# Movies that you thought you'd love but wound up hating. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900 "2010-04-04T11:38:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/81 "2010-04-05T21:37:49Z")
YES about Hurt Locker. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it for my OP. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/82 "2010-04-05T21:48:50Z")
**Last Tango in Paris**. My college film club (which made pretty much all great picks) had it for one of their weekly theater showings. I didn’t know much about it except that it 1. was a classic, 2. had tons of sex, and 3. had Marlon Brando (whom, ok, I wasn’t a huge fan of necessarily, but he had still done some movies I loved, like Apocalypse Now). One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m not even talking about the grossness of the sex scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Mavis\_Topholese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/83 "2010-04-05T21:52:27Z")
I was really looking forward to DePalma’s BLACK DAHLIA, and boy oh boy did that one go south fast. Another vote for LOST IN TRANSLATION, too. It takes a special kind of genius to make so boring a film set in one of the most interesting cities on Earth, starring Bill Murray. Boring, boring, boring. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/84 "2010-04-05T22:12:30Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Actually, del Toro directed the first one, too. ([Hellboy (2004) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167190/)) I should have remembered that. I suppose on the heels of _Pan’s Labyrinth_ the hype machine was churning and this sequel was supposed to be his tour de force. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/85 "2010-04-05T22:38:07Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > “Gladiator”. I like books/Hitler Channel specials on Ancient Rome and I think “I, Claudius” and “HBO Rome” are two of the greatest TV series ever. With Derek Jacobi it seemed like a winner. But except for the opening battle and two fights in the Colosseum, it’s a dud. Ah yes, thanks for reminding me. Although I usually categorize this movie under “movies that are great…except for the ending.” ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/86 "2010-04-05T22:59:56Z")
I will have to also note **Lost in Translation**. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. I thought I would love it because I love Bill Murray, and I enjoy seeing movies set in other cultures and countries. But pretty pictures of the lights at night in Hong Kong (or wherever they were) do not a movie make. I really thought I would enjoy **Up in the Air** as I’m a George Clooney fan and the premise looked interesting and hey, it’s up for an Oscar! Clooney nominated for Best Actor! A couple of neat scenes here and there, but overall underwhelming. I had to file it under “don’t like”. I thought Clooney was much more interesting and did a better acting job in **Ocean’s Eleven**! Kind of felt the same way about **The Hurt Locker**. Some interesting scenes, but I came away from it feeling like I was waiting for something that never happened. And I was not all that impressed with Jeremy Renner’s performance, I thought the other 2 actors did a better job. Was very disappointed. I also had high hopes for **Babel** but I absolutely hated it! This movie horribly suffered from “Idiot Plot”, meaning if any of the major characters were not an idiot, there would not be a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/87 "2010-04-05T23:52:54Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > _The Hurt Locker_. I thought it would be a realistic look at the current war but it turned out to be a series of highly improbably situations badly shot. Rats, you beat me to it. It won the Academy award for best picture, fercrisakes. I _like_ war movies. I _like_ tension-filled, defuse-the-bomb scenes. I went in really expecting to enjoy it. But that _shaky camera_!!! Cripes, how in hell did that woman win for best director? There could have been a giant pink bunny in the forefront of every scene, and that would not have been as distracting as that damnable shaking camera! I couldn’t get into the movie, I couldn’t get “lost” in the tension-filled scenes, because that damned gyrating camera just kept screaming, “This is a movie, you’re watching a movie, hey, lookee how the camera is trying to make you feel like you’re there!” The story was cliched and lame, the characters one-dimensional cardboard, but I still probably would have enjoyed it if only I could have actually watched it. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/88 "2010-04-06T00:26:32Z")
> [@Ataraxy](#): > > Neither _Donnie Darko_ nor _The Big Lebowski_ lived up to the hype I had been told. _Donnie Darko_ was an incomprehensible mess, especially. Yes! Yes! Thank you! The first one with that weird rabbit crap going on, wtf was it with that voice? Other films use that effect for serial killers. And the second one, excuse me, but aren’t comedies supposed to be funny? I seem to remember being trapped into seeing it by the requirements of politeness, and only managed to endure it by spending my time mentally cataloging the variety of dumb ass plot twists. Naturally, they are Prince Charming’s #1 and #2 favorite movies of all time. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/89 "2010-04-06T00:37:53Z")
> [@Viridiana](#): > > Second for **Watchmen**. Loved the book, loved the first-look trailer with the Smashing Pumpkins song, loved the preview of the first 5 minutes seen at a convention, went on to hate the movie when it finally came out. I’m having trouble understanding why someone who loved the book of Watchmen didn’t care for the movie. It was the second-most faithful adaptation of a comic book to a movie I’ve ever seen (after Sin City). Not disputing your opinion; I just don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/90 "2010-04-06T00:43:25Z")
> [@Eutychus](#): > > **The Royal Tennenbaums** … I just ended up hating all the characters and wondering what the heck was THAT all about? Even after hearing how Wes Anderson was SUCH a good movie maker. Definitely agree with you there… I have no idea what the film was about or why people seemed to think it was so great. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/91 "2010-04-06T02:10:02Z")
I thought I was going to like the first _Lord of the Rings_ movie. However, I lost track of everything that was happening after about half an hour, and I just sat in the theater bored out of my mind for the remaining two and a half hours. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/92 "2010-04-06T02:30:24Z")
Well, Clash of the Titans. I just got back from the theater. I am so easy to please about these kinds of movies, although I will echo what others have said about Alexander…another big disapointment. But, yeah, waited so long to see Clash. I can’t believe it let me down. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/93 "2010-04-06T02:38:24Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m having trouble understanding why someone who loved the book of Watchmen didn’t care for the movie. It was the second-most faithful adaptation of a comic book to a movie I’ve ever seen (after Sin City). Not disputing your opinion; I just don’t get it. I don’t get that either. That said, if you’ve read the comic, there’s really no need to see the movie. If you haven’t read the comic, I doubt the story made much sense. I watched it with my dad and had to explain various plot points because the movie just didn’t flesh out that world very well. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/94 "2010-04-06T03:09:33Z")
**Jurassic Park 2**. I loved the first one and had such high expectations for the second…but it didn’t live up to them. Not at all. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/95 "2010-04-06T03:17:36Z")
I had high hopes for _The Golden Compass_. Those books were some of the first fantasy I read, and I really liked them. I almost walked out of the movie. They didn’t even begin to tell the story – they just filmed the highlights, or what they thought should be the highlights. I’m not surprised that we won’t see movies from the other two books in the trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/96 "2010-04-06T04:25:21Z")
Another for **The Royal Tennenbaums**. I loathed it. And…okay, I didn’t think I’d _love_ it, but I thought the first Transformers movie would be a mildly entertaining explosion movie. I was totally unprepared for how much I hated it. Incredibly boring, total waste of time and money. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/97 "2010-04-06T04:40:39Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I had high hopes for _The Golden Compass_. Those books were some of the first fantasy I read, and I really liked them. I almost walked out of the movie. They didn’t even begin to tell the story – they just filmed the highlights, or what they thought should be the highlights. I’m not surprised that we won’t see movies from the other two books in the trilogy. Oh god yes, this. Liked the book, liked the look of the cast…but it was just so BLAH. Not to mention the ending seemed so unfinished that when the credits rolled I wanted to shout “hey, HEY! What are you doing? Turn those lights back down, we’re not done here!” Look, I get that you think you can’t end a movie on a bad note, but come the fuck on. You can’t just end it wherever the hell you want! And I agree with another poster who mentioned **The Black Dahlia**. I watched it with a (then) boyfriend, and we got so bored that we finally just went “okay, how much more of this is there?” and looked at the back of the DVD. We had over an hour left. We decided it wasn’t worth it and turned it off. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/98 "2010-04-06T04:57:32Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m having trouble understanding why someone who loved the book of Watchmen didn’t care for the movie. It was the second-most faithful adaptation of a comic book to a movie I’ve ever seen (after Sin City). Not disputing your opinion; I just don’t get it. Because movies do **NOT** equal books (and vice versa). What I, as someone who cherished the source material, longed for was a director competent enough to film his own vision of the graphic novel, but who wouldn’t lose the spirit of the source. What I _never_ wanted was some hack director who was a) so fucking clueless as both an artist and a craftsman, and b) so slavishly enamored of the source material that he/she would literally concoct a near-shot-for-shot transposition of book to film. And that’s exactly what I and everybody else fucking got. Damn it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/99 "2010-04-06T04:57:47Z")
Not hate, but here are three movies that I had really high expectations for based on their reputations but which disappointed me: _On the Waterfront_: I found it melodramatic rather than dramatic. And Brando’s method acting has never been a big plus for me and he was laying it on here. _The Sting_: I loved _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ and I expected this to be at the same level. But when I finally watched it, I found it surprisingly weak. It seemed like a well-made TV movie not a major feature. _Saving Private Ryan_: The first twenty minutes were brilliant. But after that, this was just another routine war movie like any one of dozens of others. And I hated the “earn this” ending. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900/100 "2010-04-06T04:58:59Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Well, Clash of the Titans. I just got back from the theater. I am so easy to please about these kinds of movies, although I will echo what others have said about Alexander…another big disapointment. > > But, yeah, waited so long to see Clash. I can’t believe it let me down. Did you see it in 2D or 3D? If you saw it in the latter format, was the 3D as dodgy as I’ve been reading? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-you-thought-youd-love-but-wound-up-hating/534900.md?page=6)