If you want your movie to be successful, the first thing you want to do is make sure it’s, yanno, good. But if it’s not good, then you should at least check to see that you’re marketing it well.
Decent marketing means luring someone into a film, and that includes giving them a taste for what the story is all about. You don’t want to give away too much, and you don’t want to mislead, but you DO want to tantalize.
In other words, you probably don’t want to do what the people in this subreddit did intentionally, which is explain a movie plot badly.
Here are some movie plots hilariously rephrased. (Original taglines included for contrast.)
10. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
“The Fairytale is Over”
9. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
8. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
“Who will win?”
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
“The Last Enemy is Death”
6. The Revenant (2015)
“One who has returned, as if from the dead.”
5. Shrek (2001)
“The greatest fairy tale never told.”
4. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
“The epic finale that will live forever”
3. Mulan (1998)
“An Epic Motion Picture Event”
2. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
“Live life 1/4 mile at a time”
1. Arrival (2016)
“Why are they here?”
You know what, I’ve changed my mind, I don’t think those are bad explanations at all. I’d watch those.
What movie would you like to explain badly?
Give it a go in the comments.