# Movies that were WAY better than you anticipated **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228 "2003-01-22T16:14:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/41 "2003-01-22T22:26:24Z")
Not a movie, but a series on TV: The Sharpe series. I thought it was really good - Sean Bean was excellent as Sharpe. I particularly liked Posthwaith (sp?) as the evil and crazy villian, talking to his mother in his hat. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![swingchick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@swingchick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swingchick)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/42 "2003-01-22T22:35:05Z")
Duece Bigalow Male Gigalow WAY better than expected. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/43 "2003-01-22T22:51:33Z")
_Catch me if you can_. I went into the theater planning to hate this movie, I was amazed at how good it was. Spielberg is not a good story teller [IMHO], but his visual skills and a brilliant script overcame his tendency to to be sappy. DiCaprio gave a great performance, as did Tom Hanks. Just seeing Christopher Walken as DiCaprioā€™s father is worth the price of admission. ---
**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 22, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/44 "2003-01-22T23:08:56Z")
Drowning Mona. I watched it on cable one day, and was pleasantly surprised to find itā€™s a quite well done black comedy. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/45 "2003-01-22T23:53:50Z")
Another vote for **Super Troopers** here. The ads made it look like a horribly stupid movie, _and it is_, but itā€™s damn funny. When we went to see it, we never expected to be laughing _with_ it. Especially the ā€œAfghanistanimation.ā€ And **Lilo & Stitch** , too. Iā€™m a big Disney fan, although Iā€™m beyond tired of the offensive Disney formula and marketing tie-ins and such. So I go see all the movies but dread having to wade through all the crap to get to the good stuff. I put off seeing _Lilo & Stitch_ because of the marketing campaign; the cute marketable character with the annoying Howie Mandel voice running around showing how zany and irreverent he was. _And they even played BAD TO THE BONE_ in the ads, which is even worse than starting out with ā€œIn a worldā€¦ā€ When I finally saw it, I was surprised to see that theyā€™d jettisoned the Disney formula except for where it made sense. The characters are genuinely endearing, interesting, and dysfunctional instead of being cloying. The crises are real and believable. The music was well-used. The character design & backgrounds were unique while still being appealing. The humor was genuinely funny and even more surprising, subtle! And most surprising of all, Stitch wasnā€™t a cute, irreverant troublemaker with a heart of gold ā€“ heā€™s really a total bastard for most of the movie! Amazing that a Disney movie was able to get greenlighted even without the musical numbers, the wacky sidekicks, and the same old tired formula thatā€™s been beaten to death since _The Little Mermaid_. Meow. ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/46 "2003-01-23T00:29:49Z")
**Fargo**. I was expecting it to be depressing, but it turned out to be hilarious. I will never look at a woodchipper the same way again. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/47 "2003-01-23T00:39:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by airdisc \* > \*\ ***Fargo**. I was expecting it to be depressing, but it turned out to be hilarious. I will never look at a woodchipper the same way again. \*\* Thatā€™s amusing, because the exact backwards thing happened to me: I went in expecting it to be funny, and it depressed the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/48 "2003-01-23T00:41:02Z")
For me it was **The Shipping News**. Based on the promos, I guessed it was a movie that Grandmommy might enjoy ā€“ Judy Dench, Kevin Spacey, New Foundland, boats etc. Crazy events unfolded (like a Lucy episode) and I was ā€œforcedā€ to watch it. Well I liked it. Alot. Top 25 all time Movie? no way. But it had alot more ā€œstoryā€ and grittiness to reccomend it. I am glad I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![jaimeshawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jaimeshawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimeshawn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/49 "2003-01-23T01:01:17Z")
Iā€™ll second the votes for **Matrix** because I usually donā€™t expect much with Keanu Reaves. Iā€™ll also second the vote for **Galaxy Quest** because I expect even less of Tim Allen. Two others **Pleasantville** turned out to be twice as smart as I thought it would be; and **Babe**. I was going to watch about 5 min of that pig movie, while the kids got settled and then split, but I watched the whole darn thing. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/50 "2003-01-23T01:16:30Z")
**Galaxy Quest** **Last of the Mohicans** ā€“ when the primary scene that stuck out from the trailers was the cheesy under-the-waterfall ā€œI will find youā€ bit, I didnā€™t expect it to be as good as it was. I thought it was wonderfully done, and the musical score is incredible. One of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/51 "2003-01-23T01:43:57Z")
**American Pie** I thought this was going to be a sub-moronic teen comedy. Jesus, they not only have the pie sex scene, they _named the whole movie after it!_ But it actually had interesting characters and a surprisingly adult attitude towards sex, once all was said and done. Pretty much ditto for **Friday** , which I expected to be more like, well, its own sequel. Additional votes for **Oscar** and **Galaxy Quest**. ---
**Author:** ![Regina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@Regina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regina)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/52 "2003-01-23T01:59:04Z")
A Beautiful Mind and I agree w/Fight Club ---
**Author:** ![ruralrage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@ruralrage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruralrage)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/53 "2003-01-23T02:26:26Z")
I know its been mentioned, but i think **Two Towers** deserves my vote. You see, i half expected to go into that movie feeling underwhelmed. When i read the lord of the rings a year or so ago, i remember vividly imagining every battle and every scene specifically from Two Towers to Return of the King. When i first saw the scene with Gandalf falling/fighting, my jaw hit the floor in a way that a childā€™s would when opening presents on christmas day. It turns out, i liked this movie more than anything i have seen yet. Also, **About Schmidt** is a really good choice as well. I went in there and was the only one in my generation. The rest were all beyond their forties a good few years. I thought, ā€œOh my god, this is going to be way over my head.ā€ Turns out, that movie was on par with A beautiful mind and all those other really good thinker/emotional flicksā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/54 "2003-01-23T02:29:31Z")
Myself and others have been pleasantly surprised by **Dude, Whereā€™s my Car?**. I wasnā€™t even high at the time. I also give a thumbs-up to **Goldmember** which I was expecting to suck, it being the third movie and allā€¦but it was really funny! ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/55 "2003-01-23T03:05:33Z")
I enjoyed _X-Men_ more than I expected to. I knew nothing about the story going in, and I was afraid it was going to be filled with all sorts of ā€œinsideā€ references, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was a perfectly enjoyable little sci-fi movie, on its own terms. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/56 "2003-01-23T03:16:15Z")
Another me too on ā€œGalaxy Quest,ā€ which looked stupid but was actually quite clever and one of the funniest movies of the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/57 "2003-01-23T03:23:03Z")
This might surprise people, but the original **Twelve Angry Men** had a much greater emotional impact upon me than Iā€™d expected it would. Usually when I watch ā€œclassicā€ Hollywood films, like **Casablanca** or **The Third Man** , I feel like Iā€™m viewing them at an incredible distance - I can appreciate them as works of genius, as historical documents, but Iā€™m rarely completely drawn into the movieā€™s emotion. But I was totally mesmerized by **Twelve Angry Men**. In a sense, it was the first pre-1970 film Iā€™d seen that didnā€™t feel ever-so-slightly like homework for a film class. Oh, and Iā€™ll also cast another vote for **Dude, Whereā€™s My Car**. Ostriches make anything funny. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/58 "2003-01-23T09:06:21Z")
**Tremors** **Matrix** And believe it or not, **Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope**. ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/59 "2003-01-23T11:10:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bouv \* > \*\*Another vote for Galaxy Quest and Fight Club. > > And I just have one more thing to add to the OPā€¦you liked 3000 MIles to Graceland? Thatā€™s one of the worst movies Iā€™ve ever seen! Bad writing, bad directing. The pinnacle comes at the end when Kevin Costnerā€™s character, I think, has about 100 police and SWAT team people shooting at him. He STANDS there, firing his one gun at them, meanwhile the laser sights from the policeā€™s guns are ON him, all over his face and chest, yet the bullets seem to go right trough him. Bad, BAD directing. For the love of God, I wouldnā€™t be so mad if the laser sights werenā€™t right on him, then itā€™s as unplausable as any other action movie, but Jesus Christ, \*\* Iā€™ll second this entire post. 300 Miles to Graceland was truly, truly horrible. It must hold the records for the most endings in one movie. The first one is about 1/2 way through the movie! Fight Club and Galaxy Quest are 2 of my favorite movies. I was surprised at 8 Mile - Eminem can actually act (as can Kim Basinger) Iā€™ll add the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair too. Didnā€™t expect a great deal but really enjoyed it ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228/60 "2003-01-23T13:24:42Z")
Independence Day. It just gave me a warm feeling about modern life, in particular technology (jet fighters, laptop computers etc) and the adaptability of humans to adverse circumstances; a feeling that persisted for several months after seeing it. To everyone else I know, itā€™s just a B-movie. Sigh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-way-better-than-you-anticipated/150228.md?page=4)