Trailers have come a long way since the days of voice over narrator Don LaFontaine who
would spell out the setup for a film in plain detail (while a sizzle real of funny moments,
explosions, or heartfelt scenes of dramatic tension flashed on screen).
Movie trailers have become increasingly revealing - packed full of eye-popping visual spectacle
and story details that spoil major reveals and twists.
Here are Screen Rants Best Movie Scenes & Twists Spoiled by Trailers
Cast Away
The Trailer: Despite a dramatic buildup to Noland's attempted escape, the trailer for
the film made it clear that, not only does our hero find rescue, the footage outright
shows Noland's bittersweet reunion with Frears.
Whether the reunion is a happy one, or not, is left for filmgoers to discover but Noland
and Frears' relationship status is about the only major plot development that isn't covered
in the trailer.
Dream House
The Trailer: The trailer wastes no time in revealing the film's biggest twist, that Atenton
is a fake identity Ward concocted in psychiatric care - to hide from the tragedy of his family's
murder.
While the film isn't quite as blatant about revealing that his wife and daughter are apparitions
(rather than manifestations of his fractured mind), a trailer shot of ghost Libby opening
the basement door plays a key part in the movie's supernatural reveal.
REC /Quarantine
The Trailer: While REC (and its American remake Quarantine) borrow heavily from superior zombie/rabies
outbreak movies, their trailers still manage to ruin one major surprise- the fate of Angela
Vidal (which occurs in the closing moments of the 2007 Spanish film and its 2008 remake).
While Quarantine wasn't the first horror movie to spoil the fate of a main character or use
a climactic scene in trailers (we're looking at you Paranormal Activity), given that Vidal's
screaming face is also plastered on Quarantine's posters, it's still a pretty crass and unrepentant
marketing move (even by Hollywood's standards).
Terminator: Salvation
The Trailer: The trailer for the film spends half of its runtime setting up the post-Judgement
Day setting (as well as John Connor's�guerrilla rebellion against the�machines) and the
other half outright spoiling not only the film's most interesting twist (a Terminator
that doesn't�know he's a Terminator).
Yet, the preview doesn't stop there - since it also lays out�Wright's entire�character�arc
- specifically that�he chooses his human friends over his machine creators by the end.
The Island
The Trailer: While the Island trailer doesn't outright spoil why Lincoln and Jordan were
created, the footage makes it crystal-clear that the pair�are cloned "products" - and
that the Island is a cover tale�to disguise the compound's true purpose (extending the
lifespan�of wealthy customers by harvesting organs from living clones).
Free Willy
The Trailer: Given that Free Willy is a feel-good kids movie, it's no surprise that Jesse succeeds
in freeing Willy; yet, trailers for the film left little suspense or doubt to the imagination
- since the previews (and poster) place the final sequence front and center.
Additionally, the�Free Willy trailers don't just spoil how�Jesse succeeds in liberating�the
titular whale, they also spell-out�every up and down in the�boy's�transformation
from a selfish and insecure kid to a sensitive and thoughtful caretaker.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Trailer:�While not an outright spoiler,�Dawn of the Planet of the Apes� trailers put
heavy emphasis on several key sequences - that made it clear who would be responsible for
violating the human/ape truce.
The most egregious example of spoilery Apes marketing was�the use of�Koba (played
Toby Kebbel) placating human enemies with circus-like ape tricks -�easily one of the
best moments in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Understandably, 20th Century Fox knew that such a clever movie�moment would tempt casual
viewers�into theaters but there's no doubt that the overall impact of the scene (a significant�turning
point in Koba's character arc)�was undercut by pre-release previews that, across the board,
played�the sequence near-shot for�shot.
Oblivion
The Trailer:�The Oblivion trailer makes it apparent that�the presumed villains of
the movie, the Skavs, are not aliens - they are human freedom fighters waging a guerrilla
war against an unseen�force.
Led by Malcolm Beech�(played by Morgan Freeman), the Skavs explain�that�the film�s hero,
Jack Harper, has been manipulated�by their enemy - and is, unknowingly, working against
the survival of his fellow humans.
Thankfully, the Oblivion trailers refrain from spoiling one of the film's biggest twists,
specifically Harper�s backstory�but,�with the reveal of the Skavs's identity, it wasn't
hard for savvy sci-fi�moviegoers�to fill in the remaining puzzle pieces ahead of director�Joseph
Kosinski.
Ransom�
The Trailer: In order to position�Ransom as a deviation�from standard�kidnapping
thrillers,�the studio put a heavy emphasis on Tom Mullen's unorthodox approach to�finding
Sean - outright spoiling one of the film's most interesting
developments (as well as several tense standoffs that came before it).
Instead, the trailer plays coy with another twist, one that is revealed in the first 15
minutes: Gary Sinise's Detective Shaker is actually the�film's primary villain/hostage
taker.
The Avengers
The Trailer:�After "killing" Agent Coulson to galvanize the superhero team forward, it
was unlikely that another key Avenger would fall in Marvel's first multi-hero team-up
film; yet, director Joss Whedon played-up Tony Stark's scene of sacrifice as if it were
a real possibility that the�Avenger might not make it back to Stark Tower (and Pepper
Potts)�alive.
Unfortunately, The Avengers trailer undercut any suspense, since it included a memorable�shot
of Hulk successfully leaping into the air and�catching�a�powered down Iron Man,
sucking any�tension out of the film's climactic moment (at least for anyone who bothered to
watch the preview more than once).
Those are our choices for the Best Movie Scenes and Twists Spoiled by Trailers.
Got a favorite twist or scene that was spoiled for you in a movie trailer?
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