Movies That Lost Their Magic For You

[Mr. DS]

Was there a movie you watched as a kid or maybe as an adult that you loved but ended up not liking the more you watched?   Or maybe you watched it after a lapse of time and said, "I remember that being much better".  

Now keep in mind, I still pretty enjoy most films I found entertaining as a kid. But for me recently, I found out The Goonies has lost it's appeal on me.  I used to watch the film religiously as a kid and adored it.    However, after watching it on AMC (its 25 years old now) the other day, I just couldn't get into it.  That and I found the plot to be kind of boring and the characters mostly annoying.  I guess the film just had more precedence for me when I was a kid.  

So what are some that you've had similar experiences with?

[ChaosTheory]

As a kid I loved the Ernest movies -- don't judge me! 

The Wicker Man (original) freaked me out the first time around, the second time it all just seemed very silly. 

[Mr. DS]

Another one for me is Rocky. 

[Mofo Rising]

Now keep in mind, I still pretty enjoy most films I found entertaining as a kid. But for me recently, I found out The Goonies has lost it's appeal on me.  I used to watch the film religiously as a kid and adored it.    However, after watching it on AMC (its 25 years old now) the other day, I just couldn't get into it.  That and I found the plot to be kind of boring and the characters mostly annoying.  I guess the film just had more precedence for me when I was a kid.  

Say it isn't so! (I still love that movie, and I have watched it many times since I was a kid.)

I try not to go back to the things I loved as a kid. It's a road fraught with disappointment and despair.

One movie I was surprised at was The Last Starfighter. It really wasn't very good at all. For a movie called The Last Starfighter, it is a shame that there is only one real starfight in the movie, and it was at the very end.

I've also found that the parody of himself that Tim Burton has lapsed into has retroactively ruined most of my enjoyment of his previous films.

[Pilgermann]

Oh man, The Goonies and Rocky?  I still really like those films.  I still enjoy Ernest films, too, but I can see how those films might lose their charm.   

I used to love Pete's Dragon when I was a child, and I'd watch it regularly.  I tried watching it a few years ago and it annoyed the heck out of me and I couldn't finish it.  It's one of those film's that's great for kids, but that's it.  I'll probably buy a copy for my children when (or if) I have 'em.

[Jack]

Rocky - man, if I hear that guy yell "Adriaaaan!" one more time my head's gonna explode.  I really enjoyed it when I first saw it, but couldn't imagine watching the whole thing again now.  Summer Lovers is another one.  When I was a teenager it was a great, fun and sexy movie.  Tried watching it a while ago and it was just really bad.  The theme song by Chicago couldn't save it.  An Officer And A Gentleman is another one.  Enjoyed it at the time, but last time I watched it I just found it depressing.  And Top Gun.  Just too cheesy even for a "gimme triple cheese" guy like me to take.

[The Burgomaster]

I saw this at a Saturday matinee at my local movie theater when I was about 6 years old.  I bought the DVD a few years ago and all the magic is gone.  But the LAUGHS are still intact . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RxLBjf0t1k

[Trevor]

I can truly say that I still like the movies that I saw as a child ~ especially Sidney Lumet's Murder On The Orient Express and the first film I remember seeing on TV, Eugenio Martin's Horror Express.

Strange: they both have trains in them..... 

[Flick James]

I'm sure there are some, but I can't think of any at the moment. However, I can think of dozens of examples when it comes to music or bands I used to like. I think I'll start a new Off Topic thread.

[Doggett]

Dangerous Minds. (Over stauration of school filicks killed this for me.)

Mortal Kombat. (I used to watch this all the time when I got back from school.)

[voltron]

I've had so many experiences with movies I liked when I was younger, but was dissappinted with later on, that it's not even funny. I guess the best example would be Don't Go In The Woods. Loved it when I was younger but when I rewatched it years later I wondered what drugs I was on for liking it. Pieces was like that for me too. I remember seeing Ghostbusters when I was a kid in the theatre, but it turned out to be a bore as I got older. I'm sure there's quite a few more, but I really can't think of 'em right now.

[AndyC]

I can't think of any titles, but there are plenty of movies I loved as a kid and into my teens that did not seem as cool or well made on viewing much later. The strange thing is, what they lose in magic, for me, is usually made up in nostalgia and an ironic enjoyment of seeing just how cheesy they really are. I think any movie that has ever stood up to repeat viewings still does for me, although not always for the same reasons.

[retrorussell]

As a 9-year old I loved Flash Gordon in the theaters.  Now, as a 38-year old, it's positively stupid.

[Sleepyskull]

As a 9-year old I loved Flash Gordon in the theaters.  Now, as a 38-year old, it's positively stupid.

[Sings sadly and disappointed to himself: "FLASH AAAAHHH!!"]

Now I feel better! 

[Hammock Rider]

 When I was a kid I used to eat up all the old Peplum and Martial Art movies that used to run on the UHF channels back then. They seemed wild and exotic and exciting. Nowadays they are fun to pick on and have their nostalgia value but they don't transport me briefly to another world like they did more than 30 years ago.

  Obviously they can't because I've grown up. A guy in a papier mache' lizard mask isn't going to blow my mind these days. That's fine, I figure this is all naturally symptomatic of growing up. I guess it's like how sports like baseball lose their allure for some once you grow up and realize that the pros aren't playing for the same reasons you did as a kid and that it's now more of a business than anything else. Rotten reality!