10 Best Movie Secrets SHAMEFULLY Given Away By The Trailers
4. The T-800 Is The Hero - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The original teaser trailer for Terminator 2 is one of the most badass and effective pieces of movie marketing ever made.
Containing only footage specially shot for the teaser by James Cameron, it confirmed that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be returning to play another Terminator, while a glimpse of Arnie's piercing red eyes seemed to imply he would once again be playing the villain.
That is, until the film's theatrical trailer decided to overzealously "clarify" exactly what audiences were in for, by flat-out confirming that Schwarzenegger's new Terminator was actually a protector tasked with rescuing young John Connor (Edward Norton) from the murderous T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
This is totally at odds with how Cameron presents the reveal in the movie itself. Though the shoe drops only about 30 minutes in, up to that point it's at least relatively ambiguous as to which Terminator is good and which is bad.
When the T-800 (Schawarzenegger) shouts "Get down!" at John, confirming his allegiance, it should be a fist-pumping, what-the-hell-just-happened moment, but for anyone who saw the trailer before the movie - that is, pretty much everyone - the surprise factor was completely wiped out.
The Terminator movies have such a dogged reputation for spoiling their own surprises that it's basically become a cliche at this point, though let's be honest, none of the sequels have had a secret as creative as Arnie's masterful face-turn.