Have you ever thought about what makes a good movie? There are many aspects to take into consideration: the plot, the acting, the special effects, the message behind the story… But sometimes you dislike a film even if everything described seems to be on point.

Talking about famous works you didn’t enjoy isn’t always easy. Some prefer to hide their true opinion, especially when a film is considered a masterpiece, cause it’s hard to go against the “unwritten law”. What if others will think that you didn’t like the movie because you didn’t manage to understand its genius? That will make you sound dumb. That’s why many people silently accept that a certain work is amazing, simply because of fear.

I have already talked about famous books I didn’t really enjoy for various reasons. Now it’s time to talk about movies and try understand why they didn’t impress me.

La La Land (2016)

This one is quite easy to explain: I don’t like musicals, so I shouldn’t have watched this in the first place. The songs are usually too long and monotonous and soon they start getting on my nerves. I also remember not liking the color schemes or the sights because everything felt a little too bright and fake. I was hoping at least for a happy ending, but I didn’t even get that, so it was a total disappointment.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

I was really excited for this film, as I really enjoyed the first one with its interesting plot and metaphorical subtext. But the sequel turned out to be a pointless action thriller. It was too damn prolonged with lots of unnecessary repetitive scenes of the avatars swimming under the water or fighting. It did have one good message about how you should be in harmony with nature, but that was not enough for a 3-hour movie.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Usually I like this kind of motivating stories that show how the main character managed to overcome their difficulties and achieve success. But this movie had the opposite effect on me: it was too depressive and dull for some reason. Maybe I watched it on a wrong day or something but I remember being really disappointed with it.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Another case when I simply didn’t understand the point of the movie or how it managed to become so popular. It sounds like it could fun, as it is about kids escaping the camp and going on an adventures, but somehow it was too tedious. Just an average movie that I don’t believe deserves the fame it got.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

This one was recommended to me by a friend, who promised that it’s the funniest movie she has ever seen. I watched the movie and didn’t laugh a single time. There were some slightly amusing moments but again, I didn’t understand its grandness (got the pun?). I would like to watch this again once again, cause maybe I was too young to understand it better.

Saltburn (2023)

This film was highly disturbing, making me wonder for 2 hours straight why and how would anyone come up with the idea of making this kind of a story. I admit, the plot twist with the presumable victim being the actual villain was cool, as I didn’t expect it at all. And the atmosphere was tense and mysterious making you want to see what will happen next. But in general it was gross and very unsettling.

Forrest Gump (1994)

I watched this movie in 2 or 3 sittings and each felt like a lifetime. Just a mediocre movie about Forrest running. I actually liked his character and wanted him to succeed, and I remember hating his girlfriend who constantly run away from it. And yet Forrest kept coming back to her, which irritated me. I guess the likable character made the movie popular, as everyone felt sympathetic towards Forrest.

Big Fish (2003)

It’s hard for me to include a movie of my favorite director Tim Burton, but it is what it is. I’ve heard a lot about this movie, I loved Burton’s other creations, I liked the cast of this film but… Something just felt off. It was one of those absurd stories that makes 0 sense and you don’t understand what’s going on, how you got from point A to point B, and how it is going to end.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Another musical that I didn’t enjoy despite my love for Abba, the great cast, the most amazing sceneries and what promised to be an interesting plot. I just felt like the songs were interfering with the storyline, making it unnecessary long. I understand that this is an adaptation of a successful musical, but I wish they turned it into a regular movie, with Abba’s songs just playing somewhere in the background.

The Gentlemen (2019)

When I just watched The Gentlemen, I instantly knew it’s going to go big, and everyone will be quoting the saying about “the king of the jungle”, thinking they’re so cool and original. In reality this film was way below average, it’s one of those cases when a work becomes popular for no apparent reason at all. The only part I enjoyed was the ending with Hugh Grant realizing it was all a setup.

I just realized that many of my descriptions involve around the film being too boring and long, and that I don’t really remember what exactly I didn’t like. I guess that’s because my brain has deleted those memories, saving more place for those works that I actually enjoy.

And to conclude, I want to point out that this is my subjective opinion and it doesn’t mean that these movies are objectively bad. I just didn’t manage to like or understand them or they were not the type of films I enjoy.