There's nothing worse than having people hype up a movie only for it to disappoint. While this inevitably happens every year, sometimes classic films manage to disappoint first-time viewers.
Someone online recently asked, “Which legendary classic movie left you disappointed when you finally watched it?” Users responded, some movies being arguable, and others… Well, you decide.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
One filmgoer acknowledged the impact of this classic, but suggested that it wasn't alone to qualify it as a “good movie.”
Another had an objective view on why everyone may not like it:
“It's more of an experience than a movie and I think it's better on the big screen. It's the realism of space travel, that there would be boring conversations between astronauts and that it months to get anywhere. There's very little if any action.
“I love it, but I can see why others don't.”
7. Titanic (1997)
One movie watcher asked, “Does Titanic count?” It certainly does — it was one time highest-grossing movie.
They continued, “If so, I just thought the script was terrible for the most part, trying far too hard to be an Oscar bait, and certainly didn't need to be 3+ hours long imo.”
Another added, “Titanic is on a long list movies that I liked, once.”
3. Vertigo (1958)
“Vertigo has particular scenes and set pieces that I definitely recognize as artful (especially the nightmare scene), but it doesn't stick with me in the way that Rear Window does. Rear Window grabs me by the arm and shoves me straight into the story. The approach to the storytelling and plot beats is so immersive and tightly-paced. No other movie quite like it,” a critic said.
Someone countered this, “Vertigo for me was a VERY different movie on rewatch. The first time I was underwhelmed, but when I went back to it after a few months it suddenly all clicked for me, and now it's one of my favorite movies.”
4. Scarface (1983)
One person shared a slightly controversial one: “Scarface. I love Pacino, but this role just threw me off. Could not get used to him – had shades of Dustin Hoffman doing rainman and not in a good way.”
“One of Pachino's worst performances, and he has a whole lot of bad over-acting in his back catalog. Sneaky-fast bad-acting competition in Scarface from Robert Loggia,” another added.
5. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
“Sleepless in Seattle,” one film buff commented.
“Not sure if it’s a ‘classic’ but it was really disappointing. There is no reason to root for the two main characters to be together, and Meg Ryan’s character is practically a stalker and for some reason that’s a good thing? I don’t know, I was just expecting more and the film never came through. I don’t understand why it is held to such a high standard as rom-coms go, but I was definitely disappointed.”
6. E.T. (1982)
One fan went against a top gun: “I've got to mention E.T. by Spielberg, I thought it was really about a movie of aliens (like Alien of Cameron), but rather it was about the relationship between a boy and the alien.”
Someone else thought it wasn't a fair criticism: “That doesn't seem like a fair criticism of E.T. if you just misunderstood the premise. I think everyone with even passing knowledge of the movie knows it's a family movie.”
7. Rain Man (1988)
“Rain Man. It got all the Oscars and my friends loved it, yet I found it utterly horrible Hollywood style fake,” one moviegoer said.
Another user seconded it: “The whole movie is just Tom Cruise yelling at his autistic brother.”
8. Forrest Gump (1994)
One person shared, “Forest Gump.
“And I really wanted to like it, but I was just ‘meh..'
“I mean… it’s good. And Tom Hanks was impressive, but I didn’t really feel like I was moved.”
9. Pulp Fiction (1994)
One fan described two kinds of people; ones that would love this movie, and the ones that, well, just won't: “I totally understand this take. My wife and I both watched it for the first time, and while I loved it, she fell asleep and I didn't really blame her.
“Some people enjoy watching 2 hitmen talk about what they call a quarter pounder in France, and others don't. I'm definitely in the former group, but I don't blame anyone for being in the latter.”
10. Citizen Kane (1941)
“I liked Citizen Kane before, but watching it in a film class after other movies from before around the same time really put it in perspective. The movie could’ve been made exactly the same over a decade later and not felt antiquated,” one person said.
Another added: “This was it for me. I realized after I watched it that it must mostly be revered for it's technical achievements, because as a ripping piece of cinematic storytelling, it didn't move me.”
A thread inspired this article.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Boloere Seibidor, fondly called B.S. is a Nigerian-based writer and poet. Her favorite topics to cover include music, especially Hip-Hop, film, lifestyle, and fashion. She's been published by Feral Journal, Fantasy Magazine, The Temz Review, and most notably, Wealth of Geeks. She enjoys romantic dinners, movie nights, and touring new sites. When she's not writing, she's delving back in time to the underground world of Hip-Hop, watching TikTok, or visiting the cinema.