There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of movies that have aged badly for obvious reasons, whether it's because a film uses dated technology or because it features a canceled actor. Those reasons could totally ruin the movies and make for such an uncomfortable viewing experience years later.
But there are other unexpected reasons as to why a movie could have aged poorly. While many of these movies are very much still watchable, Redditors have made some incredible observations as to why some people could find them dated.
Accepted (2006)
There's an argument to be made that Accepted wasn't good in the first place, as the movie has a rotten score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it's still a fun college comedy and relatable for any college freshman. The film isn't just any college comedy, as the movie follows Bartleby, who starts his own college when he's rejected by every college that he applied for.
But Slightofhand1 calls the premise into question, explaining that it's no longer funny because of "the student loan crisis and all the for-profit colleges that were scamming people and leaving them with worthless degrees." The Redditor makes a good point, especially when the fake Dean says, "we throw a bunch of fancy words in front of these kids to make them believe they're going to have a better life," right before erupting into laughter.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Five movies into the Terminator series, even its biggest fans have become hesitant whenever another film is announced. But even though Terminator 4 could have told a better story, the fifth entry in the series, Dark Fate, was entertaining and didn't further ruin the legacy of the series. And at this point in the franchise, that's all fans can hope for.
However, Archamasse points out that the movie is "set in 2020 - so the entire movie takes place in an alternate universe where Covid never happened." As COVID-19 was a global pandemic, it'll be pretty hard to explain to somebody decades from now why the extras aren't wearing face masks. But the same problem arises with any movie set in the future, as the screenwriters don't actually know what could possibly happen decades or even months from now.
Jackass Number Two (2006)
GregMadduxsGlasses almost jokingly states that Jackass Number Two has aged badly because "Bam Margera says, 'I hope there's not a Jackass 3.'" But, of course, Jackass 3D followed four years later, which was the best movie of the series, and Bam even returned with some of his funniest stunts and pranks ever.
However, Bam making that comment has made the movie age especially worse due to the stunt performer locking horns with producer and director Jeff Tremaine and getting cut out of Jackass Forever. As Margera didn't stick to certain contractual obligations when on the set of the fourth movie, he was kicked off, which has consequently kickstarted a seemingly messy lawsuit.
St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
In the 1980s, names like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese were, of course, big names and were only getting bigger. But when it comes to signature trends of the decade, John Hughes was the most important name in filmmaking at the time. The director popularized coming-of-age movies that decade and there were so many pale imitations of movies like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, and St. Elmo's Fire is one of them.
Raylan_givens6 thinks the movie has aged badly because the film follows "a bunch of spoiled brats with no real problems. it's really tough to watch." The movie is like The Breakfast Club without the personal issues or the character development, and without that, the result is pretty hollow.
Watchmen (2009)
SoulsbourneDiesTwice thinks that Watchmen has, unfortunately, aged badly due to the unique way it looks. The Redditor explains that they were convinced by the visuals when they first saw it, but "now I really have to use my imagination to believe these are real places."
Director Zack Snyder has a "love it or hate it" style, and the visual effects of the movie are made to intentionally look like they're lifted directly out of the comic book, so it isn't for everybody. However, it hasn't aged badly when it comes to the music, as Watchmen has one of the best movie soundtracks and is full of timeless tracks from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.
Fight Club (1999)
As Fight Club is so satirical about masculinity and modern-day living, there's a line of dialogue where Tyler mentions that his generation has had no great war and no great depression. But Staedtler2018 makes an astute observation that the movie was released "two years before the 'war on terror' began and eight-to-nine years before the great financial crisis."
Because of this, the Redditor thinks the movie has aged badly, as its message doesn't hold up as well. However, it's almost the opposite of aging badly, as it's as if the movie accurately predicted that those things would happen, and that's why Fight Club still holds up today.
Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
Crazy Stupid Love is one of the most entertaining and cleverly written romcoms of the 2010s, but it's seemingly somewhat of a bad omen too. IgnoreMe733 completely breaks down so much of the 2011 movie, and based on all of their observations, the film became dated almost instantly.
The Redditor mentions that there's a dialogue that refers to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher's relationship, a reference to Steve Jobs, and there's a Borders bookstore in one scene too. But the user explains that "within a year, Demi and Ashton separated, Jobs died, and Borders went bankrupt."
Demolition Man (1993)
Demolition Man is set in 2032, which is just 10 years from now, and that means that people are looking to the film to see what the movie might have accurately predicted. Unsurprisingly, it's not much. In fact, some of the things in the movie are completely unfathomable, even 30 years after its release.
HackySlashy makes a long list of ridiculous concepts in the movie, such as swearing becoming a fineable offense, telepathic sex, and fully automated cars. The user doesn't "see any of these things becoming a part of everyday life within the next 10 years."
Empire Records (1995)
While Empire Records was never exactly critically acclaimed, it had a fascinating concept, as it was all about a group of record store employees who tried to keep a large chain from buying it. Mattdangerously explains that the premise is exactly why the movie has aged badly.
The Redditor notes that Hollywood "Can't really do a movie about an independent record store trying to prevent a massive chain of music stores from buying it these days." It's all the more interesting considering how physical media had become a niche market, but pop stars like Adele and Taylor Swift sell more records than any other artist these days.