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

Screenshot of Stephen Miller discussing Robert De Niro
Fox News

Stephen Miller Claims Robert De Niro Has Only Made 'Flops' For Past 30 Years—And Here Come The Receipts

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had people rolling their eyes after he lashed out at actor Robert De Niro and claimed the legendary performer—the recipient of two Academy Awards and scores of other prizes over a more than 50-year career—has only made "flops" for the past 30 years.

On Sunday, De Niro, a vocal critic of the Trump administration, called Miller "a Nazi," adding that Miller is "Jewish and he should be ashamed of himself.”

Keep ReadingShow less
A man holding a transparent umbrella on a boardwalk in a city
Person with umbrella overlooks city skyline by water
Photo by John Licas on Unsplash

People Share Purchases Under $20 That Made Their Lives Way Easier

Sometimes, in an effort to improve our lives in some capacity requires us to make a significant dent in our bank account.

Even though it might be yogurt for dinner for a few weeks after, we still feel good about our expensive purchases when we see the difference a high-powered washing machine makes, or feel the cool air from our upgraded air conditioner.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @matterneuroscience's Instagram video
@matterneuroscience/Instagram

Man Goes Viral After 3D-Printing A 6-Pound Phone Case To Combat Screen Addiction

Many Millennials will remember back in the nineties as the last of the "latchkey kids" who were prominently babysat by their televisions, and the commercials that rolled out, made popular on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, promoting kids to go play outside instead of watching TV all day.

Now in 2025, videos on Instagram and TikTok encouraging people to "pause their scroll" and to "put down their phones" are becoming more common and popular, because people are realizing how detrimental our increasing screen time is to our emotional, physical, and psychological health.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@karaandlife's TikTok video
@karaandlife/TikTok

Woman Sparks Heated Debate After Encouraging People To Smile At Walmart Greeters

There's an old saying that goes, "It costs nothing to be kind."

Smiling at a stranger, saying hi back to a young and socialable child, holding a door for someone, and maybe even exchanging a pleasantry or two at the checkout line costs nothing more than a few words passing our lips and showing a little kindness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @talashatara's TikTok video
@talashatara/TikTok

Woman Shocks The Internet By Showing Off Her Husband's Incredible 'Glow-Up'—And Wow

Everyone loves a good success story, and don't even get us started on glow-up videos!

But one trend that's been really popular lately is the "husband glow-up" trend. In these before-and-after trending videos, two videos will be spliced together. The first half of the video features either a photo or video of the person's husband, which then cuts to the second video, showing the husband's glow-up with Sabrina Carpenter's "When Did You Get Hot?" playing in the background.

Keep ReadingShow less