Here’s a movie that ended up being way better than I expected: ___________ .
Supergenius’s latest post was a really good idea so I decided to riff on it.
For me the first film that comes to mind is Kung Fu Hustle.
Seriously. It ruled. Which movies exceeded your expectations?
Posted on November 19, 2009, in Movies. Bookmark the permalink. 37 Comments.
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Pather Panchali. The setting, the language, and the period (India, Bengali, 1955) are completely foreign, but it’s closer to my own life than any movie I’ve ever seen.
The Matrix. Went and saw it when it opened and before it had received any buzz, and was completely blown away.
More lately, I saw Soderbergh’s Solaris and thought it was a lot better than people usually give it credit for.
So…something more substantial than, say, Corky Romano?
Hey if Corky Romano was way better than you expected it is fair game gabby.
Pineapple Express is the first that comes to mind. My wife and I were laughing all the way through it.
I can add The Godfather to my list too. I know it is renowned as great but I first saw it a couple of years ago and expected it to be dated. Instead it totally blew me away.
The fourth Die Hard.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Big Trouble in Little China. Totally cheesy. Totally loved it.
I remember hearing that Pirates of the Caribbean (the first film) was based on a ride at Disneyland. So I didn’t think it could be that good.
I still love what Depp did with that character.
Legally Blonde
You guys ready for a curveball?
Night at the Museum 2: Battle at the Smithsonian.
I am still trying to account for this one. It might have been the setting, the company, the mood, the location, whatever. Whatever the reason, I cannot deny the huge gaping chasm between critical pans of the movie and the fact that I laughed my arse off from beginning to end.
Sorry.
I expected “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” to be the equivalent of passing a tennis ball sized Kidney stone. It wasn’t.
I expected the new James Bond reboot movies to be cheezy. They weren’t
I expected the new Star Trek to be campy, it was, but was awesome.
I expected the new GI Joe to be Awful, and it was worse than that. much. worse….
I love the sleeper hit where there is no buzz beforehand. Both The Matrix and Blade were like that. So was Hunt for Red October.
Solaris was great. I’ve never understood the hate for that movie. Yeah, it’s more of an art film. But wasn’t that clear from the beginning?
I was pretty worried about Inglorious Basterds given the recent films by Tarantino. But I really enjoyed it. (That said I hope he returns to a more realistic style soon)
Ryan (#12) — I’m with you on that one.
That summer Sandra Bullock movie, The Proposal. It was much funnier than I expected. And even though I seem to hate everything Bullock does, she didn’t destroy this one.
I agree with Supergenius. The Matrix was amazing on first viewing. The audience where I saw it roared and cheered when it was over.
Mystery Men
My buddies and I saw the previews and thought “What an absolutely stupid movie!” then ended up going to see it when all the other shows filled up and came out loving it to this day!
Another thumb for Star Trek. Probably my 2nd on this question
Galaxy Quest.
My guilty confession is that while I don’t care for Sandra Bullock when I saw Hope Floats on a date I kind of enjoyed it. I am also terribly guilty that while I gave up on the book about 1/3 of the way in, I enjoyed most of Twighlight the movie. Note I’m not saying either is a good movie. Just that it was better than I expected.
Unstrung Heroes
Not spectacular or anything, but it has stayed with me.
Oh, an other that just came to me. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Amazing little film (with David Bowie as a minor character) about life in a Japanese POW camp in the pacific) The ending with Bowie still haunts me. And I’d heard it wasn’t that great. Interestingly it was written and directed by a Japanese author. It’s been a long time since I saw it last. (Back in college) I really need to rent it again one of these days.
An other one I thought would suck that I enjoyed was Red Heat with Swartzenegger as a Soviet police officer during the cold war. This was around the time of a slew of really bad films of his. Plus it has Jim Belushi – never a good sign for a movie. But it’s actually really good.
One that I’d not heard about the first time I saw it was The Thing. I hate horror films because let’s face it, most of the characters are so stupid their deaths are inevitable and the monsters are always fake and unbelievable. But it really set a mood. S
The Bob Hope/Bing Crosby/Dorothy Lamour “Road to ____” movies. The first time I watched one (just to try it out) I was totally smitten. “Road to Rio” has the most quotable fake-American musical group of any movie.
Secondhand Lions. It was given to us about a year ago and I loved that movie. I almost watched it again tonight. Maybe tomorrow night.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: a surprising endorsement of marriage from a mildly raunchy romantic comedy.
Michael Clayton. For some reason, I was reluctant to watch this lawyer thriller. But it was great, great film making.
The Astronaut Farmer
Astroboy
In some ways, Astroboy is as much of a Christ-like figure as the Lion of C.S. Lewis. He is a DNA boy in an somewhat immortal robot body, who is the prefect moral being. He is created by pure goodness. He came down from a higher “sphere”. He fights for the underdog. He gives his life for his friends, and is resurrected through the efforts he had previously given to allow another robot to “live”.
In the end, I’m not sure who enjoyed the movie more, my 5 year old grandson or myself.
I totally didn’t see the twist of Frailty so it really worked for me
Agreed with whoever said Legally Blond above.
My biggest one is Orange County. Saw the ads when it came out, I remember thinking “ugh, you couldn’t PAY me to watch that.” And it turns out to be a hilarious and surprisingly touching movie.
Clueless
Mystery Men
Galaxy Quest
Enchanted
Frailty was an awesome movie that got little buzz before or after. Bill “game over” Paxton really ought direct more.
I was surprised I liked Enchanted too. I thought it was going to be a movie I’d dread. But they did a really great job on it. Making Amy Adams look like circa 1960′s Jane Fonda was brilliant as well.
Speed Racer. Just watched it a second time recently, and I still liked it.
Nice call cantflinas. I was pleasantly surprised by Speed Racer too.
Oh, and the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was surprisingly entertaining. I like it better than the 1971 version.
Speed Racer was, to me, like cotton candy. (And not in a good way) I think they lost it after the first Matrix (although there were parts of the second I loved).
Speed Racer was great — just visually mesmerizing.
hmmmmmm….
Lone Star
The Croupier
Rushmore (saw it on opening night with no idea what it would be)
Eight Legged Freaks
Galaxy Quest
Mies Vailla Menneisyytta (The Man Without a Past)
I’m with Clark and Brian J on “Enchanted.”
I was dragged to the movie by my sister and niece, expecting WonderfulWorldofDisney sap. And while it had some of that, Amy Adams was so good in the role of the naive princess, and Susan Sarandon was pitch-perfect as the Disney villain. I was completely taken by it. And there was a good dose of snarkiness and self-mockery that I would never have expected from the Magic Kingdom dreammakers. I still laugh thinking about the Happy Working Song…