On Saturday, Reddit user u/Thats_What_Sh3_Sa1d asked the question, "What's a sign that a movie is going to be bad?" It led to people sharing things you can spot in the trailer or actual film that scream, "Oh LORD, this movie is going to be awful."
Here's what they shared:
2. “Starts with too much exposition: ‘Mary, just because you have a medical degree from Harvard, I’m still your older brother!'”
3. "If there are multiple trailers for a comedy movie, but they use the same joke in all of them."
4. "Also when the trailer gives away the twist or climax of the movie. Remember that Terminator movie where they reveal [deleted] was a terminator in the trailer? That’s when I knew I wasn’t gonna watch it."
5. "When the commercials all have one- or two-word reviews."
6. "If it's being released in January. That isn't the case every time, just most of the time. January is basically the cinematic dumping ground month."
7. "It's been in production for too long. There's always a reason. For example, Chaos Walking. It changed screenwriter, director, and production company so many times over 10 years but was sold as 'a Charlie Kaufman movie starring Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland.' Kaufman left in 2013, and Ridley and Holland filmed it over years due to so many reshoots and failed screenings. Then Lionsgate said the negative reviews were shocking to them. Really?"
8. "'Get ready to see ____ back in action on the big screen!' This line is used in many bad movie trailers of old properties that are made into movies."
9. "When they hype the movie's soundtrack more than the film itself. For example, Suicide Squad."
10. "If it's from the studio that brought you [insert decent movie here]. Dreamworks still milks Shrek."
11. "When they try adding an IRL trend in the movie, it's just cringe."
12. "When they try forcing memes into it. It's either cringe or so outdated that it just looks stupid."
13. "Shaky cam and quick-cut editing. Jumping over a fence? Twenty quick cuts. Take it or leave it."
14. "If it opens with a narration starting with, 'I know what you're thinking...' It just screams desperation from a crowded writers room."
And finally:
15. "When the narrator sounds bored."
Do YOU know any signs of a bad movie that they missed? Let me know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.