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Spoiler: the movie reviewer did it
By zbert on Mon, 05/04/2009 - 6:27pm
Ty Burr (can be rearranged to spell Butrry) boldly goes where no movie reviewer has gone before, basically typing up what seems to be a (SPOILER ALERT) scene-by-scene transcript of the new Star Trek movie.
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Comments
Spoilers?
Oh, puhlease -- I didn't give away anything. My job is to discuss the movie; I can't do that without talking about certain plot developments, but trust that I work to keep as much under wraps as possible. Everyone knows that Nimoy puts in an appearance, for instance, but I don't say how or in what context.
Clearly, you shouldn't read reviews before you see the movie. And that's fine. For my part, I can't do what I do without resort to verbs and concrete nouns.
Spoilers
When did the notion arise that saying almost _anything_ about what happens in a film constitutes a spoiler?
Sure, there are a few movies that rely on intricate plot twists, where guessing the outcome is part of the fun. But this is the exception, rather than the rule.
Ty -- keep up the good work (but I was disappointed that you didn't list "Still Walking" as one of your recommendations for the Independent Film Festival). ;~}
Michael Kerpan
odd
Sorry ty burr but there's a lot more detail about the events of the film in this review than in a normal review. Really. maybe try reading it again and imagining you'd like a little surprise not only about the story but also abotu the elements of the original series (or homages thereto) that may have made their way into this film. there are more ways to spoiling a film than merely giving away a dramatic moment that happen 2/3 of the way in, that I as a viewer really do not want to now have to sit, anticipating... since one fairly effectively way to destroy the immersive experience of film-watching is to attach a connection to real-time, to some moment in the film. yay for you in that, and to other reviewers who just could not resist the urge to tell everyone!!!! about guest appearances nad other special moments tucked into this film.
i still say it's a screw-up on your part. again: more ways to screw up film-watching than just spelling out too much of the story. for that matter, we pretty much knwo the storyline of every star trek movie yet to be created or even written. it's these other moments that are the surprise, the things that made the movie special and your jumping up and down to the the first to mention them... absolutely takes away from the film.
Check out this article for guidance
Here. Even though it's USA Today, check out the comments in this article about the "payoff" for viewers, because the writers had a plan all along to set up a situation and then make it worth the audience's time. Note also how the writer does not merely transcribe the events that occur in the story.
Put down that Globe arrogance for a minute and you might learn something from this example.
OK, I'm not going to read
OK, I'm not going to read it, just in case! But in principle, good movie criticism should contain "spoilers." After all, it is not (or not just) advertising. It is supposed to be analysis. Actually discussing the substance of a movie is what gives criticism legs and value. I'll look at the star rating or opening paragraph as guidance whether to see a film in the first place. I'll read the full review after I've seen it for full reflection. Many times, I have seen an older movie with a controversial plot twist and been unable to find much serious critical discussion of it, because everyone dances around the "spoiler."
And while I'm not into ruining surprises, any decent movie should not be spoiled by revealing them. I could tell you how "Citizen Kane" ends without ruining a thing about it.
it was fine
I'm really sensitive to spoilage, but there wasn't anything mentioned beyond a typical movie review, save for the existing continuity bit. And it actually made me even more anxious to see it, so he did his job well.