Pre-Spoiled Movies

AndyC · May 20, 2009, 07:26:46 PM

I was going to make this a list, but I don't think we need to number them. Just post one example at a time. Here we go.

How many movies do we know that had their surprises spoiled for us long before we even thought about seeing them? These are the classics, heavily discussed and frequently referenced and generally assumed to have been seen by everybody (usually without considering younger people). They're movies with famous twists you might even have been familiar with before you even knew what they were from.

I'm going to start with Citizen Kane. For the whole movie, we're supposed to ponder the mystery of Kane's last word (which nobody was present to hear, but we won't dwell on that). But I've known for years that Rosebud was his sled, due to any number of references. The one that stands out for me was an episode of Columbo in which a film buff has the sled in his collection, and takes a moment to share the story with the detective. Citizen Kane is still a good movie, but the big mystery was kaput long before I ever saw it.

Mr. DS · May 20, 2009, 07:47:28 PM

Empire Strikes Back...probably the biggest one in the past 30 years. Just about everyone knows that Vader is Luke's father.

Planet Of The Apes...I just wish I could have seen it without the spoilers beacuse my jaw would have probably dropped.

Bmeansgood · May 20, 2009, 08:27:55 PM

I'm with you on Planet of the Apes. I can't imagine not knowing the end of that movie. I just watched it again on Encore the other day. That is such a fun movie. Heston is hilarious.

darthchicken · May 20, 2009, 09:50:39 PM

Psycho would've been nice to watch without knowing about the shower scene.

ghouck · May 20, 2009, 10:35:28 PM

Mad Max was one. I and most of my friends saw Road Warrior before we even knew of Mad Max, so we knew that he survived, and that his family didn't. This was greatly a product of HBO and/or Cinemax playing Road Warrior constantly in the early-mid 80's.

MilkManPictures · May 20, 2009, 11:44:23 PM

Soylent Green is people.

Ash · May 21, 2009, 04:17:11 AM

The Village.

I knew before seeing it that they were in modern times.
Actually, knowing that made it better for me because I was able to look at it from the village elder's point of view.
Rather than being slapped in the face like much of the moviegoing public, I was in on it the whole time.

Jack · May 21, 2009, 06:31:20 AM

Quarantine - the trailer is the last scene of the movie. Brilliant.

AndyC · May 21, 2009, 08:22:00 AM

Quote from: Jack on May 21, 2009, 06:31:20 AM
Quarantine - the trailer is the last scene of the movie. Brilliant.

Trailers that spoil the movie. That adds a whole lot of territory to explore.

Wild Wild West springs to mind. "Why is Loveless abducting these scientists? What's he building?" Uh, maybe it's the giant mechanical spider we saw in the trailer. That's a good example of Hollywood priorities right there. They have to show us the coolest thing in the movie, because it puts more bums in seats in the short term. Doesn't matter if we can't see the movie as it was meant to be seen. I didn't think Wild Wild West was a great movie, but I might have enjoyed it more if the spider had just appeared without warning, as opposed to sitting through all the other scenes wishing they'd hurry up and get to the spider.

Doggett · May 21, 2009, 10:33:51 AM

Any comedy film where they put the best jokes in the trailer !

Raffine · May 21, 2009, 02:08:42 PM

Quote from: darthchicken on May 20, 2009, 09:50:39 PM
Psycho would've been nice to watch without knowing about the shower scene.

Or knowing...

SPOILER!

...Norman is also "Mother".

Then there was this infamous VHS cover for PLANET OF THE APES:

AndyC · May 21, 2009, 03:16:09 PM

Quote from: Raffine on May 21, 2009, 02:08:42 PM
Then there was this infamous VHS cover for PLANET OF THE APES:

I've had that tape for years and never noticed that it gives away the ending. Just goes to show how much it's taken for granted that everybody knows.

Raffine · May 21, 2009, 05:28:40 PM

Quote from: AndyC on May 21, 2009, 03:16:09 PM
Quote from: Raffine on May 21, 2009, 02:08:42 PM
Then there was this infamous VHS cover for PLANET OF THE APES:

I've had that tape for years and never noticed that it gives away the ending. Just goes to show how much it's taken for granted that everybody knows.

I remember one of the first VHS editions of CITIZEN KANE had a photo on the back of the sled with 'ROSEBUD' clearly visible.

Bargle5 · May 30, 2009, 05:45:17 PM

The TV ads for "Neighbors" with Belushi and Ackroyd gave away (and I'm not exaggerating) every joke in the movie. It probably wouldn't have been a very funny movie in any case, but knowing how every joke was going to end made sure it wasn't.

Quote from: AndyC on May 20, 2009, 07:26:46 PMI'm going to start with Citizen Kane. For the whole movie, we're supposed to ponder the mystery of Kane's last word (which nobody was present to hear, but we won't dwell on that). But I've known for years that Rosebud was his sled, due to any number of references. The one that stands out for me was an episode of Columbo in which a film buff has the sled in his collection, and takes a moment to share the story with the detective. Citizen Kane is still a good movie, but the big mystery was kaput long before I ever saw it.

I was lucky enough to see it before the knowledge of what Rosebud was became common.

Psycho: I remember reading or seeing where in one of the European countries, there wasn't a word equivalent to 'Psycho', so they retitled it 'The Boy Who Was His Mother'. Yup, they gave away the major plot point in the title.

AndyC · May 30, 2009, 10:19:10 PM

It just occurred to me that I've never gotten around to seeing Sleepaway Camp, and yet I've known all about the ending for over 20 years. I think it's pretty much taken for granted among slasher fans that the ending is common knowledge.

Come to think of it, I never got around to seeing The Crying Game, and I know the twist in that too. That one has gotten referenced in a few comedies over the last decade and a half.