# Movies that underwhelmed you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403 "2018-12-01T16:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/121 "2018-12-06T16:26:17Z")
I may be crucified for this but when I was a 7 year-old boy in 1977, I was completely underwhelmed by Star Wars. I never had any real interest in it, didn’t ask to go see it, and after going to see it with my friends family, had no interest in seeing it again. I never owned a single Star Wars figure and not because my parents wouldn’t buy them for me, but because I never wanted them. Sure over the years I’ve seen all the Star Wars films multiple times like everyone else, it just wasn’t this life changing event that defined so many kids childhoods back then. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/122 "2018-12-06T18:12:09Z")
_Black Panther._ Points for all the social consciousness and the concept of an African superhero. But the story was just an excuse for bad CGI fights. The opening fight scene made no sense and you could see the writers trying vainly to make it seem other than a silly plot contrivance to set up the later fight scene. There were a handful of minor twist, but, ultimately, it was just another superhero film, with all the cliched tropes that rob the genre of any imagination. Most of it went by the same old tired playbook. And T’Challa’s decision at the end to reveal themselves to the world could have been done at any point after Killmonger mentioned it. It would have been a much better movie if they started with the final scene and actually dealt with the issues of bringing that technology to the world. We would have been spared the tedious fight scenes, whose outcomes were obvious from the very first punch. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/123 "2018-12-06T18:27:05Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I may be crucified for this but when I was a 7 year-old boy in 1977, I was completely underwhelmed by Star Wars. I never had any real interest in it, didn’t ask to go see it, and after going to see it with my friends family, had no interest in seeing it again. > I never owned a single Star Wars figure and not because my parents wouldn’t buy them for me, but because I never wanted them. > Sure over the years I’ve seen all the Star Wars films multiple times like everyone else, it just wasn’t this life changing event that defined so many kids childhoods back then. Just out of curiosity: were there any high-adventure kinds of movies that you did like? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/124 "2018-12-06T22:39:17Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Just out of curiosity: were there any high-adventure kinds of movies that you did like? As a kid I remember being blown away by Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I even had the trading cards for that movie. And a few years later I was again blown away by Raider of the Lost Ark. Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes were probably my favorite movies at the time when I’d see them on TV. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/125 "2018-12-06T22:48:18Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Close Encounters of the Third Kind Yet another movie that was OK, but not “blew me out of the water” good. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/126 "2018-12-06T23:21:49Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > As a kid I remember being blown away by Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I even had the trading cards for that movie. And a few years later I was again blown away by Raider of the Lost Ark. Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes were probably my favorite movies at the time when I’d see them on TV. Cool! 🙂 I dug all them, too, but CE3K, PotA, and BtPotA were more mind blowing in the sense of good sci-fi (at least to my young mind), but SW and RotLA were edge-of-seat, nail-biting, high-adventure exciting for me. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/127 "2018-12-07T06:49:57Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Ugh, I can’t stand **Dirty Dancing**. There are a lot of films in that subgenre that I don’t like, while still recognizing that they are well-made; I just don’t personally dig them. DD? **Is not a good film**. Completely linear plot, inaccurate period piece, crossing class lines is the Big Bad but no one seems to care about statutory rape…But I’m of the generation that **wept** , literally, over that film, so I’ve been obliged **numerous** times to either watch it or leave the room. Gah. > [snip] > > **Amelie** : Well, **Quercus** and **amaguri** , maybe I’ll give it another shot. But I’m not in a big hurry to do so. ::holds up demitasse spoon and smirks winsomely:: I strongly dislike _Dirty Dancing_ myself, but is it really legally statutory rape? According to wikipedia “Baby” is 17, the age of consent in NY state where the film takes place; she’s on her way to college at Mt. Holyoke so she’s probably going on 18. And I was also underwhelmed by _Amelie_, thought it was cute enough but mostly meh. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/128 "2018-12-07T16:08:09Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > Maybe I expected too much, but **Young Frankenstein** didn’t do much for me. Mildly funny when it didn’t drag on for too long, and hardly one of the funniest films of all time. +1 My brothers think it’s the funniest movie EVER, but I watched it thinking “self-indulgent” the whole time. It’s like a very long version of a very bad sketch from the Carol Burnett Show. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/129 "2018-12-07T17:47:46Z")
_The Blair Witch Project_ was all build up and no pay off. As far as “underwhelmed” rather than “actively disliked”, I will go with _ET: The Extraterrestrial_. Saw it once, have no desire to see it again. It was OK, but no more than that. I had no expectations going into _No Country for Old Men_, and they were fulfilled, so that is another in the same category. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/130 "2018-12-07T17:49:55Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > The original _Magnificent Seven_. The gun battles are great. Steve McQueen and Eli Wallach are fun to watch. The Mexican location is gorgeous. The rest of the movie is a bloated bore. Are you kidding? The greatest [dolly shot](https://youtu.be/vtxPupFohQA?t=78) of all time alone makes it worth watching. 🙂 Besides, if you think the _Magnificent Seven_ is bloated, you should try _Seven Samurai_, clocking in at 407 minutes. I mean, I liked Kurosawa but his motto seemed to be, “Never say something in ten minutes when you could take forty.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/131 "2018-12-07T18:13:59Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > - … Seven Samurai\*, clocking in at 407 minutes. It’s not quite as long as you think. It’s called Seven Samurai, not Seven Hours. [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Samurai#Release)says it’s 207 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/132 "2018-12-07T18:21:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > _The Blair Witch Project_ was all build up and no pay off. Yep, they laughed all the way to the bank. It wasn’t much more sophisticated than a home movie production, and it made a bundle. They spent more money on the sequel but, somehow, it was even worse. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/133 "2018-12-07T19:43:10Z")
_The Artist_ I know it won Best Picture and all, but I found it really boring. _The Hobbit_ films weren’t bad, but could have been a lot better, like if there were only one or two of them. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/134 "2018-12-07T20:05:56Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Are you kidding? The greatest [dolly shot](https://youtu.be/vtxPupFohQA?t=78) of all time alone makes it worth watching. 🙂 I’ll grant you, that dolly shot is awesome. That was the first thing I had in mind when I said the battle scenes are great. It doesn’t even matter that you can clearly see that it isn’t Eli Wallach on that horse. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/135 "2018-12-08T14:37:59Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > It’s not quite as long as you think. It’s called Seven Samurai, not Seven Hours. [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Samurai#Release)says it’s 207 minutes. That’ll teach me for converting 3h 27m in my head. Still long, though. > [@Rough Draft](#): > > I’ll grant you, that dolly shot is awesome. That was the first thing I had in mind when I said the battle scenes are great. It doesn’t even matter that you can clearly see that it isn’t Eli Wallach on that horse. Well, NY-bred Wallach had no clue about what to do with a horse; the vaqueroes they hired to be bandits took him in charge so he didn’t look like a complete idiot but stunt riding was out of the question. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/136 "2018-12-08T18:56:58Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > I’ll grant you, that dolly shot is awesome. That was the first thing I had in mind when I said the battle scenes are great. It doesn’t even matter that you can clearly see that it isn’t Eli Wallach on that horse. That wasn’t Andre the Giant riding a horse at the end of the Princess Bride either. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/137 "2018-12-12T15:13:56Z")
Oh, we used _Pocahontas_ for _Avatar_. I never thought of _Dances With Wolves_! We finally watched it. Eh. I also liked _Titanic_ for the historical information. It would have been shorter if they removed all the romance stuff. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/138 "2018-12-12T15:23:22Z")
ah – **Close Encounters of the Third Kind**. Totally underwhelmed. The damned movie ended right at the interesting part – the aliens land and come out. That’s where the movie ought to _start_ – like with the original **The Day the Earth Stood Still**. (The remake, by the way, totally underwhelmed me). I’m also underwhelmed by the recent remakes of Paul Verhoeven films – **Total Recall** , **Robocop**. The remakes have better CGI, but totally ignored the dark humor that made the films fun to watch. I found both movies a chore to sit through. Mike Myers’ _Austin Powers_ movies. I find myself wanting to watch them, because, Og knows, there’s plenty in the James Bond concept that deserves to be sent up, but these films waste all that on adolescent humor. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/139 "2018-12-13T15:48:20Z")
Recently, Incredibles II. Only because I figured with so much time passing that they must have been waiting for the PERFECT script/story. Nope. I would have been much more forgiving of it if had come out a couple years after the original. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403/140 "2018-12-13T17:14:38Z")
Since CalMeacham brought up pointless remakes, I’d have to add Gus Van Zant’s 1998 remake of **Psycho** to the list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-underwhelmed-you/825403.md?page=8)