Monday 19 March 2012

Movies That Should Have Been So Much More Than They Were

You know those movies that you really looked forward to for a long time then ended up feeling a little underwhelmed by them?  The movies that you wanted to love so much more than you did?  These aren't bad movies.  They're still enjoyable, but you just think to yourself, ''that could have been so much more...'' Well, I have a few movies I feel this way about.  Bare in mind, I still enjoy the movies I'm about to list but my expectations were perhaps a little too high.

LEGION (2009)
Legion is the number one on my list.  I like this movie.  It's fun, action packed and a good 'popcorn' movie.  But I just wish they done a little more with it.  This one is weird to describe because I think it's an excellent movie, but the expectations I had going in to this had me believing I would bare witness to the greatest movie ever.  The concept was massive, the execution was very good.  I just wish it was much more.

I told you this was a hard one for me to describe.  I mean, it's not often you can really enjoy a movie but still wish it was much better.  It starts off great, the setting is amazing and the action is adequate.  I just wish they explored the mythology more.  That being said, it's still a blast to watch.

I would like to see a remake of this one day.  Or even some sequels.  Straight to dvd sequels with lots of violence even.  I just want this mythology explored more.  Angels are an awesome concept.


Night of the Demons 2 (1994)
The first Night of the Demons is an underrated classic of the 80's. It's similar to Evil Dead in many aspects, in particular for being deliciously demented, funny and horrific at the same time.  It has laughs, but not so much that it takes away from the horror.  So, going into the sequel I was expecting another great horror movie.  I was let down to be honest.  It was just too much comedy.

I love comedy horror a lot, but for a movie like this it just let me down.  Night of the Demons genuinely brought the horror, but the sequel was more focused on laughs.  That's not to say it's not a good movie - it is a fun watch - but I just wish it was more sinister.  Some of the kills are cool and it picks up towards the end, but it was more teen sex comedy and less horror movie.

So overall, I just wanted more of a horror than a comedy.  I've yet to watch the 3rd one but I'm in no rush.  The 1st is perfect, the 2nd is... fine but it should have been so much more.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)


You think I'm blaspheming here?  Just wait until my next one...  Anyway, let's get this one over with...

Hype, hype and more hype.  Growing up all I heard was how this was the greatest horror film ever.  Well, I'm not going to argue with that because I have no right to criticise a movie that means so much to the genre we all love.  I love this movie because it's genius, low budget film making, it's seminal, immortal and has inspired most of my favorite directors.  Watching it though... it just underwhelms me completely.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do 'like' it.  But anytime I watch it I just can't get into it.  I just find it so overrated.  I'm sorry horror fans.  I really am.  The sequel on the other hand is more my thing - fun, violent and entertaining, with just the right amount of silly thrown in (not that I just like silly movies, I just prefer TCM being silly).


Halloween (1978)
So now may not be the best time to tell you I'm the worlds biggest John Carpenter fan, huh?  Well, I very well may be.  But it was after this one I started loving JC's movies much more.  Like the other movies, I do enjoy still enjoy this, but I wanted it to be more after hearing so much hype about it.  But this series is one where my opinion is meaningless because my favorite is The Curse of Michael Myers.  


So yeah, I like this but I like my slashers trashy, stupid and funny. I would have loved this more if it was more violence and b movie trash rather than the genius, genre defining movie that it is.  I love all of Carpenter's catalog after Halloween (including the movies everyone hates).










April Fools Day (1986)
I went in to this one expecting a classic after everything I heard about it.  Sure, it's an opinion splitter, but in my experience, it's mainly been praised quite highly.  Yet, when I watched it, I was waiting for things to happen that never arrived.  But then again, I suppose that was the purpose of this one.

It isn't a bad movie.  It's a good time passer.  In no way though did it amaze me.  But then that twist came and kinda turned the rules of the slasher genre on its head a little, so if anything, the intention behind this movie kicked ass.  But as a horror fan, I just kinda wanted everyone involved to die in gruesome ways and stay dead.

Overall, a decent enough flick that done what it set out to do I suppose.



So there you go.  That's my 2 cents.  What movies did you want more from but didn't get what you wanted?

3 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree with you more on Halloween and TCM. They're both incredibly overrated, and both feel WAY TOO dated for today's standards. I would add Carpenter's The Thing to your list. Sorry horror fans from me too. Thanks for this list. I needed something like this, because I thought I was the only one who thinks these films are overhyped.

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  2. Agree with you on Legion which could have been way, waaay better. At least director Stewart's 2n movie Priest did satisfy me.

    Disagree with you on the rest, especially on Halloween (first horror film I've ever seen).

    I'd put The Exorcist on the list, a well-made but incredibly boring and unscary movie, overrated as fuck

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  3. I love The Thing but it grew on me as I got older. When I first saw it years ago it bored me. When I watched it again it grew on me and now I adore it.

    I was going to include The Exorcist but it's not my type of movie. I expected not to like it but I thought it was decent. I much prefer the Last Exorcism and Exorcism of Emily Rose over it though. And the Exorcist 2. Glad to see some Priest love as well.

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