Movies that did NOT live up to their trailers

[happyninja42]

So I was looking for something to watch with the wifey last night, and we were browsing netflix, and one of the suggestions was Sucker Punch. She asked me if I wanted to watch that, which I declined. I then remarked to myself how I really wanted to like that film, but it just didn't live up to that first trailer I saw for it. So I decided to pull up the trailer, and forgot how much I fucking loved it.

I remember seeing this in the theaters, as the very first teaser trailer for it. Can't remember what film it was in front of, but holy shit was I hyped. The killing blow was at 0:26. It's a very subtle thing, you might miss it.


That's right, that fucking music. Lords of Mother Fucking Acid. That subtle little synth line coming in, as they cut to Baby Doll powering up, it continuing to just be in the background, building....and young me in the theater going "...wait...is that...no, really? Someone's using The Crablouse in a trailer?! " And then the way it kicks in with the faster parts of the song, a fucking dragon breathing fire onto soldiers on the top of a castle rampart, while the vocalist for LoA belts out her howl. The fast drums and guitars punctuated by the fighting. I admit, it was the song. And it fucking hooked me hard. I was incredibly intrigued about what the fuck that film was about.

Then...sadly, I saw it, and it was just....meh. It had none of the drive from that first trailer, and I found myself bored in the theater. I still find that trailer, as it's own piece of entertainment, to be a good hype piece. It was just tied to something that didn't live up to it.

So what trailers for a film have you loved, but then the film didn't really follow through?

 

[Xprimentyl]

Wow, Lords of Acid; I haven't heard that name in likely a decade...

But most movies don't live up to their trailers; the trailers tend to show the best parts to sell the movie meaning everything else is the exposition and filler.

 

[MrCalavera]

Tom Cruise's Mummy.



It's nowhere as funny as the trailer.

 

[Palindromemordnilap]

Can we count Suicide Squad? I think I might be one of the few people who saw the very first trailer and thought "Oh, actually, they could make this work. A team of psychopaths and criminals being forced to do government black-ops work under threat of violent death? Finally something that fits your moody, grimdark films DC movies!"

Then the one set to Bohemian Rhapsody came up and I realised they done fucked up

 

[Worgen]

The main trailer that always puts me in mind of being an awesome trailer that got me to spend money on something massively disappointing isn't a movie, its a game, it was Mercenaries 2.

I have never seen an ad for a game that sold me on the game like this one and then the game was just a mediocre buggy blegh. Traded it in 2 days after getting it. Still though, great ad.

 

[gorfias]

I liked the Force Awakens. I didn't love it but I liked it. I was excited about The Last Jedi. Then I started hearing about it. Not all Johnson's fault. The Force Awakens was flawed in ways Episode 8 had a chance to fix. But 7 shouldn't have gone down such a bad road to begin with.

 

[Mister Mumbler]

I have never seen an ad for a game that sold me on the game like this one and then the game was just a mediocre buggy blegh. Traded it in 2 days after getting it. Still though, great ad.

Ugh, that fucking game. I remember following that game closely before it came out, but was bummed out when I realized that it was only going to be coming to 360/PS3 (my computer was shit at the time), and then I saw that it would indeed be getting a PS2 port after all, and it was the fucking worst thing imaginable. Barely more than the first game with like 3 new assets in it and somehow pulling the amazing feat of looking worse than its predecessor, which is shocking considering how much of the old game was just straight ported over.

EDIT: On topic, gonna go with Pacific Rim. I wanted a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters and ended up with a rather generic movie with about 2 or 3 fights in it. Plus, I don't think I'm ever going to get over them teasing a big, multi robot/monster bash before knocking out every other robot so Gypsy could go 1v1 again.

 

[Chimpzy]

I have never seen an ad for a game that sold me on the game like this one and then the game was just a mediocre buggy blegh. Traded it in 2 days after getting it. Still though, great ad.

Speaking of games that didn't live up to their trailer...

 

[Gordon_4]

My nominal response is Overstrike but in fairness to it’s first (awesome) trailer, it was totally retooled prior to release so that doesn’t count.

Overall I’d say Man of Steel. The trailers seemed to propose an epic retelling of the origin of frankly the greatest superhero in popular culture. A modernised but at its core, still genuinely heroic vision of Superman.

It did not deliver. Which is a shame because Henry Cavil was born to wear the shield of the House of El, and Antje Trau and Michael Shannon just fucking owned their roles. Perhaps that’s even worse; if the movie had been inept from top to bottom then the trailer was merely a skilful bit of bullshitting. But when there are equal parts baffling stupid and amazing achievements........

 

[happyninja42]

Overall I’d say Man of Steel. The trailers seemed to propose an epic retelling of the origin of frankly the greatest superhero in popular culture. A modernised but at its core, still genuinely heroic vision of Superman.

It did not deliver. Which is a shame because Henry Cavil was born to wear the shield of the House of El, and Antje Trau and Michael Shannon just fucking owned their roles. Perhaps that’s even worse; if the movie had been inept from top to bottom then the trailer was merely a skilful bit of bullshitting. But when there are equal parts baffling stupid and amazing achievements........

Oooh, yeah I have to agree there. This trailer in particular was the one that got me.


It's at the point where Superman launches into the air, and those drums kick in as he begins to fly. I'm a sucker for music, and drums especially. So yeah, that was definitely a moment that gave me chills.

But yeah, the film just didn't pay off, which is a shame, because I like Henry Cavil a lot. I think he did just fine with the role he was given, I just think the role he was given was kind of shit.

 

[Gordon_4]

Oooh, yeah I have to agree there. This trailer in particular was the one that got me.


It's at the point where Superman launches into the air, and those drums kick in as he begins to fly. I'm a sucker for music, and drums especially. So yeah, that was definitely a moment that gave me chills.

But yeah, the film just didn't pay off, which is a shame, because I like Henry Cavil a lot. I think he did just fine with the role he was given, I just think the role he was given was kind of shit.

Henry Cavil could have been the greatest live action Superman since Reeve. I mean fucking look at him: it looks like he was chiseled from marble in that movie. And Michael Shannon, what a turn as Zod. And if someone doesn’t magic bullshit Faora back as one of Darkseid’s Furies, I will be bitterly disappointed.

 

[BrawlMan]

Henry Cavil could have been the greatest live action Superman since Reeve. I mean fucking look at him: it looks like he was chiseled from marble in that movie. And Michael Shannon, what a turn as Zod. And if someone doesn’t magic bullshit Faora back as one of Darkseid’s Furies, I will be bitterly disappointed.

You & @happyninja42 can speak for yourselves, but Man of Steel lived up to mine and my family's expectations.


A great idea, all wasted for a generic white boy to learn kung fu from to different Chinese kung fu masters. A big wasted potential and waste of the two greatest martial arts action stars to ever live and grace both of their presence at the same time. I saw this once, and was highly dissapointed. What worse, they expected a sequel. Even at the age of 18, I knew that was not going to fucking happen.

 

[Worgen]

Speaking of games that didn't live up to their trailer...

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that, fantastic trailer for a pretty meh, but not as meh as Mercs 2 game.

 

[happyninja42]

You & @happyninja42 can speak for yourselves,

I usually do

I didn't hate MoS, I just didn't really enjoy it much. It had some elements I enjoyed, but more that I didn't. My favorite bit from that film though, is the scene where the recording of Jor-El helps Lois Lane escape the ship, with all those transitions and relocation of his hologram. "Go here" *points* "Turn left" "Now Right" *closes door on a Kryptonian just in time to save her* "Back that way."

That scene was pretty fucking sweet. But the rest, eh, not so much for me.

 

[happyninja42]

A great idea, all wasted for a generic white boy to learn kung fu from to different Chinese kung fu masters. A big wated potential and waste of the two greatest martial arts action stars to ever live and grace both of their presence at the same time. I saw this once, and was highly dissapointed. What worse, they expected a sequel. Even at the age of 18, I knew that was not going to fucking happen.

Yeah I am sort of neutral on that film. I enjoyed it well enough, mostly for Jackie and Jet. The white boy champion bit was.....eh. But I remember first seeing it, and being really touched by the idea of that one clone, living for all those years, just trying to free his creator. And that moment at the end, when he finally frees the Monkey King, and they look at each other. The expression of relief in the clones face, like a child, desperate for his parent's approval, and also finally able to set down a burden too heavy for him. And that look of acceptance, and gratitude from the Monkey King. THAT bit, really stuck with me. It's probably the only moment in that film that has stuck with me really. It added a lot more emotional weight to a fairly popcorn martial arts film. And I appreciated that.

 

[BrawlMan]

Yeah I am sort of neutral on that film. I enjoyed it well enough, mostly for Jackie and Jet. The white boy champion bit was.....eh. But I remember first seeing it, and being really touched by the idea of that one clone, living for all those years, just trying to free his creator. And that moment at the end, when he finally frees the Monkey King, and they look at each other. The expression of relief in the clones face, like a child, desperate for his parent's approval, and also finally able to set down a burden too heavy for him. And that look of acceptance, and gratitude from the Monkey King. THAT bit, really stuck with me. It's probably the only moment in that film that has stuck with me really. It added a lot more emotional weight to a fairly popcorn martial arts film. And I appreciated that.

I don't "hate" it, but find it less interesting after the first time. The scene you described, I wish the movie had more moments like that. The film did not need a forgettable audience surrogate to find "relatable". The movie could have been Chan and Li only, and the film would have been much better for it.

 

[happyninja42]

I don't "hate" it, but find it less interesting after the first time. The scene you described, I wish the movie had more moments like that. The film did not need a forgettable audience surrogate to find "relatable". The movie could have been Chan and Li only, and the film would have been much better for it.

Yeah I don't disagree. That actor I enjoy though, as he was in Sky High, and I really love that film for a lot of reasons, and I thought he did just fine in it. Forbidden Kingdom was, well I didn't dislike his performance as the clueless foreigner being babysat by 2 martial arts titans. Serving as the western audience POV for concepts of the Journey to the West that most don't know about. I mean I only know about it because I know about Dragonball, and heard someone say it's based on the Journey. Never watched DB so it's still just sort of ancillary information, and I'm not Joe Regular. Now, granted, odds are good that the movie goer...well, going to see an Asian martial arts film is probably passingly familiar with the Journey, but, Crouching Tiger did really well, and I'd bet a lot of people who saw that, and would thus be intrigued by Forbidden Kingdom, might not be familiar with it.

But yeah, I don't hate his inclusion in the film, but I could do without it. It's certainly nothing that made a lasting impression. Like I said, the only bit from that film that I retained, after seeing it in theaters, was that final scene with Jet Li. So it's mostly just a forgettable movie to me. Not a BAD one perse, but definitely nothing to write home about.

 

[BrawlMan]

Yeah I don't disagree. That actor I enjoy though, as he was in Sky High, and I really love that film for a lot of reasons, and I thought he did just fine in it. Forbidden Kingdom was, well I didn't dislike his performance as the clueless foreigner being babysat by 2 martial arts titans. Serving as the western audience POV for concepts of the Journey to the West that most don't know about. I mean I only know about it because I know about Dragonball, and heard someone say it's based on the Journey. Never watched DB so it's still just sort of ancillary information, and I'm not Joe Regular. Now, granted, odds are good that the movie goer...well, going to see an Asian martial arts film is probably passingly familiar with the Journey, but, Crouching Tiger did really well, and I'd bet a lot of people who saw that, and would thus be intrigued by Forbidden Kingdom, might not be familiar with it.

But yeah, I don't hate his inclusion in the film, but I could do without it. It's certainly nothing that made a lasting impression. Like I said, the only bit from that film that I retained, after seeing it in theaters, was that final scene with Jet Li. So it's mostly just a forgettable movie to me. Not a BAD one perse, but definitely nothing to write home about.

I only knew of Journey to the West due to OG Dragonball & Saiyuki (manga with an loose adaption of the story, though more accurate compared to Dragonball). I read some of JotW in high school back in 2006.

 

[Gordon_4]

Yeah I don't disagree. That actor I enjoy though, as he was in Sky High, and I really love that film for a lot of reasons, and I thought he did just fine in it. Forbidden Kingdom was, well I didn't dislike his performance as the clueless foreigner being babysat by 2 martial arts titans. Serving as the western audience POV for concepts of the Journey to the West that most don't know about. I mean I only know about it because I know about Dragonball, and heard someone say it's based on the Journey. Never watched DB so it's still just sort of ancillary information, and I'm not Joe Regular. Now, granted, odds are good that the movie goer...well, going to see an Asian martial arts film is probably passingly familiar with the Journey, but, Crouching Tiger did really well, and I'd bet a lot of people who saw that, and would thus be intrigued by Forbidden Kingdom, might not be familiar with it.

But yeah, I don't hate his inclusion in the film, but I could do without it. It's certainly nothing that made a lasting impression. Like I said, the only bit from that film that I retained, after seeing it in theaters, was that final scene with Jet Li. So it's mostly just a forgettable movie to me. Not a BAD one perse, but definitely nothing to write home about.

More people than you’d think are broadly familiar with Journey to the West thanks to a little show called “Monkey”.


Man this is a funky tune. And even bald or wearing a bald cap, Masako Natsumi was fucking gorgeous.

 

[happyninja42]

More people than you’d think are broadly familiar with Journey to the West thanks to a little show called “Monkey”.


Man this is a funky tune. And even bald or wearing a bald cap, Masako Natsumi was fucking gorgeous.

I'm not saying nobody knows about it, I'm just going off what I consider an average American audience member, namely the kind of people that I grew up with. And knowledge of eastern mythology and folk lore was definitely not in their knowledge base.