# Movies that shouldn't have aged well, but did **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826 "2013-01-11T04:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/21 "2013-01-11T18:14:03Z")
Network shouldn’t hold up. It’s a snapshot portrait taken of a particular time in news media — when a handful of broadcast networks were the be-all and end-all of dissemination of the news and evening anchors were oracles, and those days are long since gone. It (basically) predates and as such excludes any reference to interwebz. But it’s still eminently rewatchable… and in many ways MORE relevant today than it was at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/22 "2013-01-11T18:17:57Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > That’s the movie I instantly thought of. I got the Final Cut for Christmas last year. The effects still look great after 30 years. Except for Deckard’s copy of _Photoshop for the Mentally Retarded™_ I agree. The computer scene is the one part that just drops me out of the film. I don’t expect them to have come up with the concept of the mouse for the film, but the way that machine was used is just clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/23 "2013-01-11T18:18:18Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > Star Wars was supposedly a complete mess while it was being made. The actors thought the script was poor, the production was rife with problems, and George Lucas was promising visuals that nobody expected to look nearly as good as he was selling. The first cut of the film was overly long and tedious and in bad need of an editor to make it watchable. As the release date approached and the film still wasn’t finished the production company seriously considered scrapping the film and salvaging a few of the better unfinished special effects for TV shows. It was a film that very few people had any faith in until all of the pieces came together at the end. Personally, I still find the script poor, the movie a complete mess, overly long and tedious but at least its effects makes it barely watchable. I guess I must be the only one… ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/24 "2013-01-11T18:18:19Z")
I was talking to one of my friends recently on how 40 years ago we would watch “Island of Lost Souls” on the local horror movie TV hour. We figured it was some cheapie turned out in 1932 that had Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. Today it’s a Criterion Collection BluRay with film commentary and other features. > **[Island of Lost Souls](https://www.criterion.com/films/27861-island-of-lost-souls?q=autocomplete)** > > A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok, adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. In one of his first major movie roles, Charles Laughton is a mad... To shift the focus to TV (which are just short movies), watching MeTV shows from 50 years ago, a teen comedy like “Dobie Gillis” holds up a lot better than a serious show like “Route 66”. You rang? ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/25 "2013-01-11T19:22:18Z")
The original Terminator. The styles in the movie are definitely 80’s but its quality as a suspense film manages to overcome that. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/26 "2013-01-11T20:02:55Z")
The only flaw that keeps the original Terminator from aging well is the gawdawful 80s synth soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/27 "2013-01-11T20:56:28Z")
The Blues Brothers still holds up. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/28 "2013-01-11T21:28:54Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The Blues Brothers still holds up. Yeah, I still like **Caddyshack** , too. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/29 "2013-01-11T21:42:10Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Yeah, I still like **Caddyshack** , too. Caddyshack two? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/30 "2013-01-11T21:42:48Z")
It’s been a while, but I was always struck at how well _Forbidden Planet_ held up for a movie I first saw when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/31 "2013-01-11T21:43:02Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Network shouldn’t hold up. It’s a snapshot portrait taken of a particular time in news media — when a handful of broadcast networks were the be-all and end-all of dissemination of the news and evening anchors were oracles, and those days are long since gone. > > It (basically) predates and as such excludes any reference to interwebz. > > But it’s still eminently rewatchable… and in many ways MORE relevant today than it was at the time. Oddly enough, I was going to use “Network” as an example of a movie that doesn’t particularly hold up! I’ll go with Albert Brooks’s [Real Life](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079781/combined) from 1979 as a surprisingly fresh take on reality TV. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/32 "2013-01-11T21:49:33Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The only flaw that keeps the original Terminator from aging well is the gawdawful 80s synth soundtrack. I caught Absence of Malice a little while ago. The performances of the leads still hold up very well. The Wilfred Brimley scene at the end still works. But the soundtrack was awful and dated and took me right out of the movie. I know opinions vary but to me John Ford’s movies have aged very well. Sure the acting style of his troupe of players may seem odd by todays standards but no more so than a Wes Anderson movie. I could watch Fort Apache or The Searchers any day. And they are still beautifully filmed movies. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/33 "2013-01-11T21:57:02Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Caddyshack two? So, which is the worse sequel, **Caddyshack 2** or **Highlander 2**? 😉 I haven’t seen **Highlander** in a long time. Anyone have an opinion on how well it has aged? ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/34 "2013-01-11T22:01:03Z")
There is too much 80’s synth soundtrack hate on these threads. I love that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/35 "2013-01-11T22:12:43Z")
Nothing animated? How about _Fantasia._ Considering the low-tech 1940 animation . . . it’s remarkable, not in spite of how it was made, but because of it. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/36 "2013-01-11T22:44:40Z")
**War of the Worlds** is still surprisingly taut and effective. The scene where they are trapped in the house scared the bejeezus out of my toughguy pre-teenager. ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/37 "2013-01-11T22:58:07Z")
How about the longest-running theatrical release in film history, _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. First released in 1975 and still in limited release today. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/38 "2013-01-12T08:37:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Sol Yurick’s recent passing puts me in mind of _The Warriors_. Is this version the one in which Cyrus tries to get the NYC gangs to join? " Can you dig it?". If so, this movie is one you should pop into the DVD player again because it drags very badly. > [@bup](#): > > _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ and _Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure_ are much better movies than they should have been, and are still very watchable. I came in to nominate FTARH. This movie holds up better than almost every other teen movie I’ve ever seen, and it still makes me laugh in places. Good cast, decent script, and timeless themes help this one resonate to different generations better than most. ---
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/39 "2013-01-12T09:25:59Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > So, which is the worse sequel, **Caddyshack 2** or **Highlander 2**? 😉 > I haven’t seen **Highlander** in a long time. Anyone have an opinion on how well it has aged? It’s is definitely an 80’s time capsule of a movie, and I wasn’t even alive for over half of that decade, but damned if it isn’t still awesome and something my friends and I still really enjoy watching now. Cheesy action movie, but it is so much fun. And so much love for the Queen soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826/40 "2013-01-12T09:52:47Z")
Just for kicks, I looked up every title mentioned in this thread into the Netflix streaming list, and only 10% are available. Yet all are well-known movies, so it’s not obscurity that keeps them locked up. I can only conclude that the copyright owners are preventing distribution that way. Luddites. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-shouldnt-have-aged-well-but-did/646826.md?page=3)