Comments on: The Statute of Limitations on Spoilers

By: Zack_S

Zack_S — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:29:23 +0000

the old stand-by was if it hadn't been on regular tv yet, keep it hid. but i think now i'm the only person in the woooooooorld without cable. give a year after it goes to video. if you ain't seen it, you ain't tryin.

By: Zack_S

Zack_S — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:29:23 +0000

By: Dustin

Dustin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:16:30 +0000

I can totally understand that, lol. A 50 year old movie is hard to keep a secret.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:13:56 +0000

I think it's like you said: once it's merged into pop culture.

By: b-gizzle

b-gizzle — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:02:29 +0000

I was 12 when I saw Empire for the first time. By then, the phrase “Luke, I am your father” was already thrown around pop culture more times than the word literally. Both of which annoy the hell out of me. Anywho! When I saw the movie I already knew the ending and at the same time didn't understand the gravity of the big twist of said movie. Maybe I would have appreciated it more(or in general) had I seen it with virgin eyes. Same goes for Planet of the Apes. Is it any reviewer's fault? No. I blame my parents for not jumping on the ball and properly raising me to watch the classics.

So the point of this is…I think after 5 years if you haven't actually taken the initiative to watch a movie then any spoiler alert you encounter is your own fault. I'm pretty sure if I really cared about Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their waning marriage or their big “secret” back in 2005 I would have seen it by now. So reviewers feel free to tell me they live happily ever after..it's literally not your problem!

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:43:06 +0000

As far as reviews go I personally think one can judge and describe most films without having to reveal any substantial twists, but I guess sometimes there are exceptions. However, if anyone ever spoils an episode of Lost for me again I will stab them before they can say “Don't tell me what I can't do!”

By: James

James — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:54:19 +0000

Hello. Go ahead and scream. :)

By: James

James — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:53:46 +0000

I dunno, man. If I didn't know you at all and I spoiled Psycho for you by accident, I can't say I'd feel bad.

By: James

James — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:48:33 +0000

I'm pleased that you wrote this article as I, a fledgling reviewer on this site, have been having issue with this very topic. In fact, before I turned in the final draft of the Parnassus review, it was super spoiler heavy (as pointed out by the Mrs.) and I didn't even realize that I had wrote it as such. I'm currently having the same issues with No More Heroes review.

However, both Parnassus and, to a lesser degree, NMH have one thing in common: They're both relatively new to public consciousness.

So to attempt to answer your question and using the examples you provided, I think once a film enters the vast subconscious realm of public awareness, all bets are off. The likely hood of a grown person not having seen Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green or 2001: Space Odyssey (which I haven't seen but I know HAL's a fucktard. See? Vast Subconsciousness) is pretty slim in this day and age. Besides, kids, really, the only major group that populates this pool of film virgins, are usually looked out for in that respect. I can't remember an instance where an adult purposely spoiled Star Wars for a kid. I mean, I might do it if the kid's an asshole but only then.

So there you go. IMO, an iconic, super-popular film's got about 20-30 years of good, clean, spoiler-free discourse in public and if by then you haven't seen it, stop living under a rock. On the flipside, if the film's new or has had little exposure over the years, holding back, as a reviewer, isn't going to kill you; don't be a dick. And yes, Inigo Montoya got his revenge and was satisfied by it. <-Dick.

By: Dustin

Dustin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:37:08 +0000

Personally, I feel that if something was released within the last 2-5 years, spoilers should be protected. Beyond that point, either you've found out or you just don't really care. That being said, nothing was cooler than seeing Psycho for the first time about 10 years ago and being blown away by the twist.

Man, now I've confused myself! I don't know where I stand…