Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Warning Signs That A Movie's Going To Be Unwatchable

People Share The Warning Signs That A Movie's Going To Be Unwatchable
Alfred Derks from Pixabay

Few things are as dissatisfying as a bad movie.

It's even worse when you can tell the movie will be bad, when you can see it coming but you're already on a train with no signs of stopping.

Or maybe you're just one of those suckers who feels a need to stick it out until the end (much to your repeated regret).

Bad acting and bad writing are two of my pet peeves, by the way.


But there's plenty out there that annoys the average filmgoer, as we were reminded once Redditor Thats_What_She_Said asked the online community:

"What's a sign that a movie is going to be bad?"


"If it isn't strong enough..."

"Showing what is obviously the best part/climax in the trailer. If it isn't strong enough to catch my interest with the lead-up, it's likely gonna suck."

Mr_Lumbergh

So frustrating! The worst. This is why I don't watch trailers. Ever.

"An exposition..."

"An exposition in which one character explains everything that's going on to another character that should already know what is going on."

smartypants

Don't you love that?

"I know we drove for what might have been 40 minutes and that I had plenty of time, but I won't tell you what's going on until 20 seconds before we rob this bank!"

"If it's being released..."

"If it's being released in January. That isn't the case every time, just most of the time."

[deleted]

Ah, yes. The dumping ground after Oscar season.Typically, the worst of the worst comes out at this time.

"If you are a fantasy movie..."

"Whenever they start promoting their movie by constantly comparing it to one of the all-time greats in the genre. If you are a fantasy movie and you have to state in the advertising that you are great just like Lord of the Rings, it makes me think your movie is probably crap. Because you are not LOTR."

Eriador12345

Everyone wants to present another Lord of the Rings but there hasn't been anyone able to match Tolkien... at least not yet.

"It means the studio..."

"Critics did not receive an advance screening in order to write a review. It means the studio is hoping to at least recover an opening weekend of ticket sales before word gets out."

cyrano111

This is a big one. If the critics don't even get a chance to see it, then that typically doesn't bode well.

"The preview shows a girl..."

"The preview shows a girl who's Just Too Focused On Career to find love going back to her small hometown for whatever reason."

pamplemouss

But don't worry, she'll leave everything she cares about for this scruffy man's man wearing flannel and she'll learn the true meaning of Christmas!

"Usually..."

"The near-constant advertising. Usually the exact same spot played before every video on YouTube."

MCAdventurer

Excessive advertising will absolutely make not want to watch your movie. EVER.

"It just screams desperation..."

"If it opens with a narration starting with, "I know what you're thinking..."

It just screams desperation from a crowded writer's room."

FutureLost

Some people probably need to go back to screenwriting class. We hate cliches.

"When you've basically seen..."

"When you've basically seen the entire plot of the movie and all main scenes in the trailer."

Aerionne

Again: Don't watch trailers! You'll set yourself up for disappointment!

"When the trailer..."

"When the trailer just has a bunch of random shots of things going on and has the characters saying really vague cliche lines like "Everything you've ever known is about to change" or "This is only the beginning" or "It all comes down to this" and the trailer concludes with you not knowing a single damn thing about the premise.

Dashed_With_Cinammon

You guys can absolutely agree with all of these, right? Face it––you've sat through more bad movies out there than you've ever cared to. All that wasted time; you're an expert at picking out bad movies now! Well done!

Have some observations of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Sydney Sweeney
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for W Magazine

Sydney Sweeney Could Face Charges After Hanging Bras On Hollywood Sign Without Permission

Legendary and controversial showman P.T. Barnum has been credited with saying, "Any publicity is good publicity." Of course, Barnum was operating in the 1800s when he could shape the narrative and kill damaging news.

In the digital age, publicity can quickly reach a global audience. Any missteps or poor choices are out there before damage control can be done.

Keep ReadingShow less
Glenn Close; Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Glenn Close Offers Dire Warning To Trump Over His Regime's 'Inhumanity' In Powerful Video

Film legend Glenn Close shared her feelings on President Donald Trump and his regime's "inhumanity" in a viral video on Instagram, saying she felt "compelled" to speak out in the wake of the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Close—best known for starring in such classics as Fatal Attraction and who recently received raves for her work on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery—condemned the "cold-blooded murder of American citizens" and warned Trump that "there will be hell to pay" as more and more people rise up against his leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; JD Vance; Tom Cotton
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Epically Rips JD Vance And MAGA Senator Over Their Hot Takes On Minneapolis Shootings

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Vice President JD Vance and Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton after they both posted heartless remarks about the recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

Earlier this month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Good in her car. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Kristi Noem
Andres Kudacki/Getty Images; Al Drago/Getty Images

AOC Goes Nuclear On Kristi Noem For Suggesting That Protesters Who Show Up With Firearms Deserve To Die

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's hypocrisy after Noem responded to the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis by claiming that protesters who show up with firearms aren't "peaceful."

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—whom authorities said was permitted to carry but was not handling—before fatally shooting him.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Strangest Health Conditions They've Ever Experienced

The human body is complicated, fascinating, and sometimes difficult to explain.

While we know that, it's incredibly unnerving when we have a symptom that even our doctors struggle to explain or identify.

Keep ReadingShow less