View Full Version : Movies You Thought Would Suck But Turned Out Great
Well, there's wasn't one for this angle yet, so...
Whether the commercial was lame, or you heard bad reviews, what movies have you seen that you initially discounted, but turned out to be pretty great?
Heat
Yep. I said it. Looked like one of those old movies that all the people who grew up on awful 80's action movies rave about, but that drags on interminably until it finally ends. I still say it would have been better at about 1/2 hour shorter, but, I was overall wrong.
Collateral
A boring movie where a cabbie drives Tom Cruise and random others boringly around with endless boring dialogue. Oh joy. *Another* Cruise movie.
Ehhhh. Wrong.
The ending was *perfect*, and along with a number of iconic moments and a good intertwining of storylines made for a darn great movie.
The Great Gatsby (DiCaprio)
A boring talkfest were people form ye olden days of yonder 20's talk talkily about nothing until you want to slap yourself.
In actuality, I found it to be a rather well-crafted movie with an unexpected backstory and end twist.
Kickass (the original)
My expectations were of those half childish half stoner-ish over-stylized comic-book-ish movies about a bunch of dumbasses pretending to be superheroes that tries to be alternately funny and/or deep but fails miserably at both.
Well, some of that may be right, except it actually manages so *succeed* at both, and the opening scene really sets that up perfectly.
Also one of the few movies that Cage isn't completely hate-able.
Rogue One
Yes this is a gimme- I'm pretty sure most people expected little from a star wars spinoff.
I'm sure most people were surprised at how it actually turned out. I'm sure some of that surprise is why people thought it was *that* good....
But it was *that* good... And the Sheldon Cooper droid really made the whole thing (and was a well-executed breath of fresh air from 3-PO's usual shenanigans to boot).
1. Drive- I thought it would be some gay chick-friendly movie. Nope. Lots of Synthwave, Christina Hendricks, and pretty gory
2. The Wrestler- I stopped caring about wrestling sometime in 99. But it was great.
3. Dallas Buyer's Club- I'm a bit twisted but to me it was kind of like Smokey and the Bandit with AIDS.
4.Josie and the Pussycats- a guilty pleasure of mine. Them bitches are used up now but at that moment in time....it was awesome. Chicks with blood red hair can be my kryptonite.
5. Guardians of the Galaxy- I thought it
would be lame. Never read the comic. Holy hell it was awesome
sevenhelmet
04-15-17, 16:15
Serenity. I hadn't discovered Firefly yet, as its short run occurred while I was deployed. I saw the Serenity preview, and thought it was just a lame fifth-element re-make. Went to see it anyway, and holy hell I discovered one of my most favorite sci-fi movies of all time, and I got to go back and discover Firefly. Still can't figure out why Fox axed that one before a complete season.
Serenity. I hadn't discovered Firefly yet, as its short run occurred while I was deployed. I saw the Serenity preview, and thought it was just a lame fifth-element re-make. Went to see it anyway, and holy hell I discovered one of my most favorite sci-fi movies of all time, and I got to go back and discover Firefly. Still can't figure out why Fox axed that one before a complete season.
It was an inconvenient series for them. They were expecting Star Trek where everyone learns a lesson. Not Unreconstructed Confederate soldiers, a ruthless mercenary, a prostitute, and fugitives who all hate the government.
Serenity explained the Reavers in a bit more intelligent way than people who been out in the black too long. But you could tell this was the only movie you were getting.
The last stand was epic.
Guardians of the Galaxy I thought was going to be lame. It wasn't.
I discovered Firefly (the show :D ) loooong after it was cancelled. Wish it wasn't. Then I found out about the movie. The movie was good and the ending was epic
"I had that nerve cluster removed"!
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Blade. Everything about it sounds like it should suck and it did poorly in theaters, but did well in the rental market as it started to get around not only did it not suck, but went on to be a cult classic. I never get tired of that one. Following movies were crap.
Some times the stars align and while the formula there for fail, it all works out like RHCPs and Bruno Mars doing the half time show, should have sucked yet surprised me how good it was.
Equillibrium. Older low budget film. It's in my top 5 best movies of all time.
Equillibrium. Older low budget film. It's in my top 5 best movies of all time.
Surprisingly excellent movie I agree
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Two more Tom Cruise sci fi movies I never heard of until they showed up on DVD that I liked were Live, Die Repeat, and Oblivion.
sniperfrog
04-15-17, 21:00
Two more Tom Cruise sci fi movies I never heard of until they showed up on DVD that I liked were Live, Die Repeat, and Oblivion.
Live, die, repeat is actually called Edge of Tomorrow. That was where the marketing dept messed up on the movie posters.
Oblivion was boring. I tried to watch it twice but couldnt.
Live, Die, Repeat was awesome. I wish they used the Japanese title "All You Need is Kill!"
That butch armored war goddess was so hot.
I'll add another to the pile. Battleship. I went in thinking it was gonna be dumb because it had Rihanna in it and was based on the boardgame. But then they get the Missouri and this 90 year old man tells the Navy guy "Lemme show you how to whip some ass" and AC/DC starts playing.
Worth admission price alone
Oblivion was boring. I tried to watch it twice but couldnt.
Live, Die, Repeat was awesome. I wish they used the Japanese title "All You Need is Kill!"
That butch armored war goddess was so hot.
I'll add another to the pile. Battleship. I went in thinking it was gonna be dumb because it had Rihanna in it and was based on the boardgame. But then they get the Missouri and this 90 year old man tells the Navy guy "Lemme show you how to whip some ass" and AC/DC starts playing.
Worth admission price alone
Oblivion was boring, but to unique not to like with the whole "post apocalyptic sci-fi" thing, plus I like that style of tech, it had "fookin Jamie Lahnistah" in it, and BOTH girls were hot (especially the Russian chick. Nom.).
So there.
Also:
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5384ed5a6bb3f7463adfdb95-1200-600/emily-blunt-edge-of-tomorrow-1.jpg
You're welcome. :cool:
I didn't like battleship. It was just to "summer flick" to actually be good.
The Princess Bride. Sounded like something for the My Little Pony crowd. Loved it.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Expected a sucky B flick, but was blown away.
Galaxy Quest. Looked incredibly stupid but was hilarious.
Oceans 11 & 13
Fools Gold
Rush- one of the best films ever
Passengers
John Wick 1 &2
Zoolander
Tron (newer version)
American Sniper
Lone Survivor
I agree with New Tron. Seeing it as a kid in the day was awesome (who remembers the arcade game?)
I think it was unfairly criticised. For what it was, it was trippy and brilliant. I thought that one guy was David Bowie. And Daft Punk had quite a sound track
Best part was when he goes to the Arcade and Journey is blasting. It felt like going to the arcade in the 80s again.
Oblivion was boring, but to unique not to like with the whole "post apocalyptic sci-fi" thing, plus I like that style of tech, it had "fookin Jamie Lahnistah" in it, and BOTH girls were hot (especially the Russian chick. Nom.).
So there.
Also:
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5384ed5a6bb3f7463adfdb95-1200-600/emily-blunt-edge-of-tomorrow-1.jpg
You're welcome. :cool:
I didn't like battleship. It was just to "summer flick" to actually be good.
I had a shitty day yesterday. This photo made it all better!!!!
Battleship was fun.
Movies like that fall into what I call Popcorn movies. I don't go for amazing cinema. I go for good fun. Suspend belief and just feel like a kid again.
Kind of like the Transformers movies. Stupid as hell but I always go see them all on opening weekend.
Moose-Knuckle
04-16-17, 05:49
Off the top of my head, Shrek. I remember my ex-wife and her bff dragged me to see it and I laughed the whole time. Great franchise.
The Great Gatsby (DiCaprio)
A boring talkfest were people form ye olden days of yonder 20's talk talkily about nothing until you want to slap yourself.
In actuality, I found it to be a rather well-crafted movie with an unexpected backstory and end twist.
Ah yes, see I forgot about this one. Should have remembered it for Will's thread lol.
1. Drive- I thought it would be some gay chick-friendly movie. Nope. Lots of Synthwave, Christina Hendricks, and pretty gory
3. Dallas Buyer's Club- I'm a bit twisted but to me it was kind of like Smokey and the Bandit with AIDS.
Um okay now I have to see Drive. As I love Christina Hendricks and synthwave, if you like her do yourself a favor and watch Bad Santa 2 (unrated). As for The Dallas Buyer's Club all those guys should have won Oscars, come to think of it I think some of them did, excellent film.
Equillibrium. Older low budget film. It's in my top 5 best movies of all time.
This was a total sleeper, picked it up on a whim and wow! Glad I own it. Anyone a fan of the Matrix owes it to themselves to check it out.
Two more Tom Cruise sci fi movies I never heard of until they showed up on DVD that I liked were Live, Die Repeat, and Oblivion.
I can't think of a Tom Cruise sci-fi that I don't own, enjoy them all. This reminds me of a thread on here last year where I said Emily Blunt was hot and I pretty much got roasted. Good to see there are more Emily Blunt fans here NOW lol.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Expected a sucky B flick, but was blown away.
I own every single one of Guy Ritchie's gangster films there that good.
Zoolander
For me as well, rented with some friends thinking it was going to suck and couldn't stop laughing. Own both 1 and 2, hilarious.
This reminds me of a thread on here last year where I said Emily Blunt was hot and I pretty much got roasted. Good to see there are more Emily Blunt fans here NOW lol.
Been a fan then and now, and agree she is hot. She didn't look her best in Sicario, but I think that was on purpose.
What of La la land? I have heard people say they thought it would be one of those movies but actually enjoyed. Anyone see it? With all but a few exceptions, I hate musicals and have heard a few tunes from la la land and thought they they sucked.
Anyone willing to admit they saw it to confirm/deny?
+2 for Drive. I didn't think it would be anything like what it was and was a lot better than I thought it would be.
Frailty --
I've never been much of a fan of the supernatural horror thriller type movie but this one worked for me. Great acting and story telling. I think it was one of, if not the best by Bill Paxton. I think me may have directed it as well.
Warrior --
I didn't have high hopes for a movie about MMA fighting. The acting and story line helped make it great.
127 Hours --
I thought a movie starring James Franco about a mountain biker getting stuck in a cave would be awful but it turned out well.
Memento --
A movie about a guy with short term memory loss that has to tattoo himself so he can remember things. The plot is in reverse time sequence to get to the root of who murdered they guy's wife. I picked it up on a whim and was surprised. It's a classic I've watched several times.
Joe --
This sort of stood out in Nicolas Cage's recent history of duds. It was a little predictable but easily worth watching.
Matchstick Men --
This one kind of put Cage back on the map before a series of duds. The acting and the plot twists made it great. Cage's character with his OCD and nervous ticks was hilarious. The professional cons getting conned themselves was priceless.
Doc Safari
04-17-17, 17:30
Blended
I'm not much on Adam Sandler, and most comedies suck out loud, but this one was kind of funny for a change. It got savaged by the critics but it reminded me enough of the old Disney "Parent Trap" with Hayley Mills that I actually liked it. Not sure I'd want to own it, but it was decent.
Repo Man
A 1984 cult classic with Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton. It was meant to be "funny peculiar" and succeeds. It's about car repossessors looking for one certain car that supposedly has dead aliens in the trunk. And that's just for starters. A unique movie, for sure.
Elizabeth
Okay, it's more of a chick-flick drama, but I'm a history buff and it just appealed to me for some reason. Great ending.
Shakespeare in Love
Same reason I liked Elizabeth (historical drama), but more of a "funny peculiar" comedy in places.
Army of Darkness
Whew....I'm hitting the "funny peculiar" button pretty hard today. I expected this movie to be a giant Thanksgiving Turkey. Instead it was pretty great if you keep an open mind and a healthy "anything goes" attitude. It was definitely different.
Water for Elephants
Another movie I thought sure I'd sleep through while the GF got her chick-flick rocks off. This one turned out to be a great dramatic movie that wasn't the usual shoot-em-up and wasn't boring, either. It was a great drama for anyone to watch. Christoph Waltz should get an Oscar for his villainy. Highly recommended.
Das Boot
Submarine movies are usually about as interesting as watching paint dry. This one was great, with real tension and the crew realistically dealing with the reality of being stuck in what is for all intents and purposes a submersible coffin.
Casablanca
I thought it would be a sappy romantic chick movie and instead I decided it deserves to be called a classic.
Bridesmaids
Of all the sappy, estrogen-drenched chick flicks you get dragged to, pray it's not one about planning a wedding for some bitch's BFF. But....the movie was great. I'm a believer that most comedies are as flat as stale soda pop...but this one had some genuinely funny moments. The food poisoning scene in the bridal shop should be thought of as one of the classic movie scenes of all time. Kristen Wiig should have won an Oscar for the look on her face when she's trying to rationalize that she doesn't need to throw up. If ever I would make a space in my movie collection for a chick flick--it would be this one.
Big Trouble in Little China
I had seen bits and pieces of this over the years and was convinced I should never waste my time to see all of It. Finally one day I told myself if I just watch it from beginning to end ONCE then I could avoid landing in the middle of it on some cable channel ever again. I LOVED IT. It's something of Indiana Jones meets Rush Hour meets Army of Darkness. It's just plain campy, weird, quirky and fun. When Kurt Russell says--tongue-in-cheek--"if we're not back by dawn... call the president" you know you are watching a camp classic.
Secondhand Lions - Caine and Duvall were outstanding as the boy's uncles.
Thought, how can a movie with Hayley Joel Osment be any good, but couldn't stop watching it.
Secondhand Lions - Caine and Duvall were outstanding as the boy's uncles.
One of my favorites.
God Bless America
It seems like a liberal movie but I never considered it as such. It's a twisted mix of Taxi Driver, Leon, Falling Down, a smidge of Fight Club, and the 60s version of Bonnie and Clyde.
It's kinda cathartic. In fact I'm watching it now
sandman99and9
04-23-17, 17:40
As already mentioned here I loved Big trouble in little china
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/sandman99and9/big-trouble-in-little-china-asian-actors-featured.jpg (http://s478.photobucket.com/user/sandman99and9/media/big-trouble-in-little-china-asian-actors-featured.jpg.html)
And also a huge fan of Army of Darkness
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/sandman99and9/Boomstick.jpg (http://s478.photobucket.com/user/sandman99and9/media/Boomstick.jpg.html)
I don't remember ever seeing much about Smokin Aces but lots of gun porn and action plus some just crazy characters !! I thought this one was going to be a steaming pile but it is just fun to watch.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/sandman99and9/smokin%20aces.jpg (http://s478.photobucket.com/user/sandman99and9/media/smokin%20aces.jpg.html)
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr147/sandman99and9/smokin-aces-003.jpg (http://s478.photobucket.com/user/sandman99and9/media/smokin-aces-003.jpg.html)
S.M.
WTF did I do here ? why is there an attached thumbnail box down here ? My internet Foo is weak today :(
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