Better the second time around?

[Cibernético II]

Are there are any movies you've seen that you didn't like the first time you saw them and upon second review changed your opinion?
Or, was there a movie you liked on first viewing, but then loved on subsequent viewings?

One that sticks out for me is The Chronicles of Riddick. The first time I saw this I rented it and saw it with my dad. We both liked Pitch Black and SciFi movies in general, but after we watched it both of our reactions were "Well, that was dumb." But later when I saw it on TBS or something, I was watching it and thought "Man, this movie is cool!" ANd you know what? My dad felt the same way too! It was like it was a different movie, but it wasn't! It was the same.

Also 2 movies that I can think of that I liked the first time were Batman Begins and The Punisher (2004). I liked both movies when I saw them in theaters but the initial reaction was "Ehhh, that was pretty good." But after seeing them a few more times on DVD, I thought they were awesome.

I think its that I kind of lose focus and need a couple views to even understand what's going on. Plus I had big expectations for all those movies, so even when its good, you're going to find something that disappoints you.


any you have?

[Dim of the Yard]

Brazil sticks out in my mind.  I watched it when I was on a Michael Palin kick, meaning I wanted to track down every movie I could find with Michael Palin in and watch it solely because of Michael Palin's involvement.  Brazil was the most movie of the sort, and... whew.  Wow, I should say.  I watched the American cut, the one I recorded off of HBO or something, and upon finishing it, said to myself, "I may as well have just watched the most brilliant movie ever... but damned if I know what the hell was going on."  I don't think I wanted to watch it again, it had thrown me off so much.

I watched it again because the movie was really irritating me, and I couldn't get it out of my mind.  Things made more sense that time around, I could see the movie for what it was, I was able to appreciate it much more... and it eventually became my favorite movie of all time.

Goddammit, Brazil.

[torgosPizza]

A couple that are like this for me were Artificial Intelligence and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Both of them I felt extremely "meh" towards after my first viewing, again because of expectations, I think.

But after a second viewing, a month or more later and leaving that baggage out of the theater, I totally enjoyed both of them. Quite unexpectedly,  I might add.

[Big Blonde]

This happened to me when I watched Shaun of the Dead. The first time I saw it, when I didn't know anything about Spaced, I didn't really understand the movie or really "get it." When I watched it the second time after seeing both seasons of Spaced and having fallen in love with Simon Pegg, I wondered how I could have ever not liked this movie.

Conversely, when I saw Titantic in the 4th grade I thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen. When I watched it again in 6th grade, I only felt shame for having ever liked it.

[Doctor Who?]

I hated the first FF movie the first time I saw it,but i watched it again two months ago and now i love it.

Don't know why.

[jewishcarpenter]

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou - The first time I went to the theaters to watch it and I don't know if it was the ads they had for the movie or if I was just expecting completely different than what I had seen, I didn't like the movie. I openly complained about it to friends  that were thinking of going to see it and in retrospect probably just sounded like a pompous ass. I held my lame grudge for about a year then unknowingly watched it again (I was really high and didn't even realize it was the Life Aquatic). I laughed my ass off then later the next day realized what I had done and how I had been towards the movie that long and sorry year and made my peace with it. Just to make sure that me being high wasn't the only reason I enjoyed it I watched it a week or two later and still enjoyed it. I try not to expect much from movies now or get any preconceptions about them before I see them. I try and keep the slate blank and let the movie fill it for me.

[GregMcduck]

Yeah, the commercials for Life Aquatic advertised a completely different film. 

[Chaos]

The first time I saw Austin Powers, I didn't really enjoy it. I found it kind of tiresome and boring, not very inspired at all. But then bits of it started to stick in my head, and I found myself thinking of scenes from it over and over again, with enjoyment. It was like... being removed from the movie actually made me appreciate the humour in the movie. Unfortunately, that effect wore off, and I find it kind of tiresome again (especially the sequels, they're really just boring and derivative). But I did watch the first movie a couple of more times during that "I like it" phase, and quite enjoyed it. Until it went away.

[mrbasehart]

Actually The Chronicles of Riddick is one of those film I enjoyed more the second time.  I don't whether it was that I'd sort of given up on expecting a good movie, and so it surprised me, or whether I really just didn't pay much attention the first time around.

[SmilinJackRoss]

I try not to expect much from movies now or get any preconceptions about them before I see them. I try and keep the slate blank and let the movie fill it for me.

I do whatever I can to live by this too.  I remember when I went to see Matrix Reloaded, and there's that part during the Smith fight when they all pile on him, and then he suddenly throws them all off at once.  It was in the trailer, and I saw that clip during the promotion of the movie ad nauseam.  When I finally saw it in the flick, I knew it was coming, and as I watched it I thought to myself, "Wow, that part would've been really cool if I hadn't already seen it 100 times."  So now I try to avoid trailers and sneak preview clips like the plague. 

Anyway, back on topic...The first time I saw The Thin Red Line, I really didn't like it.  In fact, I hated it.  It doesn't help that it came out around the same time as Saving Private Ryan, and it incurred the inevitable comparisons.  But a Terrence Malick movie takes a certain type of patience, they have their own brand of slow pacing and shoe-gazing.  I'd never seen a Malick movie before...I think I was expecting something like Saving Private Ryan, when Thin Red Line is anything but. 

So, pressured by a friend, I watched the movie again once it hit DVD, and I loved it.  It's an absolutely beautiful film.  I've never done a such a huge 180 on a movie before, going from the extremes of hating it to loving it.

[Pak-Man]

Napolean Dynamite, as many have attested, gets better on subsequent viewings. I thought it was extremely dull the first time, but when I gave it a second go, I loved it.

The new Futurama movie is better the second time as well. I think because you're watching it free of the anxiety of asking yourself, 'Is it still going to be like Futurama!?" Plus, once you know where all the pieces fit, you can follow it knowing exactly how everything went down. :^)

[Phantom of Krankor]

I HATED Terminator 2 when I first saw it, but now its one of my favourite movies. I really don't know why. I think it was because I was expecting a dumb action flick when it was a really cold and serious action drama.