I've seen brief ads and trailers for the movie and I still have no idea what it's about or why I might want to go see it. Tom Cruise plays an old guy who... does stuff, I guess? And John Goodman's in it? But, like... what is it? I genuinely don't know.

I think the art of making a trailer has been lost somehow. My "return to monke" hot take is that trailers were better when they followed the "in a world where..." format, or the "...but now, he's about to find out..." format. At least they communicated what movies were about.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 39 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"Rob Schneider is.... A carrot!" Is what came to mind from your quote.

[–] Tango@piefed.ca 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

But that's my point: the movie itself might be shit, but the trailer does the intended job of telling me what the movie's about: Rob Schneider turns into a carrot, wacky hijinks ensue. The South Park joke works as well as it does because that format works so well at making you instantly imagine the plot of the movie (and how inane it must be).

If your movie's so shit that you think the only way to trick people into watching it is telling them less about it, you've already fucked up and deceptive/vague marketing won't save it.

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I remember when Wall-E was the first big title to pull a stunt like that. All the trailers were about the little robot collecting junk on an empty world, and moviegoers were surprised with "suddenly, girl" and going to space. That made a lot of noise at the time, everybody loved it.

[–] altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 days ago

Most times if the movie is trash they put the best parts of it in a trailer, like that one single action sequence in a 90 minutes slugfest. When a bad trailer doesn't do even that I assume the marketing team didn't have anything of use in what they got sent by production. Or that the movie is designed to flop, like if a studio only wanted to keep a hold of this IP.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 13 points 2 days ago

It’s funny because Tom actually is a pretty old guy and it’s like they had to undo all the cosmetic work by layering loads more on top of it.

[–] QueenHawlSera@piefed.social 5 points 2 days ago

I too miss narrated movie trailers

[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It's a satire about the American Military-Industrial complex, the way it's steered by a few powerful assholes, the way it responds to catastrophes (including self-inflicted ones like climate change), the way it has created our post-truth age. Cruise is an oil man, Goodman is the US president.

That's what I thought the trailer was telling me, anyway.

[–] Coldcell@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There's a "plot twist" about 20 minutes in that for some reason they don't want to spoil. Tom Cruise's rich white oil guy schtick is actually a theatre play being put on within the film, so there are some "normal" Cruise scenes about what's happening around the play. But all of that is inconsequential and has zero bearing on anything, so I don't know why it's being hidden in the promos.

[–] Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

I can't get even tell if you're being serious or not

[–] Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The trailer was excellent. I disagree.

[–] fraksken@infosec.pub 2 points 2 days ago

Maybe you spotted something the rest of us didn't. Care to share?

[–] slaacaa@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

“It’s digging time”

[–] decolo@piefed.social 10 points 2 days ago

Then he dug all over the place

[–] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I’m personally skipping this one because we already have a white deranged lunatic in office and I don’t need more of that vibe.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 8 points 3 days ago

Seriously. Normally there would be a movie about the whole thing once the dust settles. But this time around they'll wait a good 200 years just to make sure it never happens yet again.

[–] NuanceDemon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I assume this is probably the point, if its not highlighting the absurdity of the administration its missing a trick.

Particularly releasing it right before the midterms makes this seem more plausible.

But the political environment is so miserable there is no real need to impress that upon an audience, its overkill. Nobody needs it right now. The most a movie in that vein could do is depressing you further.

I'll watch it on a streaming service at some point.

[–] JTode@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

I still don't even understand what this movie is about. I saw the preview, there was a guy doing a silly dance on top of a desk, coen-bros-style, but the rest of the preview left me with no impression at all that I might want to watch this.

[–] Montagge@lemmy.zip 15 points 3 days ago

Good. Fuck Tom Cruise.

[–] criticon@lemmy.ca 13 points 3 days ago

I love Iñarritu's movies but I hate that he casted Tom Cruise. I'll skip this one, maybe I'll watch it on the high seas if the reviews keep up

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 3 days ago

It's a diet Iñárritu film with a finger-wagging moral about what the people want. That's not exactly a blockbuster recipe.

I saw it. There were 7 people in the audience.

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

Awww, poor scientology won't be able to abuse more slaves with the profits on Cruises lastest masturbatory effort. Real shame. I certainly hope no innocent people lead better lives because Cruise flopped at the box office.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

He shouldn’t be making movies. He should be in prison for his Scientology cult

[–] Pomal@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 days ago

White man exploits outrage, outraged when exploitation foiled.

[–] Aeao@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

I’m not seeing it because the commercials didn’t tell me at all what it was about. All I know is tom cruise is old or something. And yells alot. That’s all the commercials showed us.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Glad to hear it. I feel bashed over the head by the advertising for it in spotify.

Sometimes I get the ads back to back.

Also just sick of spotify and am looking elsewhere to get my podcasts because there's so many ads injected in

[–] Janx@piefed.social 4 points 3 days ago

It's expensive to go see movies nowadays. But also, I haven't seen jack about this movie! Doesn't sound like they made much effort to promote it...

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I only knew about the film because one of the cat youtubers I follow made an ad for it which. Didn't seem to bode well if your advertising involves paying an orange cat to do anything???

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Tell me more about these cats...

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I believe the channel is called indooroutdoorkat and features Dave, his mother Natilla, and his sister Gandalf.

[–] mushroommunk@lemmy.today 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I knew a lot of people who said this movie looked amazing and they were going to go see it. Guess the venn diagram shape with people I know who voted for Trump.

[–] CrimeIsLegalNow@ani.social 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Did they know it was a different hard r?

Looking at the plot summary, I hope they do go see it. I guess no one knowing what it was about might unironically help it do what it wants to do.