Films you changed your mind over

pixelburp · 18-08-2015 6:38pm #1

So I was reading an article the other day that mentioned Starship Troopers in passing & it got me thinking about how my opinion has see-sawed over the years: it's regarded quite favourably these days as something of a cult classic, yet the first time I saw it I really hated the film, thought it utter vacuous, moronic garbage; however, subsequent viewings and retrospective opinions from others has changed my opinion a fair bit, warming more to Starship Troopers' blatant satirical approach so that I saw it as clever, vacuous garbage instead

My question to the forum then would be:
What films have you changed your mind about over the years, becoming either a lover or a hater - and what was it that altered your tune?

Different opinions swaying your view? A change in age or personal perspective? Or do you find that once you decide you like / hate a film, that's it and you're simply not for persuading otherwise?

Am kinda curious because the internet can seem quite fundamentalist sometimes, with people unwilling to admit fault or a change in viewpoint - yet I'm sure we all change our mind about things, especially subjective hobbies

Tipsy McSwagger · 18-08-2015 9:01pm

AI. I didn't get it at the time it was released but re watched it last year and it's nothing short of a masterpiece. It's a terribly sad film about responsibility and being an outcast in a perfect world.

Liam McPoyle · 18-08-2015 9:25pm

Wolf Creek

I'd heard a huge amount of buzz about it when it was released in Australia so eagerly went to see it in the cinema over here.

Hated it, couldn't understand what people saw in it.

Rewatched it a couple of years later and thought it was fantastic.

The sequel is still awful gash though.

don ramo · 18-08-2015 10:20pm

Gladiator, just hated it to pieces when i first watched it, i must of been in a very pissy mood, cause i rewatched about 7 years later after b1tching about it for years, and i absolutely love it now and rewatch it every year or two,

i think mainly cause i saw jaquin phoenix in a film i loved was what swayed me to rewatch it, i just couldnt stand him in the film and he was always fairly central to my hatred of the film, but now i love him as an actor, and always keep an eye out for his films, very odd i know, but like i said i mustve been in some mood watching it first time round,

still dont like the Godfather films though, i watched them when i was 16, 20, 24, 29, thinking maybe it was just my age or something, i really wanted to get the love for them, but i just cant, i honestly just do see what so great about them,

i love when you watch a film, and love it, and then rewatch it and love it even more, most recently it happened with Interstellar, i dunno if its just i understood it better or what, i understood it pretty well first time, but that second viewing was so much better than the first, which was great,

TOPDAWG2.0 · 19-08-2015 2:10am

Batman Begins. Hugely disappointed when i first saw it in the cinema. Was expecting more of a standard superhero/oldstylew Bat man movie and didn't quite get it was a reboot. Watched it on DVD a year later and was blown away.

The Transporter Movies. Turned it off after ten minutes think it was far too cheesy and schmucky not realising that was exactly what it was going for! Great fun OTT movies.

And for the exact same reason as the Transporter you can add the Mission Impossible movies to my list as well.

Drumsnotdead · 19-08-2015 2:57pm

2001 A space Odyssey.

It's a pretty obvious one but when you watch it again you are ready for it and can appreciate the beauty of the slow shots and the cinematography instead of worrying about the monolith and trying to understand every part of the story.

MilesMorales1 · 19-08-2015 4:01pm

When the MCU first started, I thought they were all bollocks, ****e like, wouldn't measure up to the TDKR (I know) then I watched Cap 2, and watched all the other ones, changed my opinion pretty quick.

e_e · 19-08-2015 6:42pm

Blade Runner

Brother lent it to me when I was 12 (when I had this really shallow "I demand to be entertained!!!!" approach to movies), expected an action movie and it bored the hell out of me. Gave it another chance on DVD a few years later, appreciated it a little more but didn't yet love it. Then a few months back I finally gave the Final Cut on blu-ray my undivided attention and holy ****ing ****, what a movie.

johnny_ultimate · 19-08-2015 6:52pm

As a suggestible 15/16 year old, I was obsessed with Donnie Darko. When I first watched it, it was pretty revelatory - weird, mysterious and provocative in a way few films I'd seen up until then were. I watched it a lot during a two-three year period. Then I saw the Director's Cut. To be accurate, I also saw Richard Kelly's subsequent films, and probably a whole lot of other rather more formative films too. Now I still like the film, even though I haven't seen it in years - the original cut's strange alchemy still works I'm sure. But what Richard did (next) means I struggle to see it as anything more than a memorable fluke. His director's cut undermines almost everything that made the original work so well (especially the soundtrack and the artful ambiguity), and his subsequent films did little to contest that impression. What once to me seemed so precise and considered now comes across as a compromised version of the director's true intentions - it just happens the compromise was vastly superior to said intentions.

On a more positive reversal, when I first watched Assassination of Jesse James on release I found it laborious, sluggish and portentous. Revisiting it last year revealed a devastating and complex modern masterpiece. Happy to say 2007 me was dead wrong.

Also Garden State: I adored this film when I was 17. I can't even bring myself to watch it again now - engaging visuals and an utterly committed (if manic pixie-d out the wazoo) Natalie Portman performance aside, what once seemed so appealing now makes me physically recoil.

MilesMorales1 · 19-08-2015 6:57pm

Oh and Moonrise Kingdom. I watched it when it came out on DVD with a friend, and I thought it was ****e. Rewetted later on after seeing the grand budapest, thought it was amazing.

Mike Litoris · 27-08-2015 10:58am

The Shining. Found it boring and not very scary as a kid/teen. Watched it about 5 years ago and finally got what "most" of the hype was about.:p

pixelburp · 27-08-2015 11:20am

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

AI. I didn't get it at the time it was released but re watched it last year and it's nothing short of a masterpiece. It's a terribly sad film about responsibility and being an outcast in a perfect world.

This is an interesting one as it's on my rewatch list for some time, pretty much because of opinions like yours & others out there; there seems to be a growing swell of opinion & reassessment that AI was completely misjudged on release. I vaguely remember it being slated by those choosing to see a saccharine Spielberg tone over a darker, Kubricks infused one, whereas in reality I believe Kubrick had a very heavy say on the final film / script. I'd love to watch it again with hindsight in my pocket.

e_e · 27-08-2015 11:36am

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia went from putting me asleep in the middle of a film festival to keeping me up until 2 in the morning when it was on Film 4. That's a sure sign that if a film opts for a different pace on purpose you really need to tune in to that and not just dismiss it offhand as "slow".

Sad Professor · 27-08-2015 6:20pm

The first time I saw The Thin Red Line I thought it was terrible. But I kept going back to it over the years. Each time i was left similarly underwhelmed. But again, I kept going back. I must have had a dozen such unsatisfied viewings before it started to grow on me. I’m not sure if it ever “clicked" exactly. Even now I can’t quite articulate what I love about it. It was just a gradual process of finding myself drawn over and over again to a film which consciously I didn’t much care for, but which had obviously touched me on some subconscious level that I kept revisiting it, believing that I had missed something.

e_e · 27-08-2015 6:37pm

Sad Professor wrote: »

The first time I saw The Thin Red Line I thought it was terrible. But I kept going back to it over the years. Each time i was left similarly underwhelmed. But again, I kept going back. I must have had a dozen such unsatisfied viewings before it started to grow on me. I’m not sure if it ever “clicked" exactly. Even now I can’t quite articulate what I love about it. It was just a gradual process of finding myself drawn over and over again to a film which consciously I didn’t much care for, but which had obviously touched me on some subconscious level that I kept revisiting it, believing that I had missed something.

I can imagine The Tree of Life having that effect on people too. Especially people who saw it in the cinema not knowing what they were in for.

jones · 28-08-2015 2:17pm

e_e wrote: »

I can imagine The Tree of Life having that effect on people too. Especially people who saw it in the cinema not knowing what they were in for.

The space scenes in tree of life are spectacular.

Wedwood · 01-09-2015 11:26pm

The Phantom Menace.

When I saw it in the cinema in 1999 I thought it was poor. I later convinced myself I was being too harsh and was underappreciating George Lucas' 'political intrigue' space opera.

I subsequently discovered I had gone into some form of denial and that Phantom Menace is terrible after all !!!

Le Surge Eyed Amant · 02-09-2015 2:51am

The Usual Suspects. I watched it many years ago and was blown away by the ending. Having watched the film again, I think it's pretty unremarkable in its entirety and a bit boring at times.

Imnotthehulk · 04-09-2015 2:07pm

Mike Litoris wrote: »

The Shining. Found it boring and not very scary as a kid/teen. Watched it about 5 years ago and finally got what "most" of the hype was about.:p

Same as myself with the Shining ... and Alien. Had watched both on video in my youth, and didn't think much of either. Wasn't until I saw them in cinema that I finally got them.

Walter Bishop · 04-09-2015 3:04pm

Mike Litoris wrote: »

The Shining. Found it boring and not very scary as a kid/teen. Watched it about 5 years ago and finally got what "most" of the hype was about.:p

Read the book. Much better and quite different in parts to the film.

I loved the Breakfast Club when I was a teenager myself, saw the first half about three years ago and had to switch it off due to an intense cringing fit.

06-09-2015 10:38am

American Psycho.

Hated it first time around. I was wrong.

tunguska · 08-09-2015 10:27am

This happens to me all the time..........

The darjeeling limited

Loved Wes Anderson's other movies but when I saw this first I was disappointed. Didnt really get it. But a few years later it was on CH4 and I just happened upon it as it was starting. Really lliked the start so I said id watch that.........man how wrong I was about this movie, its pretty brilliant. I think I just wasnt mature enough to understand it the first time around, but second time I just got it. One of my favorite films now.

Everlong1 · 08-09-2015 10:39am

The Game, David Fincher's follow up to Seven. Absolutley loved Seven and couldn't wait to see The Game. However when I saw it in the cnema for the first time, the ending left me going "What the f*ck?" and feeling cheated. Something about it kept me coming back though and now I love it, having eventually "got" the ending which left me so bewildered the first time around.

mbradso2003 · 16-09-2015 4:35pm

Deleted User wrote: »

American Psycho.

Hated it first time around. I was wrong.

Nearly left cinema, didnt get it at all. Boy was I wrong, great movie.

EtoinShrdlu · 26-09-2015 8:26pm

Reservoir Dogs.

After watching it the first time I did not like it – overhyped with a real 'emperor's new clothes' vibe. Watched it again only a few months ago, and while I didn't think it was fantastic, I did enjoy it.

Chris_Heilong · 28-09-2015 11:08am

when I was young, anything too dark and moody just seemed boring, I didnt get why people liked blade runner, Batman (Burton's) or Nightmare before Christmas, later I got it when I reached my teens.

shazzerman · 28-09-2015 2:12pm

I watched San Andreas on Friday and thought it was terrible; on Saturday I refined this judgement and now believe it to be one of the worst films I have ever seen.

Skerries · 29-09-2015 12:00pm

GET TO THE CHOPPA!

thebostoncrab · 29-09-2015 5:10pm

As a kid and as a teenager I hated A Nightmare Before Christmas, as a kid I found it really boring and as a teen I think I just hated the sudden hype behind it and how everyone now loved it on a new level. In my late 20s now and it doesn't feel like Christmas without watching it. Honestly it has become one of my favourite movies and I adore the soundtrack so much.

The Golden Miller · 30-09-2015 12:55am

Watching the Aviator as an impatient 15 year old was never gonna go down too well. Turned if off halfway through thinking it was one of the most boring films I ever saw. Watched it some years later and it's one of my favourites. Engrossing and fascinating.

Big Fish too. Saw it in the cinema and though it was a load of nonsense. Fell in love with it on second viewing.

Mugsy_P · 01-10-2015 11:15am

Anchorman strangely. I hated it the first time I saw it on a date in the cinema. Second time I watched it I was in stitches! Now I've grown weary of all the over quoted lines... Full circle!

NyOmnishambles · 01-10-2015 4:10pm

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Oh and Moonrise Kingdom. I watched it when it came out on DVD with a friend, and I thought it was ****e. Rewetted later on after seeing the grand budapest, thought it was amazing.

tunguska wrote: »

This happens to me all the time..........

The darjeeling limited

Loved Wes Anderson's other movies but when I saw this first I was disappointed. Didnt really get it. But a few years later it was on CH4 and I just happened upon it as it was starting. Really lliked the start so I said id watch that.........man how wrong I was about this movie, its pretty brilliant. I think I just wasnt mature enough to understand it the first time around, but second time I just got it. One of my favorite films now.

Must be a Wes Anderson thing

I hated The Royal Tannenbaums on first viewing which bugged me for years as I loved and enjoyed his previous and subsequent works

On a rewatch I very much fell in love with it though it isn't my favourite of his

sky88 · 01-10-2015 4:38pm

Casino loved it when i watched it first then watched it recently and thought it was terrible and slow just didnt enjoy it at all which was disappointing as i was really looking forward to watching it again

alex.middleton · 02-10-2015 6:21pm

the first time I saw "there will be blood" starring daniel day lewis I found myself bored by the apparent oil focused theme of the film - one year later I re-watched it and was dissapointed by how narrow my mind had been to not appreciate the brilliant characters and actors who cover such a plethora of humanity.

Tony EH · 03-10-2015 1:58am

There's been a few. But, I'm a serial re-watcher of films (which some people find bizarre) and there are pictures that do improve with subsequent viewings. So, to mention just a few:

'Fargo'. Didn't get it when I first saw it. Now, I love it.

'The Big Lewbowski'. Thought it was hideously overrated by some, but now think it's great.

'They Live'. Couldn't believe one of my "heroes", John Carpenter, could direct such bollocks. Then one day, it simply clicked and now it's brilliant. He has actually directed some bollocks though.

GerB40 · 03-10-2015 2:08am

Home Alone 1 + 2. I loved those movies as a kid. Christmas just wasn't complete without them. To this day I could probably say most words from both movies off by heart. I don't know what age I was when I realised that both movies are basically about two career criminals trying to murder a child. I felt betrayed by this realisation and could never watch them again...

Tony EH · 03-10-2015 2:29am

Keep the change, ya filthy animal

Chain Smoker · 03-10-2015 10:43am

Babe: Pig in the City
From the second I realised James Cromwell's role would be drastically reduced, I was disappointed. The setting in the city was fairly different and George Miller's typically bonkers direction (having opted to not direct the first one because he felt his style wouldn't suit it, which it wouldn't have, only to get in a bit of a huff when Chris Noonan was getting a lot of the accolades for it) was extremely disorienting.

With the exception of the goofy ending, I absolutely love it now. Rather than retreading the original it throws the character into a totally different environment, one where the awfulness of the world is a lot more universal (as opposed to the original where it's fairly focused on Babe being an unfortunate figure in a system which is not so bad overall) maintaining and furthering the character's integrity.

That scene on the bridge was always magnificent though, cannot believe it isn't on YouTube. Just thinking of it makes me cry a bit.

Wedwood · 03-10-2015 4:17pm

2001: A Space Odyssey.

I thought this was a terrible movie the first time I saw it as a kid on TV.

Years later, I gave it another go on DVD on my first widescreen TV and finally understood why it was considered a masterpiece.

Blade Runner went thorough a similar process, where I eventually changed my opinion of the film after the first Director's Cut was released on DVD.

Finally seeing both these movies in their correct aspect ratio after years on 4:3 pan and scan videos was perhaps the critical factor.

Cb9 · 03-10-2015 4:27pm

I liked the star wars prequels as a kid, now I hate them.

Unearthly · 04-10-2015 1:10pm

Good topic.

As a kid I hated the Shining, but now is one of my favorite ever films. Same with the Thing.

On the other hand I loved Saw 1 when it first came out. Watched it again recently and the acting is woeful, like just really really bad. Shocked me

Cows Go µ · 05-10-2015 11:37pm

Until I hit my late teens I hated James Bond. The character, the movies, all of it. I just didn't get why it was so popular.

Then at about 16/17, my dad got me the first 3 books as a "present" (ie something that he wanted but to justify the purchase to mum, he bought it for me) and I loved them. Then soon after that Casino Royale came out and I loved that too.

I've never gone out of my way to watch the older movies but if I see them on tv I'll flick over. At least now I will happily watch them. I think my problem was that because they were so popular I was expecting masterpieces but now that I view them as a bit of fun, I can appreciate them for what they are.

Tar.Aldarion · 06-10-2015 10:51am

e_e wrote: »

Blade Runner

Brother lent it to me when I was 12 (when I had this really shallow "I demand to be entertained!!!!" approach to movies), expected an action movie and it bored the hell out of me. Gave it another chance on DVD a few years later, appreciated it a little more but didn't yet love it. Then a few months back I finally gave the Final Cut on blu-ray my undivided attention and holy ****ing ****, what a movie.

I'd say this, when I was young I didn't really get it, saw it in the cinema recently and it was amazing.

Nice to see a film that doesn't have bad guys for the sake of it, that are jsut up to evil for no good and all that.

Mister Vain · 07-10-2015 9:50pm

I didn't like Fight Club when I first saw it. I turned it off before the twist at the end, big mistake. I really liked it after seeing it the second time.

I loved Transcendence the first time but it wasn't nearly as good the second time, I don't know why.

Films you changed your mind over

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