Movies You Liked The First Time But Not The Second.

[nosweargamer]

Are there any movies you enjoyed watching the first time you saw them, but when you re-watched them they didn't seem as good?  

 

For, this just happened to me with the Tim Burton version of Planet of the Apes.  When I saw it in the theater, I actually enjoyed it and I even rewatched it on VHS. But I recently saw it on DVD again, and while I wouldn't call it terrible, it just didn't do much for me.  :mellow:

 

A similar thing happened years back with Jaws 3. I saw it as a kid and thought it was awesome. I mean it had Jaws invading Sea World!  But a more recent viewing exposed its terrible 3D special effects and the story and acting didn't hold up nearly as well as I remembered.  

[RickR]

I hope I don't get kicked off this board for saying this but....

 

I watched Back to the Future 2 and 3 during the anniversary frenzy....and they were....not very good.  Having Michael J. Fox play various other parts was really kind of strange (oh look, he's a woman!  Funny!).  And the plot lines seemed way more contrived than clever (let's just knock Jennifer out and leave her on this bench).  Special effects seem very dated. 

 

BTTF 1 is still a classic though! 

 

[Justin]

[RadioPoultry]

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) and Lost in Space (1998) come to mind. Also the aforementioned Burton's Planet of the Apes and The Phantom Menace.

[RickR]

 

But this was bad the first time too!

[Clint Thompson]

I hope I don't get kicked off this board for saying this but....

 

I watched Back to the Future 2 and 3 during the anniversary frenzy....and they were....not very good.  Having Michael J. Fox play various other parts was really kind of strange (oh look, he's a woman!  Funny!).  And the plot lines seemed way more contrived than clever (let's just knock Jennifer out and leave her on this bench).  Special effects seem very dated. 

 

BTTF 1 is still a classic though! 

 

 

Well that was an eye opener! Marty plays as a woman?! I'm like wth is he talking about? I can't believe I've never caught that before... that's great. Thanks for that =) - watching them recently, they haven't dated very well but we turned it into a game of sorts of what they did and didn't get right in BTTF2 like the face detection in cameras and how we still don't have hydrating pizza machines. "She can really hydrate a pizza..."

[Rowsdower70]

Here's one that really surprised me.   I wouldn't call it the second time by any means, but when I was a kid I would watch the Dark Crystal over and over.   I loved it!

 

 

I watched it again a few years ago as an adult who still very much enjoys that kind of movie, and it just wasn't good.   It had some neat characters, but it was poorly written and really made very little sense.

[nosweargamer]

I think Phantom Menace is a good pick, as it seemed initially the hate wasn't there.

But over time, people grew to hate it more and more, especially Jar Jar.

 

I think the same is true of the Special Editions of the SW Trilogy.

At first it seemed like everyone was eating it up, especially with the ability to see it in theaters again.

And I think the VHS sold very well too when it came out, even though you could still find the original trilogy on store shelves.

But in time the special effects aged badly and the desire to see the original trilogy grew stronger and stronger.

[RickR]

You are so right on the original trilogy enhancements.  

[Atari Adventure Square]

Most titles mentioned here kinda fit the bill in my eyes.

 

Enjoyed having an actual remake of PotA, but it turned out to be rather ill-conceived in ways not enjoyable a second time around (man-ape love story, supermodel acting 101, ludicrous finale).

Glad the newer reboot took storytelling seriously.

 

And for me as well, Back to the Future 2 wasn't enjoyable either on a first or second viewing.

The first half was fun (or at least interesting) enough, but on the whole, the zing was gone, that sense of family-fun experienced the first time was oddly missing from the first frame on.

By the time a debauched mom, murdered dad, abandoned girlfriend, homicidal Biff came onscreen (let alone the weird Marty family), the whole thing felt like a first draft rushed to screen.

And a cliffhanger ending? If I'd've cared enough, I woulda been upset. As it was, I was just glad it was over, since me and my dad did not get that magical exhiliration the first one left in us, as the credits rolled.

 

At least BttF3 redeems the series somewhat, in terms of light-hearted fun.

 

And those remodeled Trilogy Special Editions...eh, we might get the true originals back, now that fan-hating Lucas no longer has the keys to the vault.

Though I believe the rights to these are a bit more tangled between companies.

Recently watched the reconstructed Star Wars.

Man, was it ever beautiful.

 

As for my own entry in this thread, mebbe this one:

 

Was a bit too old to be blown away by the first one. But saw it in theaters and had fun.

Second one was oddly paced (long first act, fun second act, too-short third act) but still enjoyable (Goldblum ftw).

This third movie also had an odd structure, but since both sequels are lesser versions of the original, it wasn't as noticeable.

On rewatching these, #3 is more meh than remembered.

[atarifan95]

Two words: Willy Wonka

 

The Gene Wilder version, by the way. The Depp version is closer to the book.