# Movies you have watched with low expectations only to be surprised by how much you like them. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609 "2014-04-21T14:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/101 "2014-04-26T07:12:44Z")
I love this thread. Something like 90% of the films listed are either critically acclaimed or have had stellar reputations for a LONG time. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/102 "2014-04-26T13:28:47Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > [Troll Hunter.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLEo7H9tqSM) I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by a really enjoyable flick. TRROOOOOOLLLL!! Troll Hunter instantly became one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/103 "2014-04-26T13:49:59Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I don’t know why Galaxy Quest is considered ‘low expectation’. I took my little girl to see this when it came out, and we came home and told him “I do believe lightning has struck. I do believe today, we saw a movie I would give a “TEN”.” True! This. Given the cast, and premise, I had high expectations for _Galaxy Quest_. And was not disappointed. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/104 "2014-04-26T13:58:18Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I love this thread. Something like 90% of the films listed are either critically acclaimed or have had stellar reputations for a LONG time. Yes. But, for instance, when I went to see **The Terminator** it had just come out and had no reputation at all. James Cameron was a peripheral figure who you’d only know about if you followed cult cinema closely. He had directed an obscure short and the sequel _Piranha II_ before this. A lot of the films listed in this thread are well-known and acclaimed NOW, but not necessarily when they came out. And it does no good to say “Anyone who follows cinema knows that…” Everyone _doesn’t_ follow it, and know what you may know. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/105 "2014-04-26T14:07:07Z")
Another one I thought of that I don’t think was mentioned: Stardust. A really fun fantasy movie. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/106 "2014-04-26T15:46:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Yes. But, for instance, when I went to see **The Terminator** it had just come out and had no reputation at all. James Cameron was a peripheral figure who you’d only know about if you followed cult cinema closely. He had directed an obscure short and the sequel _Piranha II_ before this. The Terminator is actually the best example of what I’m talking about. Critics loved it back in 1984. If you read a single review of the movie before seeing it, you would know that it was sci-fi action at its finest. And if you went in unspoiled (which was fairly common back in the 80s), you couldn’t have any expectations. > **[The Terminator | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/terminator)** > > Disguised as a human, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Sent to protect Sarah is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), who divulges the coming of Skynet, an... ---
**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:** [April 26, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/107 "2014-04-26T16:20:50Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > The Terminator is actually the best example of what I’m talking about. Critics loved it back in 1984. If you read a single review of the movie before seeing it, you would know that it was sci-fi action at its finest. And if you went in unspoiled (which was fairly common back in the 80s), you couldn’t have any expectations. > > [The Terminator | Rotten Tomatoes](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/terminator/) 'm not sure there _were_ any reviews out when I first saw it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/108 "2014-04-26T21:30:37Z")
_ **Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer.** _ I only watched to see how stupid it was going to be, but it was actually fun. I don’t know how, but it “worked”. I never would have believed it. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/109 "2014-04-26T22:31:22Z")
**Romancing the Stone**. I got dragged along when my sister and her BF went to see it (he had to take his younger sister as well) - of course they sat elsewhere to us. I only knew about it from the posters in the cinema but it looked like a crappy romance flick (an anathema to 13 year old me) but it ended up being a pretty damn entertaining adventure/action/comedy/romance. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/110 "2014-04-27T00:16:02Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > _Galaxy Quest_. This is one of the winners of the thread. We all accept that it’s a great movie now, but it looked like a terrible idea before it came out. Guillermo Del Toro talked about it on NPR as one of the truly great movie of the last few decades. His point is how hard it is to make funny comedies that remain funny over and over and through time. He’s kind of right. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/111 "2014-04-29T19:02:53Z")
_Kung Fu Hustle_. The title makes it sound like MST3K material, and the first few minutes are not promising. After that, it’s hilarious, and intentionally so. 7.8 at [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/). ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/112 "2014-04-30T13:28:28Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > _Kung Fu Hustle_. The title makes it sound like MST3K material, and the first few minutes are not promising. After that, it’s hilarious, and intentionally so. > > 7.8 at [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/). Shaolin Soccer was better 🙂 Another one for me that always stuck was **Joe Dirt**. A poorly reviewed movie that was excoriated for bottom-of-the-barrel comedy and blah blah. When I watched it I noticed very little potty humor, relatively funny witty stuff, and at the end of the day it was a movie with a LOT of heart, a good message, and a happy ending. I am always pleasantly surprised when I see it on cable. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/113 "2014-04-30T14:11:28Z")
**The Fellowship of the Ring** and **Searching for Bobby Fischer**. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/114 "2014-04-30T16:56:36Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > **Scary Movie 7 (or whatever the newest one is)**: My girlfriend and I rented it cuz we were bored and it was all Redbox had that we could agree on. it was one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen…and that is a grand compliment. > > It was Airplane (my favorite movie ever) style of comedy. Just stupid stupid background stuff happening and plays on words, and not so much ultra-contemporary parodys that are old in a month David Zucker (Airplane/Top Secret/Police Squad/Naked gun cowriter/codirector) has been involved with the Scary Movie franchise since number 3 in the franchise. The 4th one had Jim Abrahams (Airplane/Top Secret/Police Squad/Ruthless People/Hot Shots) as a cowriter too, so in some way its the only continuation of those type of movies at the moment… ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/115 "2014-04-30T21:09:45Z")
**Paranormal Activity**. After all the hype of Blair Witch I was ready to hate this movie with a passion; but it’s probably the only movie since I was a kid watching the Exorcist that made me actually jump in my seat. The later movies were meh. **Wimbledon**. Sure it’s a derivative of rom-com stereotypes but I enjoyed the internal dialogue of Paul Bettany’s character trying to summon up just one more good performance at the end of a long career and walk away a champion. **Fast and Furious:Tokyo Drift** I generally like car movies but I had really suspected this was going to suck badly. I was surprised by the somewhat intelligent dialogue and the humour. I will never forgive them mutilating that Mustang. That was just wrong… ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/116 "2014-05-01T18:00:59Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Hmm… > > _ **Faster** _ - I thought that it was going to be a standard Dwayne “ The Rock” Johnson action film, but it was actually a fairly dark story which didn’t end well for anyone. > > _ **Oculus** _ - My SO wanted to see this as she is a big horror film fan. Its promos looked average; but it was a decent film with a lot of tension in it. > > _ **Wall-E** _ - I wasn’t going to the movies to see this film as it didn’t seem to offer much to attract me. I have since seen it at least a dozen times and I count it as one of my favorite films. > > _ **Switchback** _ (1997) - A serial killer film with a twist as to who the killer is. The previews stank up the place but it is a very enjoyable film,IMO. **Wall-E** is genius. **Hell Baby** is deliberately, knowingly, and outrageously dumb–and hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/117 "2014-05-01T18:21:38Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > _ **Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer.** _ > > I only watched to see how stupid it was going to be, but it was actually fun. I don’t know how, but it “worked”. I never would have believed it. I agree. I went in as a Civil War buff, didn’t expect too much, and really enjoyed it. I just told my brain to get in the swing of things and totally went along with super-badass-ninja Abe. I even giggled with glee when President Lincoln brought out his axe, complete with beard and stovepipe hat. Yet the logistics of the ending totally pulled me out of the movie. After I spent 90% of the movie accepting the vampire hunting. Isn’t that something? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/118 "2014-05-01T20:27:11Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > _ **Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer.** _ > > I only watched to see how stupid it was going to be, but it was actually fun. I don’t know how, but it “worked”. I never would have believed it. > [@HubZilla](#): > > I agree. I went in as a Civil War buff, didn’t expect too much, and really enjoyed it. I just told my brain to get in the swing of things and totally went along with super-badass-ninja Abe. I even giggled with glee when President Lincoln brought out his axe, complete with beard and stovepipe hat. > > Yet the logistics of the ending totally pulled me out of the movie. After I spent 90% of the movie accepting the vampire hunting. > > Isn’t that something? **Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies** The man playing Lincoln is so incredibly good, he carries the whole film. They play around with history a bit, too, and that’s fun. Lincoln on a zip-cord is worth the price of admission. If I can find **ALVS** , I’ll watch that and see if there’s any good comparisons to be made. Stay tuned. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/119 "2014-05-01T20:29:44Z")
I can now add to this thread _August: Osage County_. Wow, what a great movie! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609/120 "2014-05-01T21:37:54Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > [Frailty](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264616/?ref_=nv_sr_2). > > I had free passes to go see this movie. Low-budget, Bill Paxton-starring and directed. Matthew McConaughey also stars. I wasn’t expecting much. Looked like a cheesy horror film, of the “direct-to-video” variety. After all, God tells a guy to kill other people. I mean, come on…movie-of-the-week territory. > > What I got was a fairly terrifying, suspenseful flick. Extremely well-made, well-acted. Finely crafted, and extremely plausible. I second this recommendation, with the caveat that the story does kinda fall apart towards the end, falling prey to the need for having twist upon twist upon twist until you have no clue what’s really going on. Another good one: **Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death** , a quirky B-movie satire starring former Playmates Shannon Tweed & Adrienne Barbeau, as well as Bill Maher before he was famous. With a name like that and a cast to match, you know that if nothing else, it’s gotta be worth watching! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-have-watched-with-low-expectations-only-to-be-surprised-by-how-much-you-like-them/686609.md?page=7)