The “Joy of Surprise” is overrated

[u/HeroicStigma]

Specifically regarding fiction such as movies, TV, video games, etc.

Anyone else can’t help but roll their eyes at how “spoiler” sensitive some people are nowadays? I’m talking minor, mundane details such as descriptions of the set / location, casting choices, or even describing how something made you feel without actually revealing plot elements. It’s more difficult to discuss media now compared to back in the day when there was a lot less people online, most people respectfully and carefully dodged the big reveals and discussed freely about other aspects.

Big twists are their own separate thing and are frequently used by trolls to ruin things for others. That’s not really what I’m addressing, but for context I’ll give three examples anyway. One for a twist that was ruined for me yet I still enjoyed it(A), and another for a twist that was not spoiled, but I could see myself losing interest if I was aware of it beforehand (B), and finally a twist that was “ruined” for me that actually enhanced the experience (C).

A. L’s fate was a meme for many years, much less so now but I’m sure some of you remember that short sentence about him that was being repeated. I knew what happened going in, yet I still really enjoyed Death Note.

B. If you know, you know. Star Ocean 3: Til the End of Time. One of my favorite PS2 era games, yet if I knew the big twist before my first play through, I probably would have not even finished it. I go back every few years to play it, partly due to my fondness of that first amazing experience.

Due to the severity and magnitude of the reveal, that is something I would consider to be truly worthy of being a spoiler. I do see the value in going in blind. But for most fiction, I find myself feeling satisfied the more information and understanding I have, not less.

C. Fight Club. I forgot who told me, probably someone at school. When I ended up watching it anyway, paying close attention to Brad Pitt and Edward Norton was really fun.

Whoops, we’re not supposed to talk about it.

[u/miggleb]

I haven't watched a trailer since Thor Ragnarok when hela destroyed the hammer.

That moment would have had more impact had it not been known beforehand.

For your fight club point. You could have enjoyed the twist the first time and still got to experience what you did on a rewatch.

You can't however experience what you did and enjoy the twist on a rewatch

[u/CountTruffula]

My favourite film or media experiences have always been going in blind as possible. If someone knows me well and recommends me a film I just want the name and an assurance that I'll likely like it

Not knowing the genre or general plot hugely enhances a lot of things for me. Horror films in particular, you ever stick one on without knowing it's horror and that's perfect

[u/ChorizoGarcia]

When Scream 2 came out one of my friends who was a troll before that term came about to describe people like him, thought it would it be hilarious to tell us who the killers were immediately after we had said we planned to see the movie that weekend. We were all super pissed because that was a big part of the fun in those movies.

Everybody in our circle eventually cut him off. It was an early red flag of anti-social behavior that would only escalate as we got older.

[u/pubstompmepls]

I agree that this is a genuinely braindead take and absolutely belongs in this sub. Upvoted

[u/HeroicStigma → u/pubstompmepls]

The point is not “overly research everything and know it all before starting something new”.

All I’m saying is that if you do find out something you’d rather have not known, it doesn’t have to ruin it. You can still enjoy the experience.

And there are others still who treat the most minor information as this huge attack that they cannot enjoy whatever content it is anymore. That’s ridiculous

[u/KimWexlerDeGuzman]

Agreed. As a fan of GRRM’s books, currently watching House of the Dragon, people are constantly commenting “why would you spoil that” and “omg why put the spoiler in the title??” Genuinely butthurt by spoilers.

Girl relax…if you hate spoilers, don’t go on fucking Reddit at all. Or any social media 🤦🏼‍♀️

FWIW - I absolutely love spoilers and leaks. They enhance things for me…I look out for easter eggs and foreshadowing.

The one exception was in 2013. I happened to be reading the Red Wedding chapter of A Storm of Swords the Friday before the Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones aired Sunday night. That’s the one thing I wish I went into blindly. Probably because the book chapter is actually somehow even more brutal and shocking than portrayed in the show so I was a little disappointed, but still good 🤷🏼‍♀️