10 Ways Trailers Let You Know A Movie Is Secretly Awful

9. Questionable Review Sources Quoted

Notable offenders: Project X, The Lucky One

There's a lot to be said about the quality of a movie from the calibre of sources used to cull quotes for a trailer. A single glowing quote from someone like Roger Ebert can tell you all you need to know in a few simple, lucid words. On the other hand, some truly awful films have plastered glowing praise from countless publications on some of their trailers, tricking the casual observer into thinking that the film must be something exceptional if that many reputable critics give it the two thumbs up. But a closer look reveals that those 5 stars were attributed by none other than Hello! and Nuts magazines and - heaven forbid - Mumsnet.

We should be thankful that the practice of taking big name reviewers and publications out of context (for instance using the quote "Amazing!" when the full sentence reads "amazing how rubbish like this gets made!") appears to have gone out of fashion. Don't let that stop the folks in marketing tricking you with quotes from obscure websites, but if you remember the rule of thumb to always check the sources avoiding awful movies will be that little bit easier. This trailer for Project X doesn't even go to the trouble of referencing the selected quotes.