Three Misleading Film Trailers

When some trailers are released, they often look like they would appeal to a specific audience, when often, this isn't the audience the film is going to appeal to at all. Here are some examples.

Pan's Labyrinth
Alice in Wonderland meets Coraline... isn't it? No! Pan's Labyrinth is an extremely popular foreign film. Originally released back in 2006, to critical acclaim, holding an impressive 8.3/10 rating on IMDb. The trailer itself shows our main character Ofelia come across a fantasy world with mystical creatures and wide, daunting lands. It all seems very epic and adventurous but what the trailer glosses over is the fascist movement in Spain in 1944, something that features heavily in the film. Ofelia's father, an army officer/dictator, is a chilling, disturbing and cold-blooded character who kills innocent civilians on-screen. Do we see this in the trailer? Perhaps for a split-second!  This film is visually stunning but its marketing is completely wrong. Would a gigantic fantasy epic with terrifying creatures appeal to most… yes! Would a film about fascism, death and depression have as much of an audience… probably not.

My Girl

My Girl is a sweet tale of a boy and girl, who meet and become the best of friends… is there anything less depressing? Well, the trailer seems to suggest all is fine here, yet the young girl, played by Anna Chlumsky, is obsessed with death and constantly runs to the Doctor’s, claiming she has the latest break through illness. While it’s incredibly funny and uplifting in parts, it is also terribly upsetting and disturbing. The trailer seems to touch on all the typical moments of growing up but the film is far, far deeper than that. This is also a very good watch; very entertaining but awfully difficult to watch towards the end.

Bridge to Terabithia

A backdrop of fantastical creatures and adventures in the forest, such as being chased by dark, mysterious creatures and being thrown into the hands of giant trolls – all of which are no doubt a typical, children’s fantasy film. The trailer attempts to add an element of ‘epic’ to its marketing campaign which it pulls off pretty well. Meanwhile, expecting a rollercoaster ride is certainly what you receive with this film. However, it’s an emotionalrollercoaster instead of an action-packed one. Without giving too much away, Bridge to Terabithia deals with some terribly dark subject matter but there is no sign of these things in the trailer.There is a terrible yet effective twist in the plot for the audience. Definitely a must-see, yet be warned!