By Thomas Willett
This past weekend, I had the privilege of seeing Drew Goddard’s directorial debut the Cabin in the Woods. Even if you haven’t seen it, I am sure you are aware of the aura that surrounds it. There is a demand for viewers to go in untainted, not knowing anything besides the titular cabin. I wouldn’t even suggest visiting the Imdb for more information. The top billed performer is a spoiler within itself. So, should you go into this without spoilers? Yes. However, I am here to ask you a question in a general sense: do you hate spoilers? Do you find them to be the death knell in enjoying a movie? Well, tough news. This is going to be a defense against the dark art haters. However, as I have suggested, there will be no spoilers for the Cabin in the Woods. Hopefully spoiling that fact won’t turn you off.
In regards to a movie, a spoiler is considered to be a crucial scene to the plot that should come as a surprise. This has been a popular trick in cinema since the beginning, notably brought more to the mainstream with Alfred Hitchcock films, including Vertigo and Psycho. It’s impossible to find someone who hasn’t had a movie spoiled. Even if you ignore trailers and promotional materials, there is the inevitable world of human communication. I am sure a whole generation knew the ending to the Planet of the Apes before actually seeing the Charlton Heston classic. I know this because of a man named Troy McClure.
I think that the Simpsons made me jaded to spoilers because several episodes were exact lifts of the movies. Recently I watched Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear after watching “Cape Feare” for roughly the 30th time. I know that Sideshow Bob steps on rakes. However, there are also many parallels to the actual movie (everything except the witness relocation part). Because of familiarity to the episode, I was able to compare differences. I even found new appreciation for the Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Three Little Maids” riff, as the movie’s Robert De Niro character loved theater tunes. In a sense, Cape Fear has shaped Sideshow Bob’s entire future based on that one joke.
Did I hate the movie because I knew what to expect? No. It wasn’t only because parody is vaguely different from a spoiler. It was also because it was a different product and my expectations were different. While I found some of Scorsese’s camera techniques to be too campy, it eventually settled into a creepy and fun story. The plot is well structured and the movie succeeds because of great performances by De Niro, Juliette Lewis, and Nick Nolte. In fact, the quality of the movie makes me appreciate the Simpsons episode more because it was true to the plot without becoming a carbon copy.
That happens quite a bit as a result of the Simpsons. Even with the knowledge of general twists, I am able to appreciate the cinema on its independent achievements. How is parody similar to a spoiler? It is a more casual way of saying “this happens” without actually saying “this happens.” There is enough of a vague, comedic element to dismount the actual reference. Spoilers basically tell you straight up what happens without as much fun.
A few hours before I saw the Cabin in the Woods, I took part in my Friday ritual of listening to the Operation Kino podcast. This was my first foray into any detailed opinions of the movie. In their review, they began with the typical, vague opinions of how great it was. Being a stickler for listening to the whole podcast, I forced myself to listen to the spoilers, an act I do almost every time. There was enough time between that review and the actual movie that I forgot most of it. However, I knew the exact way the movie was supposed to end.
I watched the movie and all of those twists happened. I applaud the creativity put into it, yet I’ve always had trouble enjoying numerous plot twists on first viewing because I say “this looks like a good place to end” at least five times. It causes me to grow antsy and think that they were too busy. I did that with the Dark Knight, and I almost did it again here. However, because I knew what the final scene was, I kept playing around with the current moment to make it a logical conclusion. When it finally came, I felt the reward of it fitting perfectly.
I do not advocate spoilers in free form. However, I do love in depth discussions of cinema, which make spoilers inevitable. With exception to very few films (the Simpsons Movie, Inception), I haven’t let small narrative tidbits keep me from anticipating a movie. While this is partially due to lack of original twists in modern cinema, it’s also because I personally believe that if your movie is too reliant on a small twist, your plot needs some editing. Sometimes going bigger isn’t always better. I think of this M. Night Shyamalan parody whenever I see something that is pointlessly crazy.
A good movie doesn’t need a twist. The Artist won Best Picture at the Oscars, and I cannot find anything too surprising to spoil there. Anyone who has seen 100 movies in any genre can tell you every form of a trope. Because of the lucrative history of film, these plotlines and twists have been done to death. By saying that George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) becomes a movie star again by the end, you’re not really stating anything shocking. Movies tend to reward their protagonists and give the audience a happy ending. It may be a great movie, but that ending comes from somewhere more of reason than shock.
I go further to claim that subject matter can dictate spoilers. The Hunger Games is a story about teenagers fighting to the death. Death means dying and therefore means that dead characters are free discussion. While it can be implied that Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) survives on principle alone that there is a sequel, it is not a spoiler to say that she won. It is also not a spoiler to state that secondary character Rue (Amanda Stenberg) got killed off. This fits into the general logic accepted by the subject matter. What can be taken away as spoilers is how Katniss won. It defies the understanding the audience has going in, thus can be considered a creative twist to the story.
Does knowing that Katniss survives before even seeing a single frame spoil the story? It doesn’t. Along with the Artist, it all comes down to how they reach the end. They need to present something authentic and interesting to either heighten our interest in the characters or the established world. Without either of these elements, the third act can feature the most breathtaking achievement in cinema, but all it will do is undermine everything to come before it. Knowing Katniss survives isn’t interesting. How she survives is.
Because of a general understanding of movies, I approach them with a different caution. I don’t get hung up on plot details, but instead think of every way this movie could impress me. I plot out actions or jokes that would actually make me happy. I rarely get what I picture, but my joy comes with being one upped by the story. When the characters exceed what I would like for them to do, I lose myself in the universe and become giddy, knowing that this is a rewarding experience. When a movie doesn’t and becomes predictable, I still find alternate plots in my head, but my narcissism validates my belief that I could have done better.
This is the general reason I came up with our game Guess the Ending. I love the idea that movies can still surprise me with ridiculously unique stories. While none have topped the actual plot to Remember Me, it’s more of a testament that even when we go in ridiculous directions, it can be logical. It also works because we know generally how movies end. We also know what we want to see. Guess the Ending should be a look into our movie souls.
In closing, I don’t care to be bombarded with spoilers in general public. However, in the communities that are dedicated to movie knowledge, I want to know personal opinions. Sometimes I haven’t seen the movie, and I risk discovering the big moment. I really don’t care because it’s just a movie and if it’s good, there’s no point on getting hung up over a spoiler. Spoilers are like watching a movie for the second time, only instead you get to be more of a critical thinker on the first go. It may seem less shocking, but how many movies nowadays warrant legitimate spoiler warnings? The only time spoilers should be a detriment is when the trailer is running 20 times a day on TV and you become tired of being overly aware of it.
This is why I am kind of excited about the Cabin in the Woods. I can’t even discuss the first scene without some sort of spoilers. This film tore apart tropes and made horror feel original again. While my first viewing may feel underwhelming, it wasn’t because of spoilers. I enjoy when films creatively outdo my expectations, and this remains one of the few of recent years to do it very well. Even movies I love, like the Artist, are not that creative in the plot technique. It’s more in the artistic and character areas. I am not surprised by this type of ending, but I love it because I like the characters. This is even more apparent in spoiler filled titles like Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, in which they kill Bill. Yet those films remain fun pieces of entertainment.
In the past year, there has only been one film that I feel shouldn’t have been spoiled. It is by no means one with a unique twist. It was just one with a narrative so effective that if I didn’t know the ending, I would be proposing many other dark routes along the way. It is a film that grabbed my attention because of the twist (that was promoted as the plot, yet only benefits the reveal at the end). It was the hauntingly beautiful film We Need to Talk About Kevin, a story involving the childhood of a deranged boy and his mother. Of the 100+ films I saw from last year, knowing how that story ended didn’t ruin the film for me, but took away the impact that it should have given. Unlike every other accusation of spoilers, it was the marketing department’s fault, if just because I don’t know how else it could have been sold.
I think that growing up with the Simpsons not only made me love cinema, but made me prone to premature revelations. I don’t care if I know too much going in. I just use it as a form to look at the movie in a more critical way. Besides, films rarely surprise me nowadays based on twists. It’s everything around it that puts the impact into context. I believe that a good story is a good story and doesn’t need to have twists to be considered great. With that said, don’t go telling spoilers willy-nilly. Keep your mouth shut and follow this guide on when the time is right. I may be of the creative mindset to look at movies differently, but I am sure some of you can’t fathom knowing the ending. Otherwise, just try and enjoy the movie for what it is: entertainment.
Spoiler: I will be back next week with another blog. Until then, try and guess what I will be writing about. Trust me, it is way more fun than whatever I pick. Also, I unintentionally spoil a plot point in Rear Window on tomorrow’s show. It is very subtle and makes no sense unless you have seen the movie, but I apologize if it ruins the bit for you.
You can read Thom’s blog every Wednesday and hear him on Nerd’s Eye View every Tuesday and Thursday at nevpodcast.com. Send your thoughts to nevpodcast@gmail.com. You can also read Thom’s movie reviews for Cinema Beach at cinemabeach.com.
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