When a name makes you think it's something else.

[Specter Von Baren]

What are some examples of times you've heard the name of something, like a book or movie, and then been disappointed when the actual content didn't match your expectations?

For example, when I heard of Vermintide, I thought the game would be some kind of Battle Royale game where everyone tries to survive a constantly increasing wave of rats until only a few people are left.

I also constantly experience this with book titles, they have interesting titles like Dragons of Fire or something but almost always turn out to be symbolic rather than literal.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Silent Hill. Think about it, it sounds like the location of the day from an episode of My Little Pony, or where the macguffin is in an episode of He-Man. It certainly doesn't suggest a psychological horror game that is distinctly lacking in hills and isn't overly quiet.

 

[Xprimentyl]

The film ?Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.? Seeing as innumerable stories being with classic line ?once upon a time..?, and given the all-star cast and the legendary director, I assumed the film was going to be an epic tale. In fact, it was just an amalgamation of a bunch of random, barely connected, inconsequential moments that ended when the much more interesting story would have begun. Very misleading.

 

[SupahEwok]

The film ?Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.? Seeing as innumerable stories being with classic line ?once upon a time..?, and given the all-star cast and the legendary director, I assumed the film was going to be an epic tale. In fact, it was just an amalgamation of a bunch of random, barely connected, inconsequential moments that ended when the much more interesting story would have begun. Very misleading.

And I thought that it was a reference to Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time" trilogy, but I've never heard anybody else make the comparison and the subject matter and style don't seem to match with Leone's work, from what I've heard.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Ooh! Also the "Smart Car." Never seen a more ridiculously "stupid" thing in my life. I'm not generally a misanthrope, but I have a Google alert set up for any fatal accidents wherein one is rear-ended at high speeds by a semi or a jeep with a gaudy winch assembly.

 

[Squilookle]

When I first heard that a movie called 'Ironclad' was being made, I was pretty excited to see what a movie about the world's first all-metal warships (referred to as 'ironclads') would be like. I was a little disappointed that it turned out to be nothing of the sort, just being a medieval siege movie instead.

Of course, the movie turned out to be a fucking awesome medieval siege movie, so... no harm no foul I guess?

 

[Asita]

The Pink Panther (1963 film). The title refers to a diamond with a unique flaw in its coloration. Specifically, it's a blotch of pink inside the gem that resembles...well, a panther. The first movie kinda centers on a plot to steal it...emphasis on kinda. Most of the film centers on half the central cast trying to seduce the other half of the central cast for reasons that ultimately add little to the jewel heist plot...a plot which doesn't even start to see any progress until the seduction plotline is abandoned entirely and they do something completely unrelated in the middle of the fourth act. And I'm not just being snide there. The big heist literally ends up being "sneak into a masquerade ball in a gorilla suit, then sneak away to crack open the safe".

The Room (2003 Film). There is no interpretation wherein this title makes sense for the film. Granted, the film itself doesn't really make sense either.

 

[IceForce]

"Of Mice and Men"

There was only one mouse in it.

 

[Zeraki]

Attack On Titan

When I first started hearing about it and saw some screenshots of characters I thought it was a mecha show taking place on a Terraformed Titan.

Spoiler: mild spoilers

Turns out I was kind of right about it being a mecha show.

 

[Hawki]

1: Bombshell.

Thought it was about three women who filled in for a secret agent or something, when in reality, it was about the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal.

...I really don't know why I thought that.

2: Mortal Engines/Mortal Instruments (sometimes when I hear one, I think of the other)

3: Oblivion (the film) vs. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (see above...also see the film, because it's criminally underrated)

4: Pan (the film), thinking of Pan, the figure from Greek mythology, specifically how he appears in 'The Legendeer', where he's actually a manipulative sociopath

5: Prince of Persia (as a kid, I pronounced it "Prince of Parsnia...nup, no idea why)

6: Locke & Key vs. Lockwood and Co. (sound similar, sometimes mix them up)

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Final Fantasy. They keep making more of these!

 

[BrawlMan]

Undercover Cops - ....Ain't nuthin undercover about these cops!


Street Fighter - Most fights don't take place on the streets, and the series only has one fighter as actual Street Fighting style. It's Cody from Final Fight.

Resident Evil - To be fair, my first game was 2 before 1. I thought this was Resident Evil. Why am I going to the police station that leads to the sewers that leads to an abandoned factory that leads to an underground lab. Is that where the true evil resides in?

Final Fantasy. They keep making more of these!

Dude, there are 6 Final Fight games. Two of which that are declared non-canon. I'll give you a hint, it's not the 2D games. Mighty Final Fight does not count either.

Ninja Gaiden - Gaiden literally translate to side story, so that made no sense before DOA became a thing. The US & JP division of Tecmo both decided on the name because it sounded cool. Apparently, the title was easier to say than Ninja Ryukenden!

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

The Princess Bride. Totally sounds like either a romantic comedy, or a movie aimed at teenage girls a la Princess Diaries. It is very much neither of those.

 

[Squilookle]

Attack On Titan

When I first started hearing about it and saw some screenshots of characters I thought it was a mecha show taking place on a Terraformed Titan.

That was one for me too- hearing 'Titan' I suppose I might have thought of Greek mythology, but the 'attack' part brought to mind some sort of grand scale Battlestar Galactica type space opera taking place around Saturn... then I found out it was only about giant monsters eating people or something. Super lame.

The Princess Bride. Totally sounds like either a romantic comedy, or a movie aimed at teenage girls a la Princess Diaries. It is very much neither of those.

Exactly. You have to feel sorry for any poor sod who avoided The Princess Bride just because of its title.

 

[Hawki]

The Princess Bride. Totally sounds like either a romantic comedy, or a movie aimed at teenage girls a la Princess Diaries. It is very much neither of those.

Ditto.

Every time I hear it, I think of Princess Diaries for some reason.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Final Fantasy. They keep making more of these!

Dude, there are 6 Final Fight games. Two of which that are declared non-canon. I'll give you a hint, it's not the 2D games. Mighty Final Fight does not count either.

Hey, at least Final Fight lives up to its name, on account of the franchise being super dead. Unlike Final Fantasy, which just keeps on trucking. Quit calling your games 'Final' when they aren't, assholes! #firstworldproblems

 

[Hawki]

Remember the Titans.

A few times, I've thought of the titans of Greek mythology, thinking we should remember them after the Olympians overthrew them. Suffice to say, that's not what the film is actually about.

Also Little Giants.

I thought for some reason that it was about giant insects, because of the way the cover is, I saw it from a distance. The lines of kids looked like giant ants.

Go figure.

Also Mighty Ducks.

I saw the Disney cartoon before I saw the movie, so I always think of the former when people are usually talking about the latter.

 

[BrawlMan]

Final Fantasy. They keep making more of these!

Dude, there are 6 Final Fight games. Two of which that are declared non-canon. I'll give you a hint, it's not the 2D games. Mighty Final Fight does not count either.

Hey, at least Final Fight lives up to its name, on account of the franchise being super dead. Unlike Final Fantasy, which just keeps on trucking. Quit calling your games 'Final' when they aren't, assholes! #firstworldproblems

The franchise technically lives on in Street Fighter, but your point remains. Also, they'yy never stop making FF games as long people keep buying them. And plenty of people still buy Final Fantasy.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

The Princess Bride. Totally sounds like either a romantic comedy, or a movie aimed at teenage girls a la Princess Diaries. It is very much neither of those.

I mean... it IS a romantic comedy though.

 

[Asita]

Ah, just remembered one. Road trip was taking me and some friends through Amarillo. We saw a sign saying something to the effect of "Quarter Horse Museum, Next Right". And this sticks in my memory so much because - incorrigible joker that I am - I couldn't help but see the less kid friendly reading and chimed in "well, my mind just went to a dark place", leading to a round of snickering in the car.