Have you ever watched a trailer for a movie, gotten excited to see it on release, and then felt like you were lied to? You’re not the only one.

Trailers are designed to get us into the movies, I get it. It’s one thing when the trailer gives away all the best parts. I can deal with that.

However, when I feel like the trailer purposely misled what the movie is about, though, is where I draw the line. Based on audience discussions, it appears that I’m not alone.

Downsizing

What’s advertising as a comedy about shrinking yourself to improve the standard of living turns into a drama about climate change.

Worst of all, it’s an overly preachy drama that’s trying way too hard to make everyone accountable.

The Grey

Following the release of Taken, it felt like every Liam Neeson movie was marketed the same way: him being a weapon of destruction, beating up everything in his path.

That’s not what The Grey is about, though. Instead, the movie is far more poetic and acts as a metaphor for death.

Civil War

Given the current state of politics in the U.S., it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Alex Garland’s 2024 film Civil War hints at following a, well modern day Civil War.

Instead, it’s a critique of the state of American war journalism and how they seem a little too eager to sow division in the country.

Kangaroo Jack

If you thought the main character in Kangaroo Jack was a kangaroo, you wouldn’t be the only one. After all, the kangaroo was everywhere in the movie’s trailers.

The reality is that this isn’t even a kids’ movie. It’s suppose dto be an edgy mob comedy, but it tested poorly, so it was re-done as a more family friendly film. The kangaroo is barely even in the movie!

Bridge to Terabithia

If you read the book, then you knew the trailer was purposely misleading.

I get it; despite the vibes of a whimsical young adult fantasy movie, Bridge to Terabithia is one of the saddest films you’ll ever see, as it’s really about having to process the unexpected death of an innocent child.

Godzilla

Remember how Bryan Cranston was heavily featured in the trailers for the 2014 version of Godzilla?

Spoiler alert: he dies almost immediately in the film. It’s still a great movie, but Bryan Cranston isn’t in it as much as we thought.

Argylle

What we see in the trailer is essentially a five-minute dream-like sequence that isn’t real, all taking place before the actual movie begins.

Worst of all, the plot twist at the end was spoiled well before the movie even released.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter collaborated for the film adaptation of the 1979 musical by Stephen Sondheim.

There’s just one thing about the trailer: it didn’t mention that it’s a musical. There was one musical number featured, but it was for a brief few seconds and not the main focus of the trailer.

Unbreakable

Following the success of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable was marketed in a similar manner: a mystery thriller about how one man survived a disastrous train accident.

No mention of its comic book inspiration, just constant reminders that this is from the same guy who made The Sixth Sense and even stars the same guy.

Jarhead

Honestly, we should have known that the trailer for Jarhead was misleading since it’s a Sam Mendes film.

Despite giving the impression that it’s an action-oriented movie about the Marines, it’s instead a deep look at the loneliness and monotony of the Gulf War.