Movies That Have Had Something of a 180-Degree Critical Reappraisal

-- 'Freddie Got Fingered': Universally panned upon release, runner-up (to Battlefield Earth) for "worst film of the decade". Now considered by some a cult-classic, and there's been talk of a Director's Cut being issued.

-- 'Heaven's Gate': Mostly critically-panned upon release, a box-office turkey, and symbolic of the end of the 1970s' artsy-auteur filmmaking that briefly infiltrated major studios. But today its rep has been largely improved, removed from the context of its times.

-- 'The Birth of a Nation': Critically-lauded blockbuster from 1915 (authorized by the US President) is a racist polemic and advertisement for the Ku Klux Klan, and thus only viewed now for academic or historical interest.


What'cha got??

 

Office Space?

 

ENEMY MINE........first seen as a tacky cheap `b` movie for kids, now viewed as some deeply meaningful, politically aware, metaphysical Shakespearean drama.

 

Cruising - hugely controversial when released in 1980 but it has developed a huge cult fan base over the decades, so much that when Arrow released the Blu Ray last year, there was controversy over director William Friedkin's approval of the new remaster because he tinkered with the colors.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - by the time this film was released in 1992, the Twin Peaks pop culture moment had passed. When people learned who killed Laura Palmer, people seemed to tune out of the show and it lost its moment in the zeitgeist. This prequel was considered too dark, too dour and didn't have that quirky feel to it that the show had, yet over the years, it has been praised for stunning set pieces, Sheryl Lee's brilliant and underrated (and Oscar-worthy performance) and the film itself played a large role in the third season of Twin Peaks when it returned to Showtime in 2017.

Believe it or not, I am starting to sense a change in how some people view Showgirls.

 

Head

 

Only as a camp classic and so bad it’s good perspective I hope

 

Blade Runner, certainly.

 

The Big Lebowski was both a commercial and critically underwhelming release originally

 

I thought the DVD of Cruising had the more problematic color timing.

 

It’s been well regarded from that perspective from the start.

 

The Shining - Originally considered boring and a poor adaptation of the book. Now considered one of the scariest films ever made, mainly due to the oppressive and alien atmosphere.

The Thing - Similar to the Shining, originally considered to be either too boring or too gross for a horror film. Now, again, considered to be one of the scariest movies ever, again due to atmosphere and pacing.

I think nearly all of Kubrick's films start out with pretty mediocre reviews, but then an appreciation builds for them over time. The minute I lost all respect for the Academy Awards is when I found out that Oliver beat 2001 for best picture. Oliver is a fine musical and all, but better than 2001?

 

I've heard similar things about Spice World and Glitter with Mariah Carey.

 

I'm sure a tenured film professor somewhere is bleeding his students dry with a prerequisite course covering these classics (along with Britney Spears' Crossroads.)

But back to the thread, Oscar-winning films like American Beauty (even pre-Spacey hubbub), Braveheart, and Dances with Wolves have lost their luster.

 

DUCK SOUP didn't really do that badly critically or at the box office in 1933(Paramount even re-issued it in 1949). The real problem was the Marx Brothers' strained relationship with Paramount and a high production overhead. Paramount told the press it was a "flop" in retaliation, though they actually wanted to re-sign the Marx Brothers for one more film!

 

How about a movie everybody loved upon release and then came to realize it was a huge waste of time in the long run?

Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens

 

THE BIG NOISE(1944)starring Laurel and Hardy. For years it was considered their worst film ever, but since it's release on DVD over ten years ago it's gotten a re-appraisal as not great, but not that bad either and far from their worst.

 

The later films, especially The Rise of Skywalker, which I thought was horrible, didn't help things either. The Last Jedi, remains very polarizing.

 

The Shining - Originally considered boring and a poor adaptation of the book. Now considered one of the scariest films ever made, mainly due to the oppressive and alien atmosphere.


yeah the critics weren't keen on it at first, still waiting for Kubrick to give them another Dr Strangelove, the whole 'Here's Johnny!" was seen as kind of silly. i know Pauline Kael reviewed it as lackluster.

 

I loved "The Shining" in 1980 as a 13-year-old but don't care for it much now.

Wouldn't call this a 180, as that'd imply I hate it now, and I don't.

Just think it's not great. Nicholson played the lead too nutso too early!

 

When Hitchcock's Psycho was released in 1960, some critics thought it was really terrible, a sleazy B-movie and not the usual "classy" productions the director was known for. The NY Times critic in particular called it one of the worst movies of the year. But within a year, many critics and film organizations recognized Psycho as being one of the best movies ever made.

The Shining I thought was an extremely well-made film, but -- having read the novel -- I think Kubrick's divergence from the main story and particularly the ending bothered me, and also infuriated author Stephen King. I think it was a masterful film in terms of editing and pacing and atmosphere and all the technical elements. It certainly was a very, very frightening film in the theater in first-run screenings. The audience I was with in Chicago screamed so loud, they blew the roof off the theater.

 

Well, something else has to be their worst. What's their worst, the last one, Utopia or whatever it was?

 

I have to ask. What part or parts of the movie did the audience scream ?
I saw it on release in a jam packed theatre and the audience laughed when Nicholson did the " Here' s Johnny ! " line. They also laughed when Duvall cracked him over the head with the baseball bat.
Don't remember any screaming.

Anyway....I watched it again about a year or so ago and won't be watching it again.
' The Shining ' is dull and slow paced with little horror to recommend it.
Nicholson is coked-up and over the top , Shelley Duvall is especially whiny and don't get me started on the redrum kid .

 

The audience went absolutely nuts when the naked woman in Room 247 of the Overlook Hotel got out of the bathtub, walked over to Jack Nicholson, embraced him, and then she suddenly aged about 100 years in 2 seconds and turned into a rotted corpse. Mass hysteria and screaming for about 1 solid minute. This scene was just about identical to the way it was described in King's book (which is a terrific read, BTW).

Bear in mind I actually saw it in June of 1980, and public tastes and timing and perception were much different 40 years ago. It's hard for young people to see a 40-year-old film today and try to experience what it as like decades ago. Do a Google search of the most frightening films ever made, and I'd guarantee you that The Shining will be in the Top 10. The Exorcist and Halloween are often on that list as well.

All of Kubrick's films have what I would call a "deliberate pace" in terms of timing and editing style, so one man's "slow and boring" might be another man's "suspenseful build-up." It's purely a matter of taste.

 

They should have released just a short film about a guy dreaming about a unicorn...and then later, expanded that into a movie...