My friend Vic over at ScreenRant.com does an excellent job explaining why he, and others, don't want to be spoiled by all the clips coming out for "The Dark Knight" movie. If you haven't visited his site, you should. I respect his opinion, but his rant prompted me to write a little something with an opposing viewpoint.
Every time a big blockbuster movie comes out, especially when there is a lot of buzz surrounding it, there will invariably be spoilers. Not only the "unauthorized" kind, but completely "official" ones too. We've all read the leaked script, the insider report by a naughty crew member, and seen the poor quality video or picture taken by an extra's mobile phone. But don't forget about the clip you saw last night on Jay Leno, or the early celebrity interview you read, or the "exclusive" video that you saw on your favorite website. Even "approved" advanced info sometimes reveals key story points that could be deemed spoilerish. Warner Bros has raised the marketing bar with a
tremendous TDK viral campaign which has taken diligent fans on AND offline to get info on the movie, and now we are seeing tons of scenes from the movie show up online--seemingly allowed by WB. Some fans don't like it, yet all of these "sneek peaks" build excitement for the movie, and are designed to get people to lay down their $8 bucks and plop their butts into sticky movie seats to see the finished work. I think all of this is fun and adds to the experience.
Now there are always those fans who want to have the total experience at the theater. These are the same people who don't want the sonogram nurse to tell them the sex of their child in the womb, and probably never peeked under the wrapping of their Christmas presents as a kid themselves. They like surprises. That is perfectly fine. Nobody is condemning you people. On the other hand, there are those among us who are of a different ilk. For instance, I myself have been known to go to great lengths to conceal the damage I have done to wrapping paper, and I WANT to see spoilers. It adds to my experience. And I am not alone. There are lots of us. In fact, I believe the majority are pro-spoiler--even some who PRETEND outrage about spoilers, but in actuality, they are the worst kind of spoiler lover--just like me. And I am here to tell you, that is ALSO FINE. We still live in a free country, and THAT is the point.
If you are of the former persuasion (anti-spoiler), instead of getting all hot and bothered by advanced clips and info coming out about "The Dark Knight," or any movie for that matter, just don't access it. That way, we both get what we want. No one is forcing anyone to read the article, look at the picture, or click on the YouTube play button.
As the Webmaster of an entertainment news site, I want to provide the most comprehensive content to my readers. If I am censoring what I show to people, I am not doing my job--and in fact, I would be doing my readers a disservice. Besides, most reputable sites warn people when there is a spoiler coming, so what is the problem? Just stop right there. That's all you've gotta do. But don't "spoil" it for the rest of us pro-spoiler people, and please don't look down your nose at those of us who think there is nothing wrong with it. We live in an information age after all. Why limit the information? Let people censor themselves--that is, if they REALLY want to. I know at times it seems like it's all a bit too much, and you could see a whole movie in 30 second clips, but again, you don't HAVE to if you don't WANT to. I get a little tired of the condemnation. But that is just my opinion.
Check out ScreenRant's opposing viewpoint
HERE. Take the Poll below! For the purpose of this poll we are defining a "spoiler" as ANY early info, whether official or unofficial.