was so glad NOT to know that Red Skull was going to be in Infinity War. Endgame's marketing was as perfect as there has ever been.

 

@Mr. Hooper I had the same experience with Luke in Mando. First thing I saw in the morning was "Who is the new Luke Skywalker?" Arrrgh.

 

Not everything is The Sixth Sense. But there is a delight at some surprise callback or cameo. @Sweeping Strings Tom Baker might be the gold standard for this.

 

I knew Spock was going to die, I knew every twist of Return of the Jedi, I knew the Enterprise was going to be blown up. After that I got a lot more paranoid about spoilers (we didn't call them that then) and I didn't know anything about the Enterprise-A.

 

That said, I don't know what you could spoil for Top Gun: Maverick. Iceman?

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I think the only arguable spoiler for Top Gun: Maverick would be whether Maverick lives or dies. They do a good job of ratcheting up the tension and really milking the goodbyes and hero shots of Tom Cruise before the final mission and giving him satisfying emotional closure, so when the action started I felt like it had been set up to go either way. 

 

Still generally avoid spoilers, not like the plague but just more interesting to see things blind. I can take or leave most trailers at this point. I'll selectively spoil myself sometimes, like I read the very last sentence of Deathly Hallows before starting that, no regrets. I spoiled myself silly for the Star Wars sequels because I was more curious about musical possibilities than plot/character surprises. And I have to read entire summaries of horror movies before I watch them because I'm a chicken. 

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Sure, some twists you can predict, but I still prefer to have my suspicions confirmed by the movie itself.

 

But a blabbermouth spilling the beans on the big, gut-punch end twist—e.g., The Planet of the Apes, The Empire Strikes Back, or the aforementioned The Sixth Sense—is a big no-no and social faux pas.

 

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2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

There was a time when I would have avoided movie spoilers, like the plague. Nowadays, I consider myself fortunate to still be around, when the movie is released.


By the way @Naïve Old Fart, I'm sorry if I spoiled West Side Story for you...but I'm glad to see you're taking it in stride these days. :)

 

10 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

I can take or leave most trailers at this point.


I used to think that it was only modern movie trailers that showed too much, but some trailers from back in the day—I'm talking '70s and '80s—also spilled some beans.

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I remember that I managed to keep mostly free of spoilers from The Last Jedi... Until I heard the OST album, where JW spoiled the Yoda cameo on The Sacred Jedi Texts :angry:.

 

I wonder if it would've been better if that movie took a Multiverse of Madness approach and only released that cue after the movie's opening weekend.

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Agreed, @Edmilson.

Speaking of OSTs: I bought the vinyl PRESUMED INNOCENT back in 1990. Because I didn't go home before I went to see the film, I took it with me, and, as I stood in line, I had a wee glance at the track listing...

"Barbara's Confession"? Really? Thanks a bunch, JW (!).

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9 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I remember that I managed to keep mostly free of spoilers from The Last Jedi... Until I heard the OST album, where JW spoiled the Yoda cameo on The Sacred Jedi Texts :angry:.

 

I wonder if it would've been better if that movie took a Multiverse of Madness approach and only released that cue after the movie's opening weekend.


The Phantom Menace OST was released before the movie and gives away Qui-Gon's death with a track title, if memory serves. 

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11 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I remember that I managed to keep mostly free of spoilers from The Last Jedi... Until I heard the OST album, where JW spoiled the Yoda cameo on The Sacred Jedi Texts :angry:.

 

I remember listening to The Rise of Skywalker OST and hearing that transformation of the motive associated with Kylo, and realising there and then "So, there you have. They're wimping out with a redemption arc."

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1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

They're wimping out with a redemption arc."

 

Not a wimp out. You're forgetting your scripture, Chen.

 

"Even the worst of us is redeemable."

Spoiler

-Major Kira, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

 

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Just now, Nick1Ø66 said:

You're forgetting your scripture, Chen. "Even the worst of us is redeemable."

 

Bah, I'm not a devout Jew anyhow! I mix dairy and meat! :lol:

 

And it did feel wimpy to me: "Remember kids, you can kill, torture and do whatever you want, but if your mummy and daddy are important, and you feel sorry, than you'd be a martyr!" Its like if at the end of Gladiator, Commodus was sorry, and he, Lucila and Maximus were singing Kumbaya around the fireplace. Totally diminishes the weight of the evil.

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8 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

And it did feel wimpy to me: "Remember kids, you can kill, torture and do whatever you want, but if your mummy and daddy are important, and you feel sorry, than you'd be a martyr!" Its like if at the end of Gladiator, Commodus was sorry, and he, Lucila and Maximus were singing Kumbaya around the fireplace. Totally diminishes the weight of the evil.

 

I don't think redemption means freedom from the consequences of your actions. I think it means its possible to redeem your own humanity. Or, spiritually speaking, your soul.

 

I think it's perfectly legitimate to use redemption as a character arc, even the worst of characters. But it has to be earned in the story. And, yeah, doesn't mean you're free from consequences in this life. Had Kylo Ren (or Vader for that matter) lived, it would be appropriate that they be held responsible for their actions. But that doesn't mean they can't be "redeemed" as a person or character. 

 

That said, there are characters that would seem to be irredeemable...The Emperor & Voldemort come to mind. But I wouldn't put Kylo Ren or Vader or Commodus in that category.

 

8 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

Bah, I'm not a devout Jew anyhow! I mix dairy and meat! :lol:

 

That's OK. I was quoting Bajoran scripture anyway. ;)

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I personally consider anything that isn’t in the pre-release marketing/trailers a spoiler, but I’ve stopped caring about spoilers for the most part except in movies I really care about (or movies that live or die on some major twist).  I have a very clear understanding of everything Indy 5 without having seen it yet, for instance, and similarly knew all the minor twists and turns of Ahsoka before I watched - and who cares.

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When I first saw 'The Rise of Skywalker', I was going through a rough patch and just needed some escapism, so I didn't even arch an eyebrow when Poe said "Somehow, Palpatine returned." I was just like, "Oooh! Goody! I love the Emperor!", and ate what followed right out of J.J.'s hand. More Ian McDiarmid, but with fiercely glowing eyes this time? Yes, please! And I'll admit, TROS remains a big, dumb, guilty pleasure for me.

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Without Palpatine's return, a sequel to the SW trilogy would have been utterly pointless. He is the greatest villain of the entire Saga. I mean, the entire saga is a result of his actions!

 

I wonder what plot they'll come up with if they decide to develop a new trilogy centered around Rey training a new generation of Jedi. It could be lackluster, as after Palpatine, there couldn't possibly be a greater Dark Jedi. A mere copycat of Palpatine? That would be boring as heck. And they really can't pull off the same trick again to resurrect Palpatine; it would be utterly ridiculous.

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9 minutes ago, Bespin said:

Without Palpatine's return, a sequel to the SW trilogy would have been utterly pointless. He is the greatest villain of the entire Saga. I mean, the entire saga is a result of his actions!

With Palpatine's return, the other SW trilogies are utterly pointless. The actions of the greatest heroes in the entire saga are completely undone.

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29 minutes ago, Holko said:

With Palpatine's return, the other SW trilogies are utterly pointless. The actions of the greatest heroes in the entire saga are completely undone.

 

The end of the original trilogy, "Return of the Jedi" (originally titled "Revenge of the Jedi"... but as Jedi can't really seek revenge, because it's dark...), is more about the redemption of Anakin than the "death" of the Emperor.

 

In fact, a new trilogy where Rey forms a new generation of Jedi can only serve to illustrate how the old republic fell. The Jedi, by gaining power, ultimately contribute to creating a dark counterpoint as powerful as themselves. Thus, it becomes an infinite cycle... and an endless array of potential new trilogies that would be even more pointless than the previous ones. Yawn.

 

Get back to spoilers, I love them.

 

I live for spoilers!

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On 11/11/2023 at 3:25 PM, mstrox said:

I personally consider anything that isn’t in the pre-release marketing/trailers a spoiler, but I’ve stopped caring about spoilers for the most part except in movies I really care about (or movies that live or die on some major twist).  I have a very clear understanding of everything Indy 5 without having seen it yet, for instance, and similarly knew all the minor twists and turns of Ahsoka before I watched - and who cares.

 

I have a pretty good idea of what happens in Indy 5 too and I still look forward to watching it. But given that the studios spend so much time and effort swearing filmmakers to complete secrecy on tentpole projects (usually the ones I'm not interested in), it means that all the 'other stuff', or movies from the last 20 years or so, no one cares enough about to spoil.

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