10 Awesome Trailers That Tricked Us Into Seeing Awful Movies

1. Prometheus

The main trailer for Prometheus might be one of the greatest blockbuster previews of all time.

Starting with a brief overview of the film's story before spiralling into dark, violent sci-fi territory, the beauty of Prometheus' marketing was that it got you excited even if you had no idea this was connected to Alien.

The trailer was stunning to look at - picturesque mountains, waterfalls, the detailed designs of the ships and machinery - and it posed numerous questions that demanded answers. What did the crew encounter in those caves? What was Shaw wrong about? What's the deal with that gooey stuff?

The addition of a wailing sound in the final third of the trailer was an ingenious one that raises the hairs on the back of your neck, the choice to rapidly flash each image on and off the screen giving you just enough to keep you interested, but not so much that it spoils what's actually going on. Brilliant.

But the film itself, while visually breathtaking, was one giant tease, almost an extended version of this trailer. It never made clear exactly what the Engineers were up to, and though we all expected a prequel to Alien, Prometheus never connected to the original 1979 masterpiece in a satisfying manner.

It didn't help that the movie's script was stupid beyond belief. Supposedly smart scientists will just pet clearly dangerous alien creatures, and there's a twist about Charlize Theron's character that comes out of nowhere, then goes nowhere.

In the end, Prometheus was a massive let-down. Had it not been hyped up as Ridley Scott's return to the franchise he created, we may have been able to forgive certain flaws, but as it stands, the trailer is a lot more exciting than the final movie.

Any other spectacular trailers for poor movies that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.