Movies that don't hold up on (much) later rewatch.

[Zarathud]

Gremlins was more gratuitous than I remembered. The tractor, the microwaving, the stabbing and the destruction was more vicious, nasty and juvenile than I remembered. Its tone felt choppy — some parts were just slow filler, other madcap antics were just stupid.

[Daehawk]

I know I have one movie but I cant think of it!! lol. I clearly recall trying to rewatch a movie I loved once as a younger me and finding it so bad I had to stop half way thorough and walk away. I just cant remember what it was or even about now. Dang mind. Too many years and beers.

[Punisher]

There's a lot of movies that lose most of their appeal based on computers and the internet. Hackers, Wargames, The Net (which was never good).

I haven't seen it for a while, but I feel Wargames would retain its appeal as an artifact of the pre-mainstream-internet world. Anyone into technology rolled their eyes at Hackers and The Net even in their time.

I just saw War Games again tjis past week and still enjoyed it overall, but there were a bunxh of parts that I thought it sl8wed down on.
Part of its appeal may be that I think that i had one of those modems you put the phone on. It seems super familiar and i know i had modem in the 80s as a kid.

[ImLawBoy]

There's a lot of movies that lose most of their appeal based on computers and the internet. Hackers, Wargames, The Net (which was never good).

I haven't seen it for a while, but I feel Wargames would retain its appeal as an artifact of the pre-mainstream-internet world. Anyone into technology rolled their eyes at Hackers and The Net even in their time.

Wargames is firmly rooted in its time, so i think it still works.

[Jeff V]

I rarely re-watch movies because, why? I've not seen them all yet, why watch something that I already know the punchline?

Most movies to me fall in this category. A more interesting question is what movies actually hold up to watching a second time.

[Holman]

A few years back to tried to introduce our teen boys to a handful of John Hughes movies.

They don't really hold up. Hughes understood the American teenager at a certain moment in time, but that moment has passed.

[ImLawBoy]

I rarely re-watch movies because, why? I've not seen them all yet, why watch something that I already know the punchline?

Most movies to me fall in this category. A more interesting question is what movies actually hold up to watching a second time.

That's the same reason I never look at a painting or statue twice. Once I've seen it once, what's the point?

[raydude]

There's a lot of movies that lose most of their appeal based on computers and the internet. Hackers, Wargames, The Net (which was never good).

I haven't seen it for a while, but I feel Wargames would retain its appeal as an artifact of the pre-mainstream-internet world. Anyone into technology rolled their eyes at Hackers and The Net even in their time.

Wargames is firmly rooted in its time, so i think it still works.

This. Thanks for reminding me about this movie. I need to remember this for movie night with my daughters, both to showcase 80's early internet technology and how we were worried about nuclear war with the Russians.

[Blackhawk]

Ladyhawke.

The story is still the same divisive love it or hate it story, but the soundtrack, which was an odd choice at the time, really dates it - distractingly so.

[EvilHomer3k]

I rarely re-watch movies because, why? I've not seen them all yet, why watch something that I already know the punchline?

Most movies to me fall in this category. A more interesting question is what movies actually hold up to watching a second time.

That's the same reason I never look at a painting or statue twice. Once I've seen it once, what's the point?

I understand where Jeff is coming from. There's so much content out there that, for the most part, I'd rather watch something I haven't seen before than rewatch something. There are exceptions, of course. I watch Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and the Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials every year. We also watch older 90s movies with the kids a fair amount. But I don't regularly re-watch older movies even when I love them because there's literally dozens of movies I want to watch that I haven't seen.

[ImLawBoy]

Except that Jeff is saying he "already knows the punchline", so why bother re-watching. I don't re-watch a lot today because I don't have time and want to allot it to new things, too. But (good) movies are about more than the plot and the punchline. There's value to re-watching a lot of movies because of nuances of performances, or focusing on different elements, or just wanting to re-experience something moving or beautiful.

[Brian]

Not to mention there are times when a rewatch allows you a different perspective and maybe changes the meaning of the movie.

Hell, there's a long list of movies that I didn't particularly enjoy the first time around but have since become beloved classics that have been rewatched multiples times. Just a few from that list include The Big Lebowski, Weird Science, and even The Fifth Element. All of these movies I failed to connect with on first view.

[EvilHomer3k]

Everyone has a different way of experiencing movies, music, art, videogames, etc. For some people having a totally new experience is greater than re-living a previous experience in a new way. Neither is wrong. It's just how different people spend their time and what they value for that activity. My wife hates running/walking the same routes every day. I don't mind it at all. She'll rewatch The Office, Parks and Rec, and the X-Files over and over while I would rather have a completely new experience watching something else even if I don't like it as much as I like Parks and Rec (I'll leave the office out of it since I've had way more of Michael Scott than I care to). That isn't to say I never re watch shows/movies I just like the experience of something new most of the time.

[Apollo]

I'm a big believer in re-watching movies. Sometimes my opinion changes drastically on a second watching and not always for the worse. I saw Fight Club in 2000 and thought "What's the big deal?" then re-watched it last year and thought "OMG! This is now one of my all-time favorites!". Had the exact same experience re-watching "American Beauty" last year as well.

I got Netflix in 2011 and over the last 12 years I watched over 1500 movies. The problem was that the more movies I watched the pickier I got and though I found tons of new favorites, I also began to burn out on watching new movies because so many fell short of my new heightened expectations. The end result is that now about half the movies I watch are ones I have seen before. It's gotten harder and harder for my to watch new movies that rarely live up to my expectations when I know I can just watch an old favorite that I'm guaranteed to enjoy. But then if I never watch new movies I never get any new experiences, so it's kind of a mental struggle for me when deciding what movie I want to watch.

[Octavious]

Sixteen Candles and Canonball Run were ones from last year. Candles we made it all the way through, but the whole gong sound when the Asian kid comes on the screen is well wow... Run I couldn't finish I tried watching it with my daughter and she was horrified. I don't think we're going to have a Burt marathon in our house.

And anyone that says Gremlins doesn't hold up is dead inside. It's still as fantastic as the day it was made.

[McNutt]

Ladyhawke.

The story is still the same divisive love it or hate it story, but the soundtrack, which was an odd choice at the time, really dates it - distractingly so.

I remember rewatching this a LONG time ago and wondering what in the hell they were thinking with that music.

[Isgrimnur]

[Blackhawk]

Re: rewatching movies (and TV shows.)

It's entertainment, not a commitment. Not a checklist that you're expected to complete (expected by whom?) Everyone should do it the way that they find most entertaining, just like everyone should recognize that different people find happiness in different things, and not be judgemental because someone else does it differently.

Personally? I absolutely rewatch movies and shows (and re-read books, and re-play games.) It's generally after long enough that I no longer remember the smaller strokes and nuances, and, as Brian said, that my perspective has changed. I've had experiences where I watched/read interactions between characters from a teenager's perspective, identifying with the young, naive character, only to experience them again years later as a parent, identifying with a different character and seeing their perspective instead (and often wondering why the hell I ever identified with the obnoxious kid...) That's a completely different experience, even though it's the same film/show/book.

And sometimes there's something to be said for a certain feeling of 'coming home' to familiar characters and places. It's much more common with shows, since you spend more time with those people and in those places (like the library in Buffy.)

That's not the same as getting stuck in nostalgia for 'better' times. I embrace plenty of the new along with hanging on to choice bits of the past. But in the end, on my death bed, nobody is going to be comparing my list to someone else's to see who has more checkmarks. We'll just be looking back and asking, "Did we enjoy ourselves?"

[Jaymann]

Steamboat Willie.

[Blackhawk]

Steamboat Willie.

Pretty much any cartoon.

[Jeff V]

I rarely re-watch movies because, why? I've not seen them all yet, why watch something that I already know the punchline?

Most movies to me fall in this category. A more interesting question is what movies actually hold up to watching a second time.

That's the same reason I never look at a painting or statue twice. Once I've seen it once, what's the point?

Agreed. It happens sometimes, like with movies, when showing to someone who's never seen it. Unlike movies though, the availability to look at most paintings is sadly limited.

It's also a bit of a non-sequitur, as paintings seldom have a plot that's spoiled after the first viewing.

[hepcat]

Triumph of the Will

[ImLawBoy]

I rarely re-watch movies because, why? I've not seen them all yet, why watch something that I already know the punchline?

Most movies to me fall in this category. A more interesting question is what movies actually hold up to watching a second time.

That's the same reason I never look at a painting or statue twice. Once I've seen it once, what's the point?

Agreed. It happens sometimes, like with movies, when showing to someone who's never seen it. Unlike movies though, the availability to look at most paintings is sadly limited.

It's also a bit of a non-sequitur, as paintings seldom have a plot that's spoiled after the first viewing.

The point being is there's more to a movie than the plot. But you consume art the way you want to consume art.

[hepcat]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

[Brian]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

Put the bunny back in the box.

[dbt1949]

The one I could watch forever is Where Eagles Dare. You get exactly what you expect in this Clint Eastwood affair.

[hepcat]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

Put the bunny back in the box.

For you and I it would be From Beyond I imagine.

[Hyena]

A few years back to tried to introduce our teen boys to a handful of John Hughes movies.

They don't really hold up. Hughes understood the American teenager at a certain moment in time, but that moment has passed.

Oddly enough, the new 21 Jump Street does a GREAT job capturing just how much has changed since we were all in high school. Everything that was cool is not now, and everything that was dorky/odd/different is celebrated. The one-strap vs. two-strap backpack thing stands out as one such example. It's subtle, but hysterically accurate.

[Brian]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

Put the bunny back in the box.

For you and I it would be From Beyond I imagine.

Apparently I missed an opportunity to meet Jeffrey Combs a while back.
Our local Alamo Drafthouse had an event featuring a bunch of his shows and he did a guest appearance.

I also missed an opportunity to meet Catherine Mary Stewart at a similar event back when we lived in Phoenix. She showed up at a double-feature showing The Last Star Fighter & Night Of The Comet. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend.

The one I really regret though was Ron Glass (Shepherd Book, Firefly). He made an appearance at a local comic book store and when we rolled up there was a huge line.
We figured we would try later but when we came back he'd already left.
Oh well, next time.
Unfortunately he passed a few months later.

[hentzau]

I am a serial movie re-watcher. I personally find comfort in re-watching movies. A lot of them I just have on in the background just for noise while I'm painting or crafting.

[Scraper]

This might be heresy, BUT the original Superman movies. Yes even 1 and 2. As good as they were at the time, if you showed them to a kid who grew up on Marvel movies they would be bored out of their skulls.

[ImLawBoy]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

The subtleties of Nic Cage's Bill Clinton impression don't really surface until you get to about watch 15.

[hepcat]

…while ImLawBoy and I watch Con Air for the 27th time.

Put the bunny back in the box.

For you and I it would be From Beyond I imagine.

Apparently I missed an opportunity to meet Jeffrey Combs a while back.
Our local Alamo Drafthouse had an event featuring a bunch of his shows and he did a guest appearance.

I also missed an opportunity to meet Catherine Mary Stewart at a similar event back when we lived in Phoenix. She showed up at a double-feature showing The Last Star Fighter & Night Of The Comet. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend.

The one I really regret though was Ron Glass (Shepherd Book, Firefly). He made an appearance at a local comic book store and when we rolled up there was a huge line.
We figured we would try later but when we came back he'd already left.
Oh well, next time.
Unfortunately he passed a few months later.

Oh man, that's too bad.

This might be heresy, BUT the original Superman movies. Yes even 1 and 2. As good as they were at the time, if you showed them to a kid who grew up on Marvel movies they would be bored out of their skulls.

I can understand the technical aspects of the movie not aging well, but the heart that that movie has has not been surpassed by any other superhero film in the last decade or more. Reeves is and always will be the quintessential Superman that all others should aspire to.

[Jaymon]

I tried Young Frankenstein with my college daughter, She is a Frankenstein fanatic, so it seemed like a good choice.

We had some laughs, its a good cast and a funny movie. And then suddenly the ending went off the rails with every single character having sex. Cringy awful comedic 1970s shock value sex. Ruined our vibe, and spoiled the experience for us.

[hepcat]

Cringy awful comedic 1970s shock value sex. Ruined our vibe, and spoiled the experience for us.

If you feel that was "cringy" and "shock value" sex, I feel like you might have been doing it wrong all these years....

[YellowKing]

Haha I was kind of thinking the same thing. You sure it was Young Frankenstein and not Andy Warhol's Frankenstein?