Do you think movie trailers give away too much? 
 
We’ve picked up on a disturbing trend lately: long movie trailers that appear to give away far too much plot long before a film even reaches theaters. Recently, a Captain Phillips trailer screened on TV and appeared to give away all of Paul Greengrass’ riveting true-life drama. 
 
(Obviously all of these trailers contain spoilers, to a certain extent – but then again, they are trailers that the studios approved.) 
 

 
And not to pile on Tom Hanks, but this Saving Mr. Banks trailer that’s attached to Captain Phillips in theaters at the moment gives away what seems to be the majority of the upcoming flick. 
 

 
The conversation started around our offices when this international trailer for Jack Ryan arrived online: 
 

 
We haven’t seen Kenneth Branagh’s reboot of the Tom Clancy franchise yet, but it sure feels like we’ve seen the bulk of what Jack Ryan is attempting in that clip.
 
It’s also fun to go back and watch trailers for movies we’ve already seen, to understand just how much was given away in “promotional” clips. Look at these extended reels for Elysium and White House Down:
 

 

 
It has been a problem for a while. Back in 2009, VH1 singled out 10 trailers that spoiled the entire movie, picking on Speed, Mission: Impossible and Cast Away. (There’s that Tom Hanks guy again!) 
 
What do you think? Do you want to see as much footage as possible in a trailer? Do you wish that studios kept more information close to the vest? Join the discussion and share your thoughts below! 
 
 

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