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Downsizing may be the most deceptively marketed movie ever
- Thread starter Compbros
- Start date
The trailer for The Last Jedi was a completely different movie than what I saw in the theater. I want to see the movie that was advertised, not the piece of shit that it actually was.
Snow Dogs and Kangaroo Jack both edited their trailers to make it look like they were movies about talking animals but the animals don't talk and aren't prominently featured in either film
I feel like I'm missing a joke. Like, Click's 2nd act is an Adam Sandler movie at it's Adam Sandler'yest
Downsizing was fucking weird. Like 90% of the way they played with scale was ultimately just giant product placement, and then halfway through the movie it up and turns into Eat Pray Love.
I thought Downsizing's second trailer actually did a decent job summing up the movie: starts as a social satire and then suddenly becomes a typical midlife crisis indie dramedy. The problem was it wasn't a good midlife crisis indie dramedy. Something like Collateral Beauty, where they straight up tell you lies on what the plot of the movie is, is much worse.
Shorten the runtime to like 90 min. and just have dude's wife leave him at the beginning of the film for X-reason and have him set off to discover himself and learn about all these social issues along the way; which is what the movie is about. I felt like that scene in the Simpsons asking when are they gonna get to the fireworks factory because nothing at all interesting happens b/c humans can shrink themselves the whole movie. I'd say after the main character shrinks the movie loses all sense of scale and it's just normal sized people living in normal sized communities.
Also downsizing place needs to have a policy where if couples are doing this together, they both get downsized at the same time. Like either have them in the same room or talking on intercom to give the thumbsup right before they are put under. This can't be the first time someone has backed out.
Secondly since this is an investment the couple is making, if one does back out, they should lose out on the investment. Shouldn't be able to go after the money and screw over the other person after they have this irreversible procedure.
Also downsizing place needs to have a policy where if couples are doing this together, they both get downsized at the same time. Like either have them in the same room or talking on intercom to give the thumbsup right before they are put under. This can't be the first time someone has backed out.
Secondly since this is an investment the couple is making, if one does back out, they should lose out on the investment. Shouldn't be able to go after the money and screw over the other person after they have this irreversible procedure.
Definitely this.
That heel turn that happens during the movie made me depressed, and I actually cried during a "kids" movie.
Primeval
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROyPaVUALMk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROyPaVUALMk
The "serial killer" is actually a giant maneating crocodile and he's barely even in the movie anyways. Most of it is about drug lords
Convinced me to watch it and was my introduction to Tarantino so I was quite happy with that marketing haha
Why is an 11 year old 4'6 and 60 lbs? That's just weird.The one I remember the internet losing their shit over back in the day:
That's a really strong opinion.
My parents thought this movie was basically the same as flubber because of this trailer. I don't remember much from watching this movie but I know the ending made me cry. And I was like 7 at the time.
I couldn't find the TV commercials that were all the kangaroo rapping Rapper's Delight, & my volume was off, so I just grabbed a trailer that had an obviously CGI kangaroo. So, um... whoops?
I actually appreciate the sick fucker who tricked little kids into seeing this and scarring them for life
then you'll like the first 30 minutes
no. the whole miniature people thing is completely irrelevant for the last 100 minutes of the movie
It's both of those things at once. There's a lot of humor, there's a love story at the center of it, it has Matt Damon rediscovering himself and seeing the world in a new light, and the way he does that is indeed through being faced with the issues you mentioned.
Also, why is it depressing? I didn't find it depressing at all. There's a group that declares the Earth is 100% screwed in the film and it's framed as a cult and even referred to as one by the main characters. What you're supposed to get out of it is the Earth is indeed screwed, in the long term, if we don't come up with something big, which is something every scientist will tell you and you should already be aware of. Humanity will look for ways to survive. We haven't cracked that nut yet, but the movie is not telling you the nut will never be cracked.
Personally, I didn't find the advertising misleading. The trailer not spoiling 90% of the film is a good thing and what is there is representative of what's in the film, it just goes farther than that, but it's funny throughout, even in the most emotional moments, and the climate change angle is in the trailer.
OP
OP
Most of the good communities live in things like Domes. Other ones they address it as things like "X bug stays away from the ocean and the birds prefer the bugs". They're actually not outside-outside for a lot of the film.
This is it for me. Fucking thought the Kangaroo would talk and be animated the whole film. What a crock of shit.
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There's not a lot of humor, most of the humor shown is in the trailer barring one or two bits. The beginning is a lot of fluffing about minus what was shown in the trailers. There is indeed a love story buried in there but, again, it's a like a onions on a deluxe chili cheese dog: sprinkled throughout to add flavor but negligible.
Maybe depressing isn't the right term...dour?
The trailer is absolutely misleading. It's all light hearted music, imagery, the bits of the love story, and the bits of comedy. There's literally two lines about helping people throughout both trailers. You don't need to give the movie away but what is being sold in those trailers is not what it is.
The thing I find most interesting while reading through this thread is that I realize that it's not necessarily about how studios are pulling some misleading bullshit to get you to watch a movie that isn't what you were sold to believe it was about, but sometimes movies are really hard to sell in a trailer. I think of how I might try to market a trailer for a film I felt was misleading and sometimes the "honest trailer" is a pitch that might turn people off from even giving it a chance or it might spoil some important plot points or twists in simply trying to present what the movie is even about.
It's pretty bad for them to market a film that is mainly a drama as a comedy, but what about a film that doesn't fit so neatly into categorization of genres? What if you tell people how depressing and bleak the film really is and they don't want to give it a chance to see that the film is good and thought-provoking if you gave it a chance?
It seems sometimes marketing a film is a tricky thing.
It's pretty bad for them to market a film that is mainly a drama as a comedy, but what about a film that doesn't fit so neatly into categorization of genres? What if you tell people how depressing and bleak the film really is and they don't want to give it a chance to see that the film is good and thought-provoking if you gave it a chance?
It seems sometimes marketing a film is a tricky thing.
The Last Jedi's marketing was spot on and telegraphed exactly what the movie was. They even used "This will not go the way you think" on the trailer.
Over ten years later and I still haven't forgiven the marketing for Jarhead. I went in expecting a new Platoon/Apocalypse Now.
Instead I got two hours of Gen Xers bitching about sand.
Instead I got two hours of Gen Xers bitching about sand.
The Inglorious Basterds trailer making it look like a Brad Pitt comedy. Those parts are like 10% of the movie.
Also if I remember right, Fight Club was sold as like a dude bro fighting action movie. I think the movie initially bombed then garnered a cult following over the years.
Also if I remember right, Fight Club was sold as like a dude bro fighting action movie. I think the movie initially bombed then garnered a cult following over the years.
Yeah nothing and I mean nothing at all can beat MOTHER! when it comes to deceptive marketing.
Holy hell that can't be real. Is that real?
I could cut my celery for my chicken noodle soup with all this edge.
Gonna disagree with you here again. I thought the movie got funnier when Hong Chau's character was introduced, so almost none of the movie's funniest parts are spoiled in the trailers.
I don't see how the love story is a) overstated in the trailers, considering we see very little of Hong Chau; and b) not central to the plot. She's the only reason why Matt Damon's character chose not to go to the bunker. Their relationship is at the heart of the film. If it's buried or understated in anything, it's in the trailer.
And I honestly don't see a much better way to advertise the film than the second trailer. It encapsulates pretty damn well what the movie is about. As someone said above, I think if there's an issue here, it's that the movie isn't easy to summarize in a two-minute trailer—not without spoiling the biggest plot points of acts 2 and 3.
I mean, Mother's trailer show exactly what happens in the movie. An isolated house, a weird couple between a wife repairing their home and a writer, people unexpectedly begin arriving in the house, invited and welcome by the husband as the wife grows increasingly confused and frustrated. and then everything descends into chaos.
That's what happens in the movie. The events may take on different significance in context, but the trailer isn't lying to you.
I think the cinematography was really well done. The audio design was really good, too.
But other than that I felt like it was a bit shallow and obvious.
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She's just a no nonsense straight woman dragging along a middle aged, fumbling man. The only part I laughed at that included her was when he went to his neighbors apartment to clean it.
I didn't say it was overstated in the trailers, I said there's bits in there. But you see them together, hanging out, hugging while watching a sunset. There's a clear romantic tone to the trailer coupled with the imagery. The trailers make it look like a cute little movie with some new, budding romance for the mail and female lead.
If you were to cast this as two young actors then it'd feel like a coming of age story.
First, changing the music would be a BIG step. It's completely the wrong tone for the film. Audio helps set the mood for a trailer and what people expect of it. Look at the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer.
It made Ultron, and the movie, feel like it was going to be darker than it was. It was just another Avengers movie though. That trailer tells you everything the movie is about but that's not the way the movie is.
Second, downplay the comedic stuff/imagery. The movie is not that. It's not some exploration of the world through the eyes of a downsized person, it's not a light hearted comedy. Actually having that news discussion or that guy in the bar in the trailer would show some of the discourse of regular sized people. Both small parts of the movie that doesn't make it feel like some lighthearted film. Or a bit more on the climate change. Throwing in a line about the climate change and two lines about helping people is not what you take away from the trailer.
"They brought gifts"
The crowd I was in proceeded to make the loudest collective groan I've ever heard
Eh? What did you expect from those trailers? Because that's about what I expected.
Collateral Beauty is pretty deceptive
So Downsizing is actually a speculative fiction movie that thoroughly explores its concept? I had been interested but then it looked like a silly comedy and the reviews didn't make it sound very appealing
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Not for the people that wanted the movie advertised.
Fucking amazing movie dude, come on. Michael Shannon kills it, one of the best descents to madness ever filmed and the film does a good job making you question it. It's also shot really well and has a great use of space and the resulting feeling of being "trapped" with the characters. I can't say enough good about that movie.
It's not a silly comedy, it actually (like OP described) discusses social, economic, environmental issues. And Matt Damon's character is introduced to these issues by Hong Chau's character.
My only depressing feelings with this movie, were:
(1) the fact that they cannot go back to a normal size, (2) they shrink themselves to have a better life and more wealth, but there is still income disparity with shrunken minority communities, and (3) the world is ending regardless of if they shrink themselves or not.
My initial reactions have been covered already: Sweeny Todd doing everything in its power to hide the fact it's a musical, and Kangaroo Jack pretending to be an Australian Scooby Doo.
Drive pretended to be Fast & Furious in a few trailers, remember that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Great film, but nothing like advertised.
Observe & Report pretended to be Paul Blart 2: Electric Seth Roganaloo, but turned out to be a lot darker.
Honestly Mother! Is something you should watch yourself to judge, it's such a visual thing. Explaining the movie can sound stupid. I adored the film, but I can see why some people hated it. I do think you should give it a chance, you might surprise yourself and like it or you might he vindicated and dislike it and that would be fine too. It's really well directed at the very least.
Drive pretended to be Fast & Furious in a few trailers, remember that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Great film, but nothing like advertised.
Observe & Report pretended to be Paul Blart 2: Electric Seth Roganaloo, but turned out to be a lot darker.
Honestly Mother! Is something you should watch yourself to judge, it's such a visual thing. Explaining the movie can sound stupid. I adored the film, but I can see why some people hated it. I do think you should give it a chance, you might surprise yourself and like it or you might he vindicated and dislike it and that would be fine too. It's really well directed at the very least.