Worst Movie Taglines of All Time: How They Missed the Mark

Movie taglines are often the first glimpse potential viewers get of a film's essence. They serve to intrigue, entice, and summarize the fundamental themes or plot points of the upcoming movie. However, not all taglines hit the mark. In this article, we will explore some of the worst movie taglines of all time and discuss why they fell flat.

The King Returns

One of the most notable examples of a poorly executed tagline is the one for the 1939 classic Adventure. The movie, directed by Victor Fleming, is a roadmap back to Hollywood's Golden Age with the return of Clark Gable. The tagline, meant to capture the public's imagination and reassure them that Gable was back, was:

"Many years ago, in a faraway land, under a strange sky, GABLE was king. Now, with the GABLE king back, GABLE went off to war. "

The story behind this tagline is interesting. MGM's New York publicity head offered a prize of $250 to any publicist who came up with the best slogan. Emily Torchia, an employee, wrote it. The tagline, while lengthy and poetic, was maintained in the original trailers and advertisements.

Some people loved the slogan, while others found it overly dramatic and clichéd. Despite the mixed reactions, the movie proved to be financially successful, earning a profit of half a million dollars.

Die Hard: A Shoeless Tale

Another example of a poorly conceived tagline comes from the 1988 action film Die Hard, which is commonly known in Japan as 'Reluctant Hero'. The Japanese movie posters for the film featured a tagline that reads:

"He has no shoes" and "But this time, he has shoes"

These taglines are often attributed to the lack of shoe-wearing in Bruce Willis' character, John McClane, in the first movie. However, the translator's attempt to convey the essence of the film resulted in lines that seemed to focus on the absence (and presence) of a seemingly irrelevant detail.

In Die Hard 2, the same Japanese release also features a similar tagline:

"He has shoes"

You can watch Minty's video on this topic here.

Why They Failed

So why did these taglines miss the mark? Often, they relied solely on generic or cliché language, lacking the unique and memorable quality that enthralls audiences. Great taglines capture the essence of the film, intrigue, and sometimes even hint at the plot in a subtle way. Poor taglines tend to fall short in these aspects, failing to generate the necessary buzz or to leave a lasting impression.

For Adventure, the tagline tried to evoke a sense of nostalgia and the grandeur of Gable as a leading man in the golden age of Hollywood. However, the actual plot of the film was a bit different and less dramatic than suggested. Similarly, for Die Hard, the tagline focused on a detail that, while accurate, didn't capture the intensity and action of the film.

Conclusion

Although these taglines are now remembered as some of the worst in movie history, they also provide an interesting case study in the challenges of tagline writing. Understanding what makes a good tagline can help aspiring filmmakers and marketers create compelling and memorable slogans for their films and products.

Related Keywords

movie taglines, worst taglines, movie marketing