Whats the longest its taken you to acknowledge disappointment with a film? (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Scott]

maybe this is just aimed at creepy film geeks like myself- but has there ever been a film you've waited for so desperately, that you thought about so much before it opened, that you fully expected, without a doubt in your mind, to absolutely rock, and afterwards you couldn't fully admit to yourself until much later that not only was it a disappointment, it was actually, in some ways, insultingly bad.

off the top of my head, there were 4 movies i can remember being beyond obsessed to see- some were sequels that were in production 3 yrs or more, or new properties that were in development for even longer- and every bit of news leading up to the release told me that the film was going to be ...F#*%ing amazing!
and then afterwards, it was like i couldn't just honestly admit to myself what i really thought of it- i still went out and bought the $#it, the magazines, the happy meals, etc almost like it was just programmed drone behaviour.

this doesn't happen much anymore, either because i'm used to the phenomenon by now, or because i actually have more important things to worry about, but i still relish every opportunity i can get to tear those "disappointments" a new one.

anybody else know what i'm talking about?

 

[Clay-F]

It didnt take me long with "Once Upon a Time In Mexico"

I'm still annoyed by what they could have done with that movie.

Epsiode 1 and 2, neither were that great to me, but at least Ep 1 ended with an awesome saber duel.

Right now I'm having high hopes for Matrix Revolutions and Return of the King. Higher hopes for ROTK, because I know what should be in the movie after reading the books. PJ will have his spin on it, so that leaves some new stuff to look for.

Matrix is a different story, its the first time in a long time that a trilogy has built up so much. The Star Wars movies havent captivated me because ultimately I know what happens to many of the key characters. I know the direction that the stories will go, so they are really just eye candy to get me there. Matrix has me guessing....

 

[Travis_S]

I know exactly what you are talking about.
In 1997, when The Lost World: Jurassic Park came out, it was easily my most anticipated movie.
I was so hyped because I absolutely LOVED Jurassic Park (I was 9 at the time it came out)
I just expected excellence since it was directed by Steven Spielberg.
When I saw it, out of obligation I thought it rocked. I convinced myself that it was a great movie, talked about how great it was to all of my friends. In fact, I saw it twice more in the theater. It wasn't until the video release that I realized that it was really a sub-par movie. I do own the DVD, but that is probably out of a sense of completion.

 

[Scott Leopold]

It took me a long time to admit what a disappointment Episode 1 was. I'd been looking forward to it for so long that I didn't want to admit that it was as bad as it was. With Episode 2, it only took me a few weeks to come to grips with how bad it was. I also reevaluated Episode 1, and realized it wasn't as bad as, well, Episode 2 at least.

 

[Jim Bivins]

I do know what you mean. Batman is a title that stands out as being a movie I refused to admit was not as good as It should have been. I remember being so jazzed to see it during my senior year that I wouldn't accept it not being a great film, saw it about 5 times in the theater over a 4 month period and bought the VHS as soon as it came out, gradually the film wore on me, about 2 years after it came out I could admit how much I didn't care for it. Just doesn't hold up well, Burton can't direct action, and the story is bland and inapropriate for those characters.

I think probably because I've grown as movie geek, I've come to taper my excitement, with SW Ep. 1, I was probably the only Star Wars fan to actually think the movie could 'suck'...gasp! I had no problem thinking or stating this, I kind of go into most hyped films with this thought now.

I also go to movies to see the directors vision, NOT what I think it should be, based on 2 miniutes of footage in a trailer i saw. I think this is where many movie lover's feel they've been ripped. This also allows me to focus more on what REALLY makes a great film, interesting characters, story, acting, photography, music, etc.

By the way, great subject to bring up!
Jim

 

[David Williams]

The most recent film to suffer from this syndrome for me was Kill Bill. I loved the trailers and the concept... then I saw the film. While several of the vignettes rocked me, the over-arching gore did it in for me. I thought I was prepared for it, but in the end I was just repulsed. Especially by the anime segment. I can't imagine anything compelling me to see this film again. Although, I will probably head out to the cinema in February to see how it ends.

 

[Ricardo C]

It took me a couple of months to realize that "The Two Towers" was actually quite a disappointment to me. I tried to like it, but it just didn't do it for me. In fact, I find it less watchable as time goes by. As a standalone film, it's alright (not great, though). As an adaptation of the book of the same name, it's dreadful. And since my interest in the LOTR films comes from my passion for the books, the film's faithfulness to the source is very important to me.

When I set aside my knowledge of the source material and try to appreciate it solely on its cinematic merits, PJ's penchant for heavy-handed melodrama and sophomoric humor ruins it for me. I appreciate the heightened tension in Gandalf's "exorcism" of Théoden, but why did the Three Hunters have to engage Gríma's thugs in a silly fistfight? Someone at TORC once said "PJ has a knack for painting a masterpiece and then drawing smiley faces all over it". I agree completely, at least where TTT is concerned.

ps-- TTT fans, please notice the frequent use of the expressions "for me" and "to me" throughout this post. I'm giving an account of how TTT affected ME, and I'm well aware that my opinion is in the minority. So put away the rotten produce

 

[Lou Sytsma]

No problem Ricardo - hopefully the EE will improve your opinion. I'll say it again - one has to be able to separate a book from a movie. 2 different mediums, 2 different scopes of audiences to reach to be successful etc.

TPM and Matrix Reloaded are my latest such experiences.

Previously, ST-TMP held that spot. Thankfully the recently released director's edition improves upon the film immensely.

 

[Angelo.M]

Several examples come to mind, but...

David's experience with Kill Bill pretty much sums up my own.

Was a child of the Saturday-afternoon-channel-5-kung-fu-theater generation. Dig Tarantino. Couldn't have been more excited after seeing the teaser at the end of 2002, and it hurt to wait for it. Saw it, loved some sequences, but I had problems with it, including my disappointment with the underuse of Sonny Chiba.

Took me a couple of weeks to realize I didn't like the film as much as I did at first blush.

I'll see the sequel, hoping for something better.

 

[Dennis Pagoulatos]

TTT is a disappointment for me as well, but only compared to FOTR, which is just light years above it in quality (yes, even the theatrical cut of FOTR, IMO) Viewed as a standalone film, it holds up very well though. I've made this statement before, and I'll make it again: I would have been willing to wait 2 years between LOTR films if that's what it would have taken for them to really FINISH the effects work in TTT (a lot of which still seem unfinished to me compared to FOTR) and really hone the editing of the film to make it seem less disjointed (especially during the frequent cut-aways from the Helm's Deep battle!)

I hope PJ manages to blow me away with the EE as he did with FOTR:EE, but that film was already amazing IMO; TTT needs a lot more help!

I think it also took me a while to acknowledge that the prequels for SW are not what I was hoping to see, especially now as an adult. I wish, frankly, that the films were much darker in tone, closer to a PG-13 rating (because there was no PG-13 back then, and Ep.4 and 5 would have been PG-13, especially 5!) and that GL had let someone else handle screenwriting duties, and let someone help him direct the actors to act against green screens because he's never been an actor's director.

I had the exact opposite experience with Kill Bill than some of you have mentioned. I fully expected it to be a stinker, what with Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu (who I'm not a fan of normally) as the stars and the trailers that NEVER did anything for me. I thought QT had totally lost it...Man was I wrong! I really love the film and can't wait for Vol. 2!

-Dennis

 

[ChrisChap]

It's getting redundant, but SW Ep 1 and 2 were also mine. I wanted so badly to love the movies and for them to be great. I saw each three times at the theater. I did not realize how bad Ep 1 was until I watched it on video. I fell asleep during Ep 2 the first time I saw it, so I went back and liked it the second time, then went a third time to see the final battle again. That was when I actually listened to the dialogue, and it was painfully bad.

I think that is probably why Ep 1 and 2 are appearing on this thread so much. Everyone wanted them to be great, and both were so visually stunning that it was hard to really pay attention to anything else the first couple of times you saw them. It took a couple of viewings for me to really notice the acting and dialogue.

 

[richardWI]

It took me months to acknowledge that TPM wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I was in denial, watched it 4 times(!) in the theater and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting a rush from it like I did all the other SW movies. It kinda looked like a SW movie, sounded like a SW movie, but something was off. It was the most baffling movie experience I've ever had in my life. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either.

AOTC was better, but everything still felt phoned in and stiff. It's a simulation of action/adventure with none of the danger or sweat.

I was certain that the Matrix sequels could not possibly suck. I caught wind of Reloaded being a terrible movie fom people I trusted right before I saw it, so I went in with lowered expectations. I had the sinking feeling within the first 15 minutes and knew it was turkey. I stayed through the whole movie hoping it would recover/redeem itself at some point, and then the Architect came out..

 

[Ricardo C]

I'll say it again - one has to be able to separate a book from a movie. 2 different mediums, 2 different scopes of audiences to reach to be successful etc.

The "2 different media" excuse only stands if you're talking about the need for certain scenes to be cut, or to justify editing choices. It certainly doesn't cover fundamental changes to key characters.

EDIT: This post sounds more confrontational than I intended. I'm sorry for that, Lou. I do have hopes that the EE will be closer to what I consider a good adaptation. The additional Faramir scenes certainly seem to indicate that it will

 

[Brian_J]

I realized just how bad Ep 2 was right away. Ep 1 I liked at first and for a while thereafter but there was a core of dissapointment that's for sure. The Matrix Reloaded I also left with an immediate uncomfort level but it was not "bad." Ep 2 was just plain bad.

Brian

 

[Bryant Trew]

Somewhat related: I watched Matrix Reloaded a second time, because I thought that I might have been too harsh on it during the first viewing. But nope, second time revealed that it was crap to my horror.

 

[Jason_Els]

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace-- Hoo boy. Watched this opening night and after seeing the original trilogy in theaters only the week before I was sooo psyched.

I left the theater not quite sure of what I felt. Sure there were the bots and Tatooine and jedi and all but UGHH! I hated Natalie Portman, loved her wardrobe. Despite what she has done in the years following she was more wooden than Treebeard. Jake Lloyd was no better and Jar-jar.... well..... can't tell you what I think in a family forum.

And, excuse me, metachlorians????

What was really frustrating was that there were sparks of the Star Wars we all love so much but it seems those sparks never made it beyond the kindling. George just didn't seem to get it. It took me about 10 viewings and a few weeks for the initial excitement to dissipate before I could really look at the film objectively and realize that all the spectacular scenery and sets and familiar territory couldn't begin to compensate for the lame performances, sometimes horrible dialogue, and the generally infantile tone of the whole thing.

I still watch Phantom Menace on DVD from time to time because I do enjoy some of the performances and the eye-popping art direction and Darth Maul does rock. To me the light sabre battle really echoes the original Star Wars series better than any other part of the film.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was much better though still not on par with the original three. Again the dreadful dialogue and sometimes stilted performances along with the clunky romance aspect just didn't do it for me though the second half inifinitely out-shines the first. After Phantom Menace, I didn't have my hopes so high and indeed it surpassed a few of my expectations.

PJ and Lord of the Rings is still an unknown. We're only about 1/3 of the way through the trilogy if everything goes as expected. We still have LOTR: The Return of the King and extended editions of both that film and LOTR: The Two Towers. New Line was adamant that PJ make each film no longer than three hours in theatrical release so he had to cram a lot of stuff into a very small area. I'm appalled by the whole Arwen thing ,cringed when the elves appeared at Helm's Deep, and sat slack-jawed at the obviously incorrect portrayal of Faramir and his bringing Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath. PJ's extended versions are much better and I fully admit that LOTR: The Two Towers desperately needs the additional 44 minutes of the extended version to balance it out. There are six hours of useable footage for each film and, if hopes meet expectations, we could see an uber trilogy released sometime in the next few years. The results of that could be far different from what has gone before. In fact it could be spectacular.

But there have been triumphs of film making I could not have begun to imagine no matter the shortcomings of PJ's vision: Shore's deeply moving score, the impossible perfection of the locations, and the PERFECT performances by so many of the core characters just brings the whole thing to life beyond what I could have hoped for. I lose it whenever I hear Theoden's excerpt from Where is the Horse and Rider? or when Gandalf illuminates the Dwarrodelf or when Galadriel is temped by the One Ring.

Even Jurassic Park III had moments I genuinely liked and really we all know the dinos are the real stars of the film and they haven't failed in any of the three outings (OK, I wish they had eaten Tia Leone but still...).

And there lies the crux of reconciling expectations with actuality. Do the disappointments outweigh the elations? In each case I have to say 'no'. I know I have a tendency to very easily suspend disbelief and become enrapt in the films I like so maybe I'm easier to please, but I have to admit in each case that the whole experience of each of these films outweighs some of the poor (or even truly awful) aspects. In Middle Earth or in that galaxy far, far, away, I am where I am and even if I don't like the experience at the moment it's great to be here.

 

[Richard Kim]

(Flame suit on) At first, I enjoyed the Matrix when I first saw it, but the bullet time gimmick and pop philisophy seemed shallow to me after several viewings. I have not viewed it quite awhile.

On the other hand, I knew I hated The Matrix Reloaded immediately after my first viewing.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

No offense taken Ricardo. The fundamental difference you and I would seem to have is that you take LOTR book to be gospel or hold it in higher esteem than I do.

For the most part - for me - all the changes made by PJ have either improved the story or are alternate paths taken to meet a 3hr theatrical run time limit.

The list of improvments in characters such as Aragorn, Boromir, Sam etc outweigh any minuses. Not being as enamoured with Faramir as many seem to - he always came off as wishy-washy to me - the movie Faramir represents a more interesting character.

Tolkien was adept at creating background, language, culture, history etc. His talents at creating fully realized characters is questionable. He worked at a more mythic and hence emotionally distant level.

PJ has reworked the characters to make them more accessible to a mass audience.

The merits of those changes are up to the individual.

 

[Nate Nelson]

As with most here, mine would have to be Episode I. I saw it my 8th grade year. Took off school to get tickets and took off the day after the movie (since it was a 12:00 showing). I left the theater wanting to love it, but I was confused. It wasn't great, but I didn't want to hate it.

Probably came to grips that most of it sucked about 2 years after. It had it's parts, but I haven't really had much of an erge to go back and see it... ...even for the parts I liked. I'm glad I know the story, but thats it. And the whole medichlorians part, I remember thinking "WTF!" in the theater. The whole thing I loved about the force is that it's this whole mystery, similar to "faith" and the like. Just commin' out and saying it's something that lives in our cells completely killed it. As much as my friend and I both don't like the movie, it has a good feeling when we think of it cause we think back to middle school and how we were then.

As for Episode II, I loved it and so did my friend. I remember leaving the theater thinking "wow, that was a ride" I absolutely loved the end. People complain about the dialog, but I didn't think it was that bad. Reminded me of when I was in middle school--thats the way I thought, completly cheesey romance. I guess the fact that I can relate is why it doesn't bother me. I was absolutely floored seeing Anakin begin his fall. I can't wait for EPIII.

 

[Chris Atkins]

I have grown more disappointed with TPM as time goes on.

Can't say the same for AOTC...loved it then and loved it now.

TTT I was initially disappointed with...I agree that the changes from the book were what did it for me. And I think it's valid to compare the films to the book, for the same reason it's valid to compare the Star Wars PT to the expectations you carried in your head for 16 years.