With some of the biggest movies of the year like The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder managing to gain that place despite subverting expectations, it's proof that going in a bold direction and committing to it can pay off. Unfortunately, this means some fans may be disappointed on the first viewing and require a little time to see the movie's true quality.
Redditors have had this experience with a ton of iconic and interesting movies throughout the years, from legendary series that can be daunting to a first-time viewer like The Lord of the Rings trilogy to layered movies like Blade Runner and Captain America: The Winter Soldier that might take some repeat viewings to understand why it's more than just a dark action movie.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
It's fair to say there was no shortage of hate for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice when it first came out, with the movie panned by critics for being a humorless exercise in over-the-top action. Perhaps for the same reason, Redditors like GrantLeesBack also hated the movie when they first saw it.
However, they didn't give up on the movie and soon realized that, once they were able to see it as a simple "what if?" story, they "found it to be a refreshing experience when every superhero movie seems the same." It's true that it's an iconic franchise face-off and, for those who don't mind a dark color palette, there's plenty of drama to enjoy in the movie.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino isn't a director afraid to go all in on stylish action and Pulp Fiction is one of the most obvious examples. Arguably, this gives them an obvious appeal that should make them work from the very first viewing, but that wasn't the case with everyone. One Redditor went in with the wrong expectations and ended up being one of the few who came away dissatisfied with the movie.
They say "Everyone told me it was great, so I went in expecting a very cerebral movie." Pulp Fiction does have some real thought behind it, but it's understandable that someone with the completely wrong idea would watch it and think it was a "pretty dumb" movie. Luckily, a better understanding of Tarantino's style is all that's needed for the movie's charms to become very obvious.
Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner is an icon of the cyberpunk genre but, just like its long-anticipated follow-up Blade Runner 2049, it's perhaps not the easiest movie to get into. Anyone expecting fun over-the-top laser-shooting sci-fi would likely be disappointed by its slow plot, heady themes, and strange details, so it's no surprise that not everyone loved it the first time they watched it.
This issue was made even worse for Redditor dafones because of their age when they first watched it, saying "It was too weird for me as a young teenager." They now call Blade Runner "one of my favorites" but it's easy to see why a younger viewer would just be put off by some of the movie's eccentricities.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
Lord of the Rings may be a classic but, with even the theatrical version running to well over nine hours of content, if it doesn't get a viewer invested right away, they're in for a long and not very fun experience. That was the case for Redditor Totemdary who felt that they "practically watched them to hate them" after seeing so much hype around what seemed like such conventional fantasy movies.
However, they eventually did come to watch the movie with a renewed interest and admit they were "stunned" by it the second time. With every scene in the movie so beautiful, it's a movie series that's easy to recognize the quality of once the viewer gives it a chance.
Drive (2011)
Misleading marketing can be one of the biggest factors in people hating movies when they first watch them as getting something completely different from what they were expecting is rarely a good thing from a viewer's perspective. That became a problem for Drive, a movie that draws beauty from the hardcore violence of its heist-gone-wrong premise.
Redditor danstroyer explains the issue, as they were expecting "the new Fast and Furious franchise action flick only to get bored at every single frame." The trailer certainly emphasizes the driving stunts, so it's easy to see how this could happen. Luckily, when they went to rewatch it, they understood its art house charms and now consider it a "masterpiece".
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey holds a special place in the genre of classic sci-fi movies thanks to its many innovations as well as its iconic themes and visuals. In an age where sci-fi almost always means action sci-fi, however, someone unprepared for the movie might well be put off by the same things that make the movie so special.
Redditor HaikuLubber had that exact problem, saying that they "fell asleep the first time" they tried to watch it. Luckily, 2001: A Space Odyssey isn't considered a masterpiece for nothing, and it soon won them over as "the more times I watch it and read about it the more I love it. "
Fight Club (1999)
Considering it's a movie that polarized critics at the time of its release and took a while to become a cult classic, it's no surprise that Fight Club is a movie that can take more than one viewing to really "get" even for its biggest fans. That was the experience of Redditor JinxPutMaxInSpace who "despised it" when they first saw it in theaters.
They felt it was "unpleasant to watch and repugnant in its values" which is certainly something that would resonate with the movie's harshest detractors. Regardless of how the viewer interprets its message, it's an innovative and engrossing movie which is likely why that Reddit user "came to respect it" so much over time.
It Follows (2014)
David Robert Mitchell's horror about a supernatural entity whose curse seems to be transmitted through sexual contact was a huge success when it was released in 2014 with a surprisingly good box office return and critics praising the movie's originality. It Follows certainly has the scares to please most horror fans on a first-time viewing.
One Redditor had a different experience though, saying that they "hated It Follows" when they first watched it. The movie does such an excellent job building suspense that it's no less impactful when watched multiple times, so they probably weren't the only one who the movie grew on.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Even in 2014, there were a lot of superhero movies coming out and it meant that it took a lot to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, one unexpected movie that managed it was the second Captain America movie which surprised everyone with a plot that had some real emotional depth to it as it pitted Steve Rogers against his former best friend.
Redditor fbs-pr admits they failed to recognize this at first, saying they "thought the movie’s action was way better than its plot" the first time they watched it. However, they couldn't fail to see what made it great when they finally rewatched it, saying they were impressed by the "psychological and emotional weight" the movie put on Steve.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Many Redditors had unique suggestions for films that their opinions drastically changed on but The Big Lebowski was one movie that came up time and time again in discussions. The Coen Brothers' black comedy is an offbeat tale of eccentric characters crossing and double-crossing each other and its eccentricity also earned it mixed reviews on its release.
Some critics loved it and some hated it but Redditors like MrDudeWheresMyCar held both opinions at different times. They admit they were "probably a bit too young to understand the point of the movie" originally, but they certainly wouldn't be blamed for not enjoying it regardless. What tempted them to revisit it was that people kept "praising it more and more" over time, and they became just another person whose opinion on it completely turned around.