There are two different questions here.
WHAT IS A SPOILER
A spoiler is ANY information about the plot of a movie that someone may not know going in. Yes, there are major surprise and reveals, but that's not where spoilers end. Maybe I don't want to know that person A fights person B, or that certain characters get injured or kiss or whatever. So yes, you shouldn't discuss any of the plot without spoiler tags for a new movie. It isn't a spoiler to say vague things like how you felt about a movie, but specific plot points, yes.
which leads to the other question:
HOW LONG IS SOMETHING A "SPOILER"?
If someone hasn't felt the need to watch Citizen Kane or The Empire Strikes back by now, they can't complain about people talking about the plot or even the ending decades later. They have had plenty of time to see it.
Obviously new theatrical releases should not be spoiled openly, and even after it hits blu/dvd/etc people may just be seeing it for the first time, so they should not have it spoiled. But I would say by a year later, spoiler tags should not be necessary. If they havent bothered to watch it, they dont care enough about seeing it to care if they hear spoilery info about it.
|