movies that pleasantly surprised you

[rocklobster]

Are there any movies you thought you weren't going to like, watched anyway, and then found that you liked them? This happens occasionally to me. Here's just a sample:
1. The Spitfire Grill--I'd heard nothing about this movie and really enjoyed it. It's a great redemption story.
2. Lilo and Stitch--It didn't look anything beyond run-of-the-mill Disney. Then I saw and fell in love with Lilo. She was so huggably adorable! And her voice actress was perfect! (Oh and Stitch was cute too)

[Warrior4Christ]

Igor got some bad reviews, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit and thought it was very clever.

[Atria35]

Mystery Men - I'm not really into superhero movies in the first place, and didn't really get the spoof at first. But as I kept watching I found more and more things about it that I really liked and enjoyed.

[ShiroiHikari]

X-Men First Class. I was convinced it was going to suck but I went to see it with friends anyway. It was waaaaay better than I expected.

[GrubbTheFragger]

X-men First Class

Thank You for Smoking intellegent and funny

[FllMtl Novelist]

Due to a harsh review I'd innocently read, I'd expected Up to be bad and boring. It wasn't.

And The Sorcerer's Apprentice I'd expected to be stupid, but liked. It wasn't fantastic, but I enjoyed it.

[bigsleepj]

There are lots, but as usual I tend to forget which they are when these kinds of questions are asked. But here are a few off the top of my head.

City of Ember
This movie felt like a cross between a Doctor Who episode (minus the Doctor) and The Goonies. Reviews thought it mediocre. I thought it great.

Forest Gump
18 years later the movie seems to have aged badly, but is still a good film. Back when it came out, based on the name alone I thought it would suck.

The Lincoln Laywer
As movies with anti-hero lawyers go this one was pretty good, with a plot that would keep you guessing.

Due to a harsh review I'd innocently read, I'd expected Up to be bad and boring. It wasn't.

That must have been the only reviewer in the universe who didn't like it. Generally speaking the movie got excellent reviews.

[Atria35]

City of Ember
This movie felt like a cross between a Doctor Who episode (minus the Doctor) and The Goonies. Reviews thought it mediocre. I thought it great.

I forgot about that one! xD I read the books beforehand and had enjoyed them, and thought that it added to things even though others got left out. I thought it was a ball!

[FllMtl Novelist]

That must have been the only reviewer in the universe who didn't like it. Generally speaking the movie got excellent reviews.

Yeah, I won't read that reviewer anymore. I'd only read that one review because someone showed it to me.

[Nate]

That must have been the only reviewer in the universe who didn't like it.

It was probably Armond White, who does movie reviews for the New York Press. He's well-known for giving reviews that are vastly different from the majority opinion just to be "different." In other words, a troll.

Good examples of this are his negative reviews of Up, Toy Story 3, and The King's Speech, as well as his glowing positive reviews of Resident Evil: Afterlife, Jonah Hex, and Clash of the Titans.

In fact, he even said the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans was superior to Lord of the Rings. Let me get the quote:

"Leterrier certainly shows a better sense of meaningful, economic narrative than the mess that Peter Jackson made of the interminable, incoherent Lord of the Rings trilogy."

In the same review, he also says that the 3D in Clash of the Titans was superior to Avatar's. So yeah, he just gives movies opposite reviews of the mainstream just to stand out, basically making him a loudmouthed idiot vying for attention.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/armond-white/

[Radical Dreamer]

Dan in Real Life--I went in expecting something fairly average, and got one of the best feel-good movies ever. XD Also I was introduced to Sondre Lerche, who is a fabulous indie/folk musician. XD

Defendor--I had literally zero expectations going into this movie, but what I came out with was an off-kilter film, both superhero and black comedy, with a fantastic performance from Woody Harrelson.

The Life Aquatic--I'd heard mixed reviews on this one from a number of people, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like it, even after watching all of Wes Anderson's other films. It's not my top favorite (Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums tie in that spot), but it's pretty high up there. XD

[Agloval]

I'm generally not fond at all of Bond movies, but I actually liked the last two.

My normal objection to Bond movies is that they're too frothy, and glamourise Bond's lifestyle (the early ones get a bit of a pass for being products of their time and having Connery in them). The Daniel Craig movies so far have -- not argued, but at least hinted -- that beneath the fast cars and expensive cocktails, Bond lives a sad life as an unpleasant person who deals with other unpleasant people for unpleasant reasons. And that maybe he knows this too.

I'm not sure that makes them good films, mind.

[Wallachia]

Fireproof.
I didn't know it was a Christian film, and it was great in both Christian and normal movie aspects.

Up.
I hardly ever watch movies made by Pixar, let alone movies that are CGI (with the exception of Toy Story.) I don't dislike them or anything, I just... Don't watch them very often.
I ended up watching this because one of my nephews wanted me to put it on.

How to Train Your Dragon.
I watched it with my sister and my niece.
It was wonderful, and comparing Toothless to one of our cats was hilarious.

[Yuki-Anne]

The Last Song - I was pretty much forced to watch it because the plane was showing it. There are few things in this world that I dislike more than Miley Cyrus and Nicholas Sparks movies, but the supporting cast in this movie pulled it together so well that I actually found it quite enjoyable.

Mean Girls - Again, I was off-put by the lead, Lindsey Lohan, so I actually didn't watch this movie for several years after it came out. But college boredom got the best of me, and I borrowed it from a girl in my dorm. And I loved it.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Ugh, I'm blanking horribly now....

L: Change the World - A friend told me it was pretty disappointing, so even though I admitted the plot was pretty blah, I already knew that, so I could look past that at the excellent acting and characterization rather than focus on being disappointed.

Bolt - I was used to thinking that Disney movies sucked ever since they stopped making traditional animation altogether. But after the first five minutes or so of this movie, I discovered that Disney had turned a new leaf and now are almost as reliable as Pixar - not quite, but getting there.

[Sheol777]

Stardust- Was really surprised at how good this was. I went to see it when it was in theaters and it was a great story with great acting.

It took overcoming years of nostalgia to say it was better then "the Princess Bride" as far as a fairy tale movie comparison.

[Radical Dreamer]

A few more that I thought of:

Moulin Rouge: I remember when this movie first came out, and I thought it was something I wouldn't be terribly interested in. I'd also heard a friend of the family "walked out" of the theater about 30 minutes in, so I figured it just wasn't my kind of thing. Then a friend of mine introduced me to it in high school, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. XD I wasn't terribly impressed in the first 30 minutes or so (though I also didn't see anything worth walking out on), but I loved everything post-Elephant Love Medley. XD Upon subsequent viewings, I've come to appreciate it more and more, because it's just a really well-done film all around. XD Also Ewan McGregor's singing is the greatest. XD

Bruce Almighty: When this one came out in theaters, I remember most of the Christian community being up in arms at first, because everyone assumed it would be blasphemous and offensive, so naturally, so did I. When I heard from friends of the family that it was actually quite good, I went to see it with my brother, and we were both really surprised, both by how funny it was, as well as by the message it carried. I ended up really enjoying it. XD It's been a while now since I've seen it, so I don't know how well it holds up to age, but I remember it being a pretty great comedy. XD

[ShiroiHikari]

I went to see Moulin Rouge when it first came out, solely because Ewan McGregor was in it. XD I didn't even know it was a musical until the movie started. Several people in the theatre walked out within the first 15 minutes, but I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

[Cognitive Gear]

The New World- I'm sort of cheating with this one. By the time I had seen it, I had already fallen in love with the director's other works. However, I remember when it first came out, I thought that it was just a live action Pocahontas. It turns out, it's not. It shares a lot of the mythic Pocahontas/John Smith pairing. That's pretty much it.

[the_wolfs_howl]

I totally forgot one of the most important ones! Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time!!!!!!

I went into the theater expecting it to be absolutely horrible, as most adaptation movies inevitably are, but...I walked out of that theater beaming. One of my favorite video games of all time (I've played it all the way through five times just because I love the story so much) was adapted brilliantly. I don't care what anybody else says about this movie, about how there's not much to it other than the action, blah blah blah. I love this movie, and I was especially floored by Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the Prince. Blue eyes or no blue eyes, he was the Prince.

[Scarecrow]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I had heard about it a little and that they were making an american remake version but yeah. My mom had just blindly rented it at the movie store and after watching it, kept telling me how much she liked it and how I should watch it. So after the 25th time, I finally bought her the DVD trilogy set for her birthday and watched them.

A lot better than I was expecting for sure. I wasn't even sure of what they were about. The first one was great. Don't know if I'd ever watch it again but it was really good. Don't see how they could remake it any better for american audiences. The sequels were good too but didn't touch the first.

Quite a bit of brutal violence, sex, brutal sex etc though so I don't care to see any of it again. A lot was central to the story and making it graphic did help you sympathize with the heroine and REALLY make you hate the villains but still... anyway it was good and quite the surprise

Moulin Rouge was another... that's actually one of my favorite movies today. I remember seeing the trailers for that thinking that looked like absolute crap. Borrowed it from a friend who had when it landed on video cause I was curious about it. Wow was I wrong. I've seen it many many times and know just about all the songs. Me and my sister sing along when we watch it together

[rocklobster]

:forehead: I totally forgot one of the most important ones! Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time!!!!!!

I went into the theater expecting it to be absolutely horrible, as most adaptation movies inevitably are, but...I walked out of that theater beaming. One of my favorite video games of all time (I've played it all the way through five times just because I love the story so much) was adapted brilliantly. I don't care what anybody else says about this movie, about how there's not much to it other than the action, blah blah blah. I love this movie, and I was especially floored by Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the Prince. Blue eyes or no blue eyes, he was the Prince.

That was my reaction, too. They actually tried to do something with a story this time.

[SincerelyAnomymous]

March of The Penguins. I don't like documentaries very much, so I was convinced I would hate it. In the end, I actually enjoyed it.

And Shrek Forever After. I expected, from all the harsh reviews, for me to sit down to a terrible overly dramatic story and boring humor. In the end, I...y'know...

[Yamamaya]

It was probably Armond White, who does movie reviews for the New York Press. He's well-known for giving reviews that are vastly different from the majority opinion just to be "different." In other words, a troll.

Good examples of this are his negative reviews of Up, Toy Story 3, and The King's Speech, as well as his glowing positive reviews of Resident Evil: Afterlife, Jonah Hex, and Clash of the Titans.

In fact, he even said the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans was superior to Lord of the Rings. Let me get the quote:

"Leterrier certainly shows a better sense of meaningful, economic narrative than the mess that Peter Jackson made of the interminable, incoherent Lord of the Rings trilogy."

In the same review, he also says that the 3D in Clash of the Titans was superior to Avatar's. So yeah, he just gives movies opposite reviews of the mainstream just to stand out, basically making him a loudmouthed idiot vying for attention.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/armond-white/

Lolwut. That guy has to be trolling. I can't think of any other reason why someone would actually consider Clash of the Titans to be better than Lord of the Rings.

Iron Man for one. I didn't expect it to be that fantastic so I was surprised when I saw just how good it was.

[Vii]

Kung Fu Panda
Mainly because of the name, I thought it would be cheesy. I actually thought it was really good.

How to Train Your Dragon
Title, again. This is now my favorite movie of all time. EVER. I've watched it, like, seven times. I LOOOOVE it. ^_^

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom
Yes, mainly because of the title again. Also because Dreamworks sequels aren't usually the best (*cough* Shrek franchise *cough*). You'd think I'd learned my lesson about judging movies by title by now.
I actually liked it better than the first. Probably my second favorite animated movie right now.

There are probably others, but I can't remember them right now...

[the_wolfs_howl]

I remembered another one: Monsters vs. Aliens.

My opinion of Dreamworks was always pretty low - Shrek wasn't too bad, but I'm not very fond of crude/gross humor, and all the other Dreamworks movies I saw after that just seemed to get worse and worse. And/or they felt like Pixar rip-offs. But then I saw Monsters vs. Aliens on a plane, and I loved it! It's actually funny, the characters are interesting, and it's not as crude as I was expecting. B.O.B. is awesome They even had a deleted scene that had a Leroy Jenkins reference!

(Since then, my opinion of Dreamworks has increased steadily, especially once I saw How to Train Your Dragon.)

[Warrior4Christ]

The Proposal - yawn, chick flick... actually, quite funny and a lot better than expected!

[bakura91]

The Proposal - yawn, chick flick... actually, quite funny and a lot better than expected!

Exactly the same here! What a weird coincidence. Also Juno: at first I purposely avoided it because I thought it would be annoying based on the trailer, but then I watched it one day and I loved it! I thought it was a great funny Indie film.

[Atria35]

Hoodwinked- I thought it would be a silly, childish take on Red Riding Hood. I was right about the silly, but this isn't as immature or unsophisticated as I thought it would be!

[christianfriend]

Cowboys VS. Aliens surprised me. Saw it last night, and was skeptical about it. But it was great :3 I highly enjoyed the acting, and all the characters were really fun. And of course the special effects were fantastic. I definitely don't regret seeing it in any way