Wouldn’t it be cool if every movie you watch matches your cinema taste like a glove? But, before such an algorithm is created and we have to rely on the IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes score, other people’s reviews, or the recommendations of our friends, we can become sort of experts on identifying movie red flags ourselves. Not without the help from this nifty AskReddit thread where people share their experience on identifying bad movies, of course! And while it isn’t a foolproof system to identify the movies you’ll really enjoy, it sure helps a lot.
So, it turns out there are plenty of red flags that might indicate a movie’s quality. First off, it’s the official critic’s reviews – have you noticed that the ‘laugh-out-loud funny’ indications almost always mean it’s going to be a load of bull? Neither did we, but oh, the things you learn through others’ experiences! Then there’s the matter of sequels, but you knew that already, right? Also, there are some subtle indicators, too – like a crazy amount of advertising dedicated to a movie’s release. Always a bad thing to look out for!
See, even with this introduction, you’re already almost an expert in indicating movie red flags; just think about how much more cool stuff is in this article! Once again, all the info in here is courtesy of an AskReddit thread, but it is you who has the power to rate the submissions the way you like them. And once you’re done with that, share this article with your friends!
#1
“Amber Heard is in it.”
Image source: JesusRemus
#2
“When you feel the preview showed basically the whole movie.”
Image source: dklein15
#3
“Critics are calling it ‘laugh-out-loud funny!’. It’s almost always garbage.”
Image source: an_ineffable_plan
#4
“If the words “fast” and “furious” are in the title.”
Image source: reddit.com
#5
“Anytime they shoehorn some romance into an otherwise non-romance movie. Bonus points if the movie is an action/horror/thriller movie and the poster shows a couple in any way.”
Image source: Vaiara
#6
“A comedy’s best jokes will be in the trailer. If the jokes in the trailer turn you off, the movie is going to suck.”
Image source: pokey1984
#7
“Sony pictures presents”
“Adam Sandler”
“Based on a video game”
Image source: Goukaruma
#8
“All-female star cast remake of a classic. All the money spent on the best actresses and awesome marketing. None for scriptwriters.”
Image source: Ivanka_Gorgonzola
#9
“How bad a movie is is exponentially proportional to how many helicopters are in the trailer.”
Image source: prot34n
#10
“Anything that leans too heavily on marketing gimmicks to try get me to watch it. I don’t care about your all-female cast – I care if it’s good.”
Image source: wheresmattynow
#11
“Steven Seagull is in it.”
Image source: nursejackieoface
#12
“Super dark and 1-second clips with loud noises. Horror movies that rely on jump scares in the trailers ruin them in the actual movie. Supposed to invoke great fear, but its rated PG-13.”
Image source: Clawoftherooster
#13
“If it’s based off of a true event that occurred less than a year prior.”
Image source: reddit.com
#14
“It’s clearly just a “star vehicle.” Like, all the hype is about the star’s riveting new performance… But no corresponding critical praise for the story, directing, special effects, nothing.”
#15
“In A World…”
Image source: Badloss
#16
“Fired multiple directors.”
Image source: Banzai51
#17
“If it has the words “Grown ups” and “2” in the title.”
Image source: Cache22-
#18
“If it’s animated and one of the selling points is that’s a celebrity who is not a voice actor is in it like James Corden.”
Image source: NinjaCatAttack321
#19
“Them desperately pointing out the director/producers/writers/studios better movies and productions that barely relate to the movie’s themes in an attempt to lure in fans. To me it always meant the movie doesn’t stand out enough to stand on its own.”
Image source: Illier1
#20
“When a comedy has poop and fart jokes, outdated meme and pop culture references.”
Image source: reddit.com
#21
“6/10 on imdb. Some movies lower than that are so bad they’re good. But the 6/10 will be bad in ways that vaguely annoy you, which is somehow worse.”
Image source: Dispatcher12
#22
“Most bad movies cover up their terrible plot, characters, etc. with nudity scenes.”
Image source: reddit.com
#23
“Long voiceovers to set up the story or to advance the story. It means either the writer sucked or they couldn’t get the scenes quite right. So the editor had nothing to work with. “Just explain the plot!””
Image source: jackof47trades
#24
“Too much CGI”
Image source: reddit.com
#25
“If it’s produced by Lifetime.”
Image source: willfully_hopeful
#26
“The emphasis of who’s in it over what it’s about. I don’t care who’s in the movie half the time.”
Image source: RealPokesatsu
#27
“The minute anyone says “You just don’t get it, do you?”
Image source: Schezzi
#28
“From the makers of…”. Dude, if the film cannot stand on its own without pointing out who made the film? Sign me the F out. Even worse if the “makers of” only include like “the sound designers of” or “the makeup artist of.””
Image source: kadzur
#29
“If you hear that it had numerous rewrites.”
Image source: astarisaslave
#30
“When it’s obvious that the dialogue in the preview was put into the movie for the sole purpose of making the preview interesting.”
Image source: pokey1984
#31
“The way actors clearly wait for their turn to do something. Fight scenes, general timing of occurrences or conversations. It seems like a reason we think many movies are bad, because we sense the issues of the acting, but can’t really consciously pinpoint what’s bad. When I realized that’s why I REALLY love actual fantastic movies, I was impressed by both the movie creators and my inner wannabe movie analyzer.”
Image source: Rubyhamster
#32
“If in the commercial the people who are “raving” about it aren’t anyone reputable. Susan on Twitter said it was the best movie she saw in 2020. Susan didn’t have many options in 2020, her standards were lower.”
Image source: Sea_Somewhere2297
#33
“If any of the actors have an overly expressive “O” face on the films poster.”
#34
“Directed by Michael Bay.”
Image source: Cathy-the-Grand
#35
“If James Corden is in it. He has never done a good movie in his life! He is also a garbage person in real life too.”
Image source: NeuroTrophicShock
#36
“Number 1 movie in the world!”
Image source: Isaiahharris
#37
“If I smell political agendas from the real world, its a NAH.”
Image source: LukeTheGroundwalker
#38
“When it has tons of merch aimed mostly at kids and stuff from the movie is added to a random popular online game before the movie is even released. (Or even better when they downright tell you the main plot in said game. Looking at you, Rise of Skywalker)”
Image source: methanol_ethanolovic
#39
“A movie has a popular song with different lyrics.”
Image source: Da_Budster
#40
“Is it written, directed, and produced by the same guy as the lead actor? Pass.”
Image source: K1nd4Weird
#41
“FIVE STARS” – The Daily Mail
Image source: CaptainEarlobe
#42
“Any recent popular songs, a narrator speaking over the trailer, a cheesy message about “being yourself” advertised in the trailer, telling the audience instead of showing them (too much exposition), and so forth.”
Image source: abductodude
#43
“Any time I EVER see “raving” in regard to critics. What a load.”
Image source: LotusPrince
#44
“When the trailer is 90% visuals and no one speaks more than three words, unless it’s an art house film. Prime example is “The Phantom Menace.” I’ll never forget seeing the trailer for the first time and sinking down into my seat with dismay.”
Image source: Fredredphooey
#45
“It has a title like “resurrection” added to it.”
Image source: reddit.com
#46
“Historical” movie but the costumes are ugly, drab, contain too much leather and the dress shapes are all wrong for the era. Bonus if you see stays/corsets worn directly on bare skin, UGH.”
Image source: AkechiJubeiMitsuhide
#47
“They push the ads way too hard on TV and reddit.”
Image source: LasVegasLoner147
#48
“Most sequels to Horror movies are garbage with a few exceptions.”
Image source: reddit.com
#49
“The longer the famous actor list the worse the movie will be. Especially if it’s some obvious Oscar baiting that doesn’t deserve to see the light of day.”
Image source: Illier1
#50
“I am getting sick of dead voiced singers singing covers of popular songs. Any trailer that has it basically tells me they think their movie is more emotional than it is.”
Image source: TheKingofHats007
#51
“If they don’t screen it for critics, you know it’s going to be really bad.”
Image source: crlarkin
#52
“If you can see the actors watching the other actors mouths waiting for their turn to speak. In particularly bad movies you can see actors moving there mouths slightly, saying the other peoples line.”
Image source: idkifthisisgonnawork
#53
“I would argue that these days, nearly all movies with narrated trailers end up being bad. Having said that, the trailer for Star Wars in 1977 was narrated. So, take that as you will.”
Image source: Darnitol1
#54
“In animated movies, whenever the animation is too “clean”. It’s not ugly, but everything is just a little too smooth and a little too bright.”
Image source: mildlyinsecurelol90
#55
“The “5 stars” bit is huge but the publication is not reputable so they put it in a tiny tiny font size.”
Image source: demonicneon
#56
“Release date. The only movies that go into wide release in January or February are:
– Oscar bait that got limited releases in December in NY/LA to qualify for the Oscars
– A romance or two the Friday before Valentine’s Day
– Crap that the distributors are assuming will bomb that they dump onto the screens in midwinter.
Hollywood insiders even refer to the first two months of the year as “Dumpuary.” Every so often a Dumpuary release will succeed (Get Out and Deadpool are recent examples), but by and large it’s garbage they’re hoping to squeeze something/anything out of.”
Image source: RayAnselmo
#57
“If something is gnawing at you when you watch the trailer, but you can’t explain it. Something seems… Off about the trailers.”
Image source: Trick_Enthusiasm
#58
“If the trailer has blurbs from reviews, check to see who wrote each review. On bad movies, they will often put multiple blurbs from the same review.”
Image source: Tricky4279
#59
“Directed by Uwe Boll.”
Image source: DarthContinent
#60
“When the lead character looks more confused about the lines he’s delivering than I am with the movie up until that point…”
Image source: f1del1us
#61
“If you recognize the main character from your humanities class in high school.”
Image source: Th3rd0ne
#62
“Usually release dates are subtle indicator. But lately the February graveyard of releases has been proven otherwise. I think March August and September are still considered releases for bad movies.”
Image source: shaka_sulu
#63
“If there’s ever pop music playing in the background. The music’s also always slightly out of date, like 6 months after its heyday.”
Image source: mildlyinsecurelol90
Follow Us
