Alerts & Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

James Gunn: ‘If a Movie Can Be Ruined by Spoilers, It’s Not a Good Movie’

They even make movies more enjoyable for some people, he says.
James Gunn
James Gunn
James Gourley/REX/Shutterstock

The spoiler wars show no sign of slowing. Everyone has an opinion on when (if ever) it’s okay to reveal major plot points for movies, TV shows, and books, with everything from “No, I am your father” to “Snape kills Dumbledore” taking on meme status in the years since they first shocked fans. Now the debate has a new participant: “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn, who posits that any movie that can be ruined by spoilers is “not a good movie.”

“If a movie can be ruined by spoilers, it’s not a good movie,” he tweeted. “I’m opposed to spoiling things for folks, but studies show knowing spoilers only very slightly affects the viewer’s pleasure, if at all (and sometimes increases the pleasure of a well-crafted film).” Reactions to his assertion largely focused on “Avengers: Infinity War,” whose shocking ending directly involved the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves; in response, Gunn wrote that “I don’t think IW is ruined by spoilers.”

He also clarified that, while “critics or folks spoiling movies is an asshole move,” it’s also “not the be all and end all.” So even if Gunn knows what happens in the next “Avengers” movie, he’s not likely to tell us.

Daily Headlines
Daily Headlines covering Film, TV and more.

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Must Read
PMC Logo
IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 IndieWire Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.