Films that were once loved that are now not considered great

The Late Late Show · 12-08-2019 10:19pm #1

When one thinks back to what they went to see in the cinema and what the most anticipated films were, some have remained loved and more have not. Sure, there were films considered great back when released and still are now and sure, there are films always hated.

The obvious one for me is: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. When this was released, everyone went to see it and by and large loved it. But as the years went by, this film has not been loved.

What others come to mind?

Faith+1 · 12-08-2019 10:20pm

Avatar

pixelburp · 12-08-2019 10:55pm

You can easily loop in any film with retrograde cultural moments; so I'm thinking of things like Micky Rooney playing an "Asian" character in Breakfast At Tiffany's, or the earlier Bonds where Jimmy often forcibly pushed himself on women, despite their protests (heck, it also had "slitty eyes" characters itself, with Dr No and its titular villain). Movies like that you have to swallow those clunking missteps to still enjoy them.

Otherwise, pick any Oscar Best Picture winner of the last 90 odd years for a good candidate

s7ryf3925pivug · 12-08-2019 10:59pm

human traffic or almost any of those films designed to appear profound to teenagers.

The Late Late Show · 12-08-2019 11:08pm

pixelburp wrote: »

You can easily loop in any film with retrograde cultural moments; so I'm thinking of things like Micky Rooney playing an "Asian" character in Breakfast At Tiffany's, or the earlier Bonds where Jimmy often forcibly pushed himself on women, despite their protests (heck, it also had "slitty eyes" characters itself, with Dr No and its titular villain). Movies like that you have to swallow those clunking missteps to still enjoy them.

Otherwise, pick any Oscar Best Picture winner of the last 90 odd years for a good candidate

There was a discussion about misogyny in James Bond films on the Bond 25 thread. It most certainly is blatant in most of them. But these early Bond films are often highly rated. The other thing you notice in the earlier Bond films is the blatant anti-Chinese propaganda in them. China funded SPECTRE and China/North Korea used Goldfinger to try and destroy America.

khalessi · 12-08-2019 11:10pm

The Karate Kid naff didnt hold up over the years

The Late Late Show · 12-08-2019 11:17pm

khalessi wrote: »

The Karate Kid naff didnt hold up over the years

Went to see one of the sequels of this in the cinema and I thought it was one of the worst films I ever saw. The original I saw later and it is just okay. The sequels are dire.

12-08-2019 11:19pm

Titanic, the budding romance between Jack & Rose is contrived.

gmisk · 12-08-2019 11:24pm

Crash and Babel both absolute garbage

Arghus · 12-08-2019 11:25pm

American Beauty - Think it was seen as very edgy and daring at the time, but now a lot of it seems very dated and emotionally tone deaf in places - and that's even if Kevin Spacey hadn't proved to be a weird dude in real life.

Tammy! · 13-08-2019 2:02pm

Donny Darko.

Tbh I half heartedly watched it once so could probably give it another try. I just remember everyone going on about it and then when I watched it, I thought it was only alright.

Jerichoholic · 13-08-2019 2:03pm

The Commitments is absolute cringe now

Bellerstring · 13-08-2019 2:06pm

Arghus wrote: »

American Beauty - Think it was seen as very edgy and daring at the time, but now a lot of it seems very dated and emotionally tone deaf in places - and that's even if Kevin Spacey hadn't proved to be a weird dude in real life.

Still a super film.
And what's this about Kevin Spacey?
A fantastic actor..
End of

IAMAMORON · 13-08-2019 2:07pm

It will always be a classic in my eyes. Even with the lack of misogyny, always a let down for me... I blame OJ.

Cassandra+Crossing,+The.jpg

silverharp · 13-08-2019 2:21pm

The lord of the rings movies? great at the time, I doubt you could pay me to watch them now

pixelburp · 13-08-2019 2:28pm

silverharp wrote: »

The lord of the rings movies? great at the time, I doubt you could pay me to watch them now

Bzzz, can't agree with that. I watched them all recently and they hold up - in fact, watching them in the modern climate of blockbusters was eye opening; the trilogy's only 20 years old yet it's true to say they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Tammy! · 13-08-2019 2:32pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Bzzz, can't agree with that. I watched them all recently and they hold up - in fact, watching them in the modern climate of blockbusters was eye opening; the trilogy's only 20 years old yet it's true to say they don't make 'em like that anymore.

I loved them when they came out but the thought of watching them again. I'm the same with Avatar.

I think those film's are just too long.

pixelburp · 13-08-2019 2:36pm

Tammy! wrote: »

I loved them when they came out but the thought of watching them again. I'm the same with Avatar.

I think those film's are just too long.

They're no longer than many Blockbusters these days IMO, where 2 - 2.5 hours is the norm; see the recent Avengers films and their bladder tightening 3 hour runtimes.

You can quibble over the Extended Editions' length, but IMO there's barely an ounce of fat on the theatrical cuts and the decision to shoot all three films at the same time gave the trilogy an overall cohesiveness missing in a lot of other series.

IMO they remain one of the best Hollywood blockbusters in history.

Tammy! · 13-08-2019 2:38pm

pixelburp wrote: »

They're no longer than many Blockbusters these days IMO, where 2 - 2.5 hours is the norm; see the recent Avengers films and their bladder tightening 3 hour runtimes.

You can quibble over the Extended Editions' length, but IMO there's barely an ounce of fat on the theatrical cuts and the decision to shoot all three films at the same time gave the trilogy an overall cohesiveness missing in a lot of other series.

IMO they remain one of the best Hollywood blockbusters in history.

I agree they're great movies. I just have no desire to watch them again like I would with other films.

The Late Late Show · 13-08-2019 2:47pm

Jerichoholic wrote: »

The Commitments is absolute cringe now

Loved and still love this film and I WISH we could hear bands like this today in Ireland singing proper music, in this case classic soul.

The sequel to it called The Van is something I cannot enjoy. Maybe it is that Brendan Mrs Brown O'Carroll is in it!!

pixelburp · 13-08-2019 2:59pm

Tammy! wrote: »

I agree they're great movies. I just have no desire to watch them again like I would with other films.

That's fair enough, though the thread is more about films no longer considered great & lost their lustre - which the LOTR trilogy hasn't IMO.

Avatar, length aside, would be appropriate: it's insane to think there was genuine excited hysteria over that film, quickly fading once the gimmick of the technology wore off.

gibgodsman · 13-08-2019 3:06pm

The original IT movie, used to absolutely terrify me, now I watch it and laugh at just how bad the CGI was, and can we talk about that Spider thing at the end? Stephen King is a weird dude

jh79 · 13-08-2019 5:04pm

Jerichoholic wrote: »

The Commitments is absolute cringe now

Snapper too.

silverharp · 13-08-2019 9:00pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Bzzz, can't agree with that. I watched them all recently and they hold up - in fact, watching them in the modern climate of blockbusters was eye opening; the trilogy's only 20 years old yet it's true to say they don't make 'em like that anymore.

my problem is that what were amazing battle sequences back then are pretty much copied in modern video games now. i'd say people would agree they that they have fond memories of the films but they wouldnt have huge rewatchability?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1HkuGUaNBY

banie01 · 13-08-2019 9:04pm

Leon.

Really enjoyed that movie in my youth, some standout performances and absolutely powerhouse acting from Oldman.
Reno was fantastic too, but on rewatching it fairly recently I honestly felt very creeped out by the sexualisation of Natalie Portman.

The movie hasn't changed, but by feck my opinion of it has.

iamtony · 13-08-2019 9:18pm

The van damm films (not movies) are disappointing to rewatch these days. Probably weren't great in the day but as a child watching kickboxer and the likes it was amazing stuff that got you roundhousing your brother afterwards.

Don't agree the commitments hasn't held up it's proper nostalgia and the music is great. Would watch anytime it's on.

Fr Tod Umptious · 13-08-2019 9:23pm

Jerichoholic wrote: »

The Commitments is absolute cringe now

I first saw it about 4 or 5 years after it initially came out and wondered what all the fuss was about.

The Late Late Show · 13-08-2019 9:26pm

iamtony wrote: »

The van damm films (not movies) are disappointing to rewatch these days. Probably weren't great in the day but as a child watching kickboxer and the likes it was amazing stuff that got you roundhousing your brother afterwards.

Don't agree the commitments hasn't held up it's proper nostalgia and the music is great. Would watch anytime it's on.

The Commitments is a great film and great music.

Those Van Damme films were probably better than those Chuck Norris films but all these were not really actors at all. They were martial arts stars who thought they'd try their luck at being the next Schwarzenegger.

Be right back · 13-08-2019 9:48pm

The English patient. Loved it when it first came out but now... Melodramatic and boring.

Agent Coulson · 13-08-2019 9:54pm

khalessi wrote: »

The Karate Kid naff didnt hold up over the years

The current series makes up for that.

Mike3549 · 13-08-2019 10:04pm

Rambo: first blood. Watched this a couple of months ago, my god soooo boring. It would be straight to dvd/television type of movie if released today.

silverharp · 13-08-2019 10:31pm

Mike3549 wrote: »

Rambo: first blood. Watched this a couple of months ago, my god soooo boring. It would be straight to dvd/television type of movie if released today.

i rewatched it with junior recently and thought it was quiet good, rewatched Rambo2 but found it a bit pedestrian

The Late Late Show · 13-08-2019 11:05pm

pixelburp wrote: »

That's fair enough, though the thread is more about films no longer considered great & lost their lustre - which the LOTR trilogy hasn't IMO.

Avatar, length aside, would be appropriate: it's insane to think there was genuine excited hysteria over that film, quickly fading once the gimmick of the technology wore off.

I never got around to watching Avatar so cannot judge. Most people do not really complain that much about its content but always give out about its length. The trend in this era was to make these long types of film that seemed 1 hour longer than needed.

The Late Late Show · 13-08-2019 11:15pm

silverharp wrote: »

i rewatched it with junior recently and thought it was quiet good, rewatched Rambo2 but found it a bit pedestrian

I found First Blood aka the first Rambo film good and explored the poor treatment of soldiers after coming back from Vietnam by their own country very well. That foxy deputy sheriff guy called Art Galt was a vile individual and even the main sheriff Will Teasle knew it. When Rambo unleashed his revenge and kills Galt, it was one of the most satisfying demises of a bad guy in film.

The Rambo sequels were mixed. Good fun and action .. if you could blot out the biased message that is much worse in the post Iraq war and John Bolton era. But at least they were not Chuck Norris films!!

iamtony · 13-08-2019 11:21pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The current series makes up for that.

Did you actually pay you tube to watch that series?

iamtony · 13-08-2019 11:28pm

I just remember the worst film I ever went back to that I had great memories of and it was Duncan McCloud of the clan McCloud. Highlander. Great film when I was young but convinced my missus she needed to see it and my god it was shocking.

alan partridge aha · 13-08-2019 11:39pm

banie01 wrote: »

Leon.

Really enjoyed that movie in my youth, some standout performances and absolutely powerhouse acting from Oldman.
Reno was fantastic too, but on rewatching it fairly recently I honestly felt very creeped out by the sexualisation of Natalie Portman.

The movie hasn't changed, but by feck my opinion of it has.

That reminds me must watch it again. Great stuff.

speedboatchase · 14-08-2019 2:00pm

Is Austin Powers still considered great? I watched The Spy Who Shagged Me a few weeks ago and had to turn it off. But I remember the series being absolutely massive - impressions of Austin were so popular too.

pixelburp · 14-08-2019 2:12pm

I'm not 100% sure, but think Austin Powers came out at the tail-end of the brief but nauseating "Cool Britannia" phase of the late 90s, early 00s, when all things British were considered very trendy. British things from the 1960s doubly so, likely making Myers' character an instant hit with international audiences. As you say, for a time everyone with delusions of comedy were pulling their best "yeah baby!".

Homelander · 14-08-2019 2:48pm

iamtony wrote: »

Did you actually pay you tube to watch that series?

It's really very good.

Is Austin Powers still considered great? I watched The Spy Who Shagged Me a few weeks ago and had to turn it off. But I remember the series being absolutely massive - impressions of Austin were so popular too.

Watched the first one recently and found it hard enough to get through at times. It's far too overdone in many scenes, but still has a few moments.

Loved it as a kid, probably saw it about 20 times.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 14-08-2019 7:00pm

Nobody ever mentions Austin Powers anymore. It's as forgotten as Mike Myers himself.

Agent Coulson · 14-08-2019 7:36pm

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Nobody ever mentions Austin Powers anymore. It's as forgotten as Mike Myers himself.

He made about $200m from Austin Powers, Wayne’s World and Shrek I don’t think he minds being forgotten about.

Ipso · 14-08-2019 9:00pm

Sh!te films, Dr Evil was great.

The Late Late Show · 14-08-2019 9:19pm

I haven't thought about or watched an Austin Powers film in years. Enjoyed them at the time. Will have to watch again and see what I think now.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective with Jim Carrey is another one people say that hasn't aged well that I also enjoyed then and have forgotten about/not watched for years.

Ipso · 14-08-2019 9:46pm

I saw a bit of Blown Away with Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones recently, enjoyed it at the time but it's a bit hokey now.

Dades · 15-08-2019 1:49pm

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Nobody ever mentions Austin Powers anymore. It's as forgotten as Mike Myers himself.

Those films spawned a thousand memes, and have far more rememberability than any recent spoof movies.

I watched the first one last week, it's still great fun.

Stop moaning ffs · 15-08-2019 5:08pm

pixelburp wrote: »

Bzzz, can't agree with that. I watched them all recently and they hold up - in fact, watching them in the modern climate of blockbusters was eye opening; the trilogy's only 20 years old yet it's true to say they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Agreed. They tried to make them like that with the hobbit trilogy and look what happened.

BorneTobyWilde · 15-08-2019 5:15pm

Gremlins, so big at first. Now just silly

Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Like WTF Must have took a billion at the box office, cringe.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 15-08-2019 9:25pm

Dades wrote: »

Those films spawned a thousand memes, and have far more rememberability than any recent spoof movies.

I watched the first one last week, it's still great fun.

Fair enough, but I barely hear them referenced anymore. I haven't seen any of them in years because they're never on TV and nobody suggests watching the. Maybe they hold up, I don't know.

Tammy! · 16-08-2019 9:19am

I'm still fond of Gremlins and Austin Powers.

One that I think was hyped up at the time but awful and probably recognised as that tbf is The Lawnmower Man!

pixelburp · 16-08-2019 9:22am

Oh, that'd actually be a good genre to dip into for "has not aged, and not as good as originally reviewed"; basically any movie from the 1990s that featured ... "The Internet"

So I'll go out on a limb and off the top of my head, wager that "The Net", "Viruousity", "Hackers", "Enemy of the State", and yeah, "Lawnmower Man" are pretty woeful to watch these days

Films that were once loved that are now not considered great

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