"Classics" that you were underwhelmed by.
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I always try to be careful when it comes to judging things I didn't like. Things don't become regarded as classics for the lulz, a classic is something that has received enormous amounts of praise over a very long time by a lot of people, both high brow critics and average Joes. and just because I don't like the game/book/movie/whatever that doesn't mean it's bad, and claiming that everyone who came before me and praised it is wrong while I'm right seems a bit narrow minded. There are a lot of classic works (mostly movies, I don't read that much :-/) that I don't like, but more often than not I can admit that I don't like it because I lack the deeper understanding for it that the people who like it have.
That said, the prime example of a movie that I didn't even remotely get is Akira. After watching it I went online to read up on all the themes and subtexts that were in that movie, and it really baffled me how I got absolutely nothing of that while watching it. To me it was just a weird movie about a kid who got superpowers and decided to wreck Tokyo for the lulz, with some creepy 90-year old babies and milk-leaking teddy bears thrown in for good measure. I should probably watch it again :-/
I also have a hard time appreciating slow, long movies. If it goes on for too long with too little happening in terms of plot, I just kind of loose interest and stop appreciating it, no matter how good it is. The Assassination of Jesse James is probably the most recent example, I had a hard time staying focused during There Will be Blood too.
That said, the prime example of a movie that I didn't even remotely get is Akira. After watching it I went online to read up on all the themes and subtexts that were in that movie, and it really baffled me how I got absolutely nothing of that while watching it. To me it was just a weird movie about a kid who got superpowers and decided to wreck Tokyo for the lulz, with some creepy 90-year old babies and milk-leaking teddy bears thrown in for good measure. I should probably watch it again :-/
I also have a hard time appreciating slow, long movies. If it goes on for too long with too little happening in terms of plot, I just kind of loose interest and stop appreciating it, no matter how good it is. The Assassination of Jesse James is probably the most recent example, I had a hard time staying focused during There Will be Blood too.
Legend of Zelda as a series.
Just never appealed to me. And yes, I've played Ocarina of Time and the others. My friends still won't stop badgering me about it >.<
Not that I hate the series, I just don't gush over it like everybody[footnote]it seems this way sometimes[/footnote] else does.
Just never appealed to me. And yes, I've played Ocarina of Time and the others. My friends still won't stop badgering me about it >.<
Not that I hate the series, I just don't gush over it like everybody[footnote]it seems this way sometimes[/footnote] else does.
I think a lot of the "Classics" are things that you need to think of as, "for the time, this must have been good because of..(fill in the blank)"
I agree, Blade-runner wasn't amazing, but for its time it had a lot of unique ideas and was pretty interesting.
I think the worst case scenario of "Classics" are the books. I read quite a few "Classic" literature novels, and man was I unimpressed. Maybe it's a bias on the reasons I personally read, but there were so many boring plots that once again, were probably better at the time.
Best example is "A Tale of Two Cities" - Seriously the only reason I think that book is even remembered is because of the first page and the last page. Everything that happened in between was just, okay. Granted, I read these when I was younger because I was forced to by our reading standards in Junior High, but I still doubt I'd enjoy them today.
I agree, Blade-runner wasn't amazing, but for its time it had a lot of unique ideas and was pretty interesting.
I think the worst case scenario of "Classics" are the books. I read quite a few "Classic" literature novels, and man was I unimpressed. Maybe it's a bias on the reasons I personally read, but there were so many boring plots that once again, were probably better at the time.
Best example is "A Tale of Two Cities" - Seriously the only reason I think that book is even remembered is because of the first page and the last page. Everything that happened in between was just, okay. Granted, I read these when I was younger because I was forced to by our reading standards in Junior High, but I still doubt I'd enjoy them today.
Gears of War: Who'd have thought genocide could be dull
Bioshock: nice setting, terrible gameplay.
Bioshock: nice setting, terrible gameplay.
These sort of threads bug me because so many of the people watch or read a "classic" expecting the full magnitude of the work to be apparent through one sit-through with no attempt to analyze. In the instance of Blade Runner, if you didn't get the ending, you didn't get the movie.
OT: I think, saying what I said, I can safely go with Boondock Saints. It's an extremely popular movie that damn near everyone in college sees, and it has plenty of shooting and otherwise loud noises to maintain attention, but it is an aggressively soulless action movie that doesn't even add decent action scenes to the genre.
Music, I can name a bunch, but picking out a few specifics, Coldplay and Blue October, I think people have called them "rock" at some point and it's an insult to what's left of that genre.
Written works, I honestly can't think of one off the top of my head.
OT: I think, saying what I said, I can safely go with Boondock Saints. It's an extremely popular movie that damn near everyone in college sees, and it has plenty of shooting and otherwise loud noises to maintain attention, but it is an aggressively soulless action movie that doesn't even add decent action scenes to the genre.
Music, I can name a bunch, but picking out a few specifics, Coldplay and Blue October, I think people have called them "rock" at some point and it's an insult to what's left of that genre.
Written works, I honestly can't think of one off the top of my head.
I played Half-Life 2, as well. Borrowed it off a friend, who was like "duuuude, play teh gamez" and it just irritated me, because it felt like something I had to do, rather than wanted. So a couple of months ago, borrowed it again, LOVED IT.Fanta Grape said:
Half-life 2... Just... meh.
REALLY dont see the fuss about part 3.
I'll most likely end up playing it anyway, but not straight off the bat.
REALLY dont see the fuss about part 3.
I'll most likely end up playing it anyway, but not straight off the bat.
I found Blade Runner pretty awful myself.
But my real answer would have to be the Amityville Horror. There is no way anyone honestly thought that film was frightening!
But my real answer would have to be the Amityville Horror. There is no way anyone honestly thought that film was frightening!
This. The problem with saying you didn't like a classic is pinning the name "classic" on the title to begin with. What is a classic? Is it simply popular, or is it something more?Serge A. Storms said:
Either way, I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and say Half Life 2. I got outside the spire/citadel/tower/whatever the heck the place Breen lived in was called after blowing it up and called it quits. The gameplay was okay, but the plot wasn't spectacular, and it kept dragging on far too long. Granted, I liked the game...but it really, really needed to wrap itself up much sooner rather than drag itself out. In the end it just killed itself, turning a good game into a meh one. Wouldn't peg it as "great", though.
For books, I'm going to go with virtually my entire high school reading list; anything by Dickens or either Bronte makes me cringe.
Don't know of any movies, though. I just don't watch enough to say anything there.
Flipping Star Wars...the lot of 'em
Everything Star Wars was rubbish, I may not have been around for the first 3 films but honestly...what was the big deal, is it like Avatar? Did people only like the films for their special effects?
The story was awful, the characters were so 1 dimentional it was irritating and the only really interesting part was the whole incest "I love my sister" thing that wasn't really made a big deal out of.
Rubbish I tell you!
Everything Star Wars was rubbish, I may not have been around for the first 3 films but honestly...what was the big deal, is it like Avatar? Did people only like the films for their special effects?
The story was awful, the characters were so 1 dimentional it was irritating and the only really interesting part was the whole incest "I love my sister" thing that wasn't really made a big deal out of.
Rubbish I tell you!
Game: God of War (all of them)
Movie: Avatar. Seriously, I went in to see something truly "spectacular", since that's all anyone would say about it. While it was visually stunning, the story was pretty damn weak and left me wishing the humans had taken over Pandora.
Movie: Avatar. Seriously, I went in to see something truly "spectacular", since that's all anyone would say about it. While it was visually stunning, the story was pretty damn weak and left me wishing the humans had taken over Pandora.
Movie: Paranormal Activity 2 and Jaws 3/4.
Music: The Vanilla Albums on London Calling and anything live except for Daft Punk's Alive 2007 which is one of my favorite albums ever.
Game: The Witcher, sure it might have a good story, but the combat is so bland and everything about it is just so boring. Only ever got half-wway through it, tried to play it again, realized why I didn't like it.
Book: Tale of Two Cities, to much Dick(ens)
Music: The Vanilla Albums on London Calling and anything live except for Daft Punk's Alive 2007 which is one of my favorite albums ever.
Game: The Witcher, sure it might have a good story, but the combat is so bland and everything about it is just so boring. Only ever got half-wway through it, tried to play it again, realized why I didn't like it.
Book: Tale of Two Cities, to much Dick(ens)
This probably won't help; in fact it may just make you hate the film more. But let me explain why Once Upon a Time in the West is my favorite film of all time. It's story seems convoluted on the first viewing, with too many characters that all want different things. To make up for this, each of the characters get their own introductions. (First Harmonica, then Frank, Jill, and Cheyenne). The storyline about the railroad fits as a metaphor for the death of the old west, which is being taken over by modern society and technology.-Drifter- said:
In other words, the reason the film is so long and SLOOOOOOOW is because it represents a dying man breathing his last. It's a movie marked by old age and maturity, which is why it feels so different from Sergio Leone's earlier Man with No Name series (He originally didn't want to make OUATITW).
tl;dr
It's not for everyone, but I suggest watching it a second time. I hated it the first time too, but now it's my favorite movie.
The Bible. Or really religion in general.
Bioshock.
Springsteen.
The entire Twilight movie and book series.
Bioshock.
Springsteen.
The entire Twilight movie and book series.
Silent Hill 2 was very disappointing to me. The beginning was amazing, then when I got into the town itself I was killed by a tiny enemy that I wasn't aware could even harm me. The second time I spent an hour walking through a creepy atmosphere was not nearly as effective. Also, the save system is horrible, and I was frustrated by spending over an hour just looking for a flashlight to navigate the darkened hotel.