Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The beauty of "Honest Trailers"

I was just browsing around YouTube earlier today like most of us do when we're trying to avoid doing our homework or going to the gym or, well, doing anything productive for that matter, and I stumbled upon a gem. The channel is called Screen Junkies and the channel specializes in a series which they call "Honest Trailers."

Have you ever watched a trailer for an upcoming movie, got super excited for it to come out, and when the day finally comes when you see it you're greatly disappointed? Or maybe it's simply not what you were expecting AT ALL?  Of course you have. We all have. The people who are hired to put together movie trailers are hired because they're good at what they do...usually. They throw together some dramatic music, the most intense or dramatic scenes of the movie, and often a badass voiceover to top it all off. Well, Screen Junkies has moved past all the lies and has worked to give you--the possible moviegoers--the most honest trailer possible. Just watch:


I know that I've ripped on Pacific Rim in the past, but that's only because I saw it exactly how the creators of this video saw it. Call be a pessimist. Call me a tough critic. For those of you who saw this movie, you can't tell me this wasn't an accurate depiction of the pure ridiculousness it contained.

Next up is the Honest Trailer for World War Z. I figured I'd discuss this one so my opinion isn't totally biased. I actually really enjoyed this movie and all it had to offer--or most of it, anyway. Overall, I thought the movie was very well produced (despite having almost been shut down several times during production due to Pitt's absurd spending) and I enjoyed watching it. It did, however, have its faults like any other movie. This trailer picks out each and every one of them.


Again, for anyone who's seen this movie, you cannot possibly say that the depictions in the trailer are wrong. Possibly exaggerated? Yes. But not wrong. World War Z was a good movie derived from a great novel, but there are oh so many faults and weaknesses contained within its 116 minutes. For one thing, the movie does follow loads of zombie movie stereotypes. It also has lucky coincidence after lucky coincidence to make sure the main characters stay alive. The problem of the movie is ALSO solved through a string of completely ludicrous "discoveries." It was like watching Fast & Furious 6 all over again. Just watch the trailer for examples of all of these.

Trailers are a necessity for the movie industry. They're really the only way to get the word out about an upcoming release. The problem with trailers, though, is that they often misrepresent what you're going to see and often leave you greatly disappointed. Screen Junkies created a way to allow you to reflect on these instances and laugh. Laugh a lot.

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