# Movies that were a lot better than you expected (SPOILERS LIKELY) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 11, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559 "2011-11-11T02:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/101 "2011-12-04T22:50:33Z")
James Cameron rips off everybody in his movies. The Terminator is the best of his movies just because he steals from the most sources and uses those sources better than in his other films. It’s hard to know what to credit for any Cameron film because they all use the storytelling material that’s out there and the line between copyrightable material and universal tropes is so vague. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/102 "2011-12-04T23:58:25Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I consider myself a pretty good judge of movie quality. I therefore, inevitably, think most movies vary from not good to total crap. Good ones are the exception not the rule. > > Having said that I was very surprised at recently watching **Battle: Los Angeles** and not only \*not \*finding it one of the worst movies ever as I had heard, but actually finding it pretty enjoyable. More so even than **Avatar**! (and Cameron is my favorite director). > > It was short, to the point, and not unreasonably unbelievable. Many complained about the grunts hack-kneed dialog, but I don’t think soldiers wax poetic too much in battle. I liked the premise, an invasion by an alien force with \*somewhat \*more advanced technology but not overwhelmingly so. I liked its frontline-only POV, no corny presidential “War Room” scenes, hence the frontline soldiers were only mildly interested in the ‘big picture’ reasons for the aliens invading. The part of BLA that thought was the most realistic were the early battle scenes. The look of WTF on the solider’s faces particularly the LT and the Sargent were exactly what I think would be on my face in that situation. ---
**Author:** ![Ram\_brand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@Ram\_brand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ram_brand)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/103 "2011-12-05T04:31:37Z")
When the earth stood still. At first it was just a boring movie, but after ive watch it, i was amaze. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/104 "2011-12-05T05:40:28Z")
I’ve never heard of a film called _When the Earth Stood Still_. Do you mean _The Day the Earth Stood Still_? ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/105 "2011-12-05T13:43:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > A reread Roger Ebert’s review and he just got this wrong. What I used to like about him is he reviewed films on their own terms. Ever since his health problems he’s gotten very snobbish, political, and overly-opinionated in his reviews. Ebert’s always been snobbish, political and overly opinionated. This is nothing new. Youtube some behine the scenes looks from Siskel and Ebert and you’ll see what a tool he is. ---
**Author:** ![EarlyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@EarlyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlyMan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/106 "2011-12-05T13:43:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I’ve never heard of a film called _When the Earth Stood Still_. Do you mean _The Day the Earth Stood Still_? Yea, and if so, which version??😕 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/107 "2011-12-05T14:09:54Z")
Is there ANYONE who likes the Keanu Reeves version? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/108 "2011-12-05T14:31:38Z")
**Kingpin** Expected - stupid, cheesy sports-themed movie about bowling starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, etc… where the protagonists face adversity but still win in the end. Got: One of the funniest movies I have ever seen with some excellent comedic writing and Bill Murray at his best. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/109 "2011-12-06T14:25:50Z")
The Fellowship of the Ring. Searching for Bobby Fisher. I only saw them because my husband insisted. Both times, he was right. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559/110 "2011-12-07T22:30:26Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > The Robert Downey version of _Sherlock Holmes_. > > From the previews I expected a half-ass modernization of Holmes with Downey putting on an English accent, give him some witty one-liners, add some modern f/x, and you got a throwaway summer flick. > But between the immersive musical score and Guy Richie’s styling it became something really cool and edgy. I’m very much looking forward to the sequel. Agreed. Sure, much of it was WAAAAAAY over the top, but their re-invention of Holmes as an action hero is much closer to canon than it seems at first glance. I also thought that the freeze-frame trips inside Holmes’s mind did a better job of exploring his thought processes than any other treatment I’ve seen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-a-lot-better-than-you-expected-spoilers-likely/602559.md?page=5)