Film trailers are cut to persuade people to spend money to see it and to garner press attention. It basically shows some of the films most compelling scenes. It isn't meant to give everything away, but you still expect it to be a reasonable representation of the film you're about to see. Well, I don't think Hellboy got the memo. The trailer made the film appear wickedly funny and action-packed, but in reality it was anything but. Thank goodness the film had easily recognizable characters or I would have thought I was at the wrong cinema.

 

Which films do think failed to live up to their over-hyped trailers?

Anchorman

 

I thought it looked hilarious in the trailers, then I rented it and it was just super awkward.

 

This may have to do with the fact that I chose to watch it with my religious mother who isn't super stuck-up conservative, but also doesn't curse or expose herself to that type of content. So maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it, I was cringing too much. But still, very few parts of it leapt out at me.

@Zack T, was the film funny at all or no? I'm not that into Will Ferrell's brand of slapstick comedy, but the film looked hilarious in its previews. I guess that's the point, though.

Blair Witch Project had an amazing trailer, backstory, tons of hype, etc. I recall having an argument with my friend about whether the footage was real or not! It had everyone talking. It turned out to be one of my least favorite movies of all time. Very disappointing.

A lot of the trailers we see out here are just meant to make us more eager to watch a movie. I have never relied on a trailer as a yardstick; rather as a way to know more about the cast.

 

@Snarky-Guru is there any movie you enjoyed right after watching the trailer?

I felt like Anchorman had moments, but mostly wasn't funny.

 

I'm up and down on Will Ferrell's stuff. I sort of like The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, I LOVED Step Brothers, but disliked Anchorman and apparently most people didn't like his new Sherlock movie (I haven't seen it, can't comment).

@Chuckyy The Blair Witch Project got me too. The actual film had very little in common with all that hype.

@Snarky-Guru is there any movie you enjoyed right after watching the trailer?

Of course and more often than not. That's why the terrible ones stand out to me. The Suicide Squad is another great example of an awesome trailer for a disappointing film. Some trailers seem like they were cut for an entirely different film all together. It's false advertising! The reverse is also true as I've seen some fantastic films where the trailer didn't do it justice. For instance, the film Bridge to Tarabitha closely followed the book while the trailer made it appear as though it missed key points and was more fluff than substance.

 

@Zack T have you seen Paul Blart: Mall Cop? I didn't expect to like it, but I thought it was hilarious.

I haven't seen Paul Blart. It looked too stupid :( I can enjoy stupid stuff, but it has to be done a certain way and that was stupid in the wrong way for me.