25 Big Movies People Respect but Didn’t Enjoy Watching

What movies do you respect but did not enjoy watching? For example, they had artistic values, a powerful story, or were generally well-made, but for whatever reason, didn’t float your boat? After polling the internet, here are the top twenty-five film responses.

1. Uncut Gem (2019)

“This! I completely agree with you. Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler is a great movie I will never see again. I felt like I had a panic attack the entire way through,” shared one. 

Another admitted, “I thought Adam Sandler did a phenomenal job, and it was a great movie; I hated every second of it. I was too nervous, anxious, and annoyed at everyone’s decisions.” Finally, a third said, “Agree. Uncut Gems was supposed to put the audience on edge most of the time, and it did. Very Well. It made me feel super anxious.”

2. The Joker (2019)

“I cast my vote for the Joker movie. I get why people like it, but man, what an utterly unpleasant yet respectable movie,” someone suggested. “That whole routine at the comedy club made me cringe so hard it hurt, even if it was completely the point,” confessed a second.

“Yeah. It’s well made, and it’s an interesting idea. But I hate the movie. As both just a film and an exploration of a comic book villain that didn’t need one.” Joker 2 will be a musical starring Lady Gaga. 

3. Schindler’s List (1993)

“Schindler’s List. It’s a brilliant movie, and everyone should see it once, but I will never watch it again,” one expressed. “It was such a powerful, horrifying movie about a reality we were lucky not to have been a part of,” another shared. 

“Came here for this. The entire movie – which is incredible and necessary to watch – felt like my stomach dropped, like when you’ve reached the peak of a roller coaster and are about to go down.”

“Except there was no relief. No thrilling rushes down or satisfaction of catching your breath as it hits another incline—just a lasting gut punch followed by the realization that it wasn’t just a movie. I’ll never watch it again,” a third user stated. 

4. American History X (1998)

One person admitted, “I discussed American History X with a dear friend, and we agreed that 1.) The dental scene on the curb had scarred our minds for life, and 2.) Once was PLENTY.”

Another suggested, “Everyone needs to watch American History X, but it’s a movie I don’t want to watch again.” A third shared, “I own the movie and have watched it two times. Steven Spielberg did an outstanding job.”

“The musical score is hauntingly beautiful. The production was a Super Bowl, World Series, and Stanely Cup. All wrapped up in one. Must watch this historic and horrific movie.”

5. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

“I vote A Clockwork Orange,” one replied. “I’m shocked this was only mentioned once on this list so far. This film is thoroughly unenjoyable to me.”

“I’ve only seen the film once, about a decade ago, so I don’t have the best insight. However, if I remember correctly, the film shows that while criminals can be ruthless, the justice system they’re placed in can be similarly horrific,” a second added.

“It was tough and not a first date movie. The strength of your disgust is the entire point. Alex is a monster, and that must be made clear. With that being said, I did not enjoy this movie, but I respect it,” a third user expressed. 

6. Dunkirk (2017)

“This was my answer. It did an amazing job capturing the feeling of being in that war; the only problem was that feeling was miserable. I would not willingly experience that again,” shared one.

“One thing I liked about Dunkirk, which made it hard to watch, was the age of the soldiers. The kids on the beach looked so young, too young to be in such danger, but that’s how it was,” another admitted.

“And yet, despite almost feeling shell-shocked while viewing Dunkirk, it continues to be one of my most respected movies. Don’t get me wrong; I would never watch it again, but yeah.”

7.  1917 (2019)

“I respond strongest in films to the feeling of unfair power imbalances. So scenes where bullies pick on the small kid etc., get to me. This film felt like that to a million, but there wasn’t an end to it. But it was a terrific piece of cinematic artwork,” one expressed.

“When the credits rolled, I had a panic attack in the cinema. Unfortunately, I’ve not yet had it in me to rewatch it, but good lord, what a fantastic film to never watch again,” stated another.

“I saw it in theaters, and the sound was physically jarring. Which I suppose is what they were going for, trying to give the audience that feeling of tension and fear that the character was experiencing, but as a moviegoer, that was unpleasant.”

8.  The Revenant (2015)

“Powerful performances by Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hardy, beautiful cinematography and soundtrack, and a brutal tale of survival and revenge, what’s not to love? I would never watch it again, though,” admitted one.

“I said immediately after seeing this movie; I enjoyed it. Leo is great. I will never see it again. Everyone needs to see this movie at least once in their lifetime. It provokes the thought of who Hugh Glass was in REAL LIFE,” a second shared.

“I’m going to go on a limb and say The Revenant was enjoyable, but I won’t sit through that again. Still weird to me that that’s the movie Leo won an Oscar. Not several other better performances and movies. A good, bad film overall.”

9. The Lighthouse (2019)

One person noted, “The Lighthouse was a stunning film with wonderful performances by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Hear me clearly when I say this, I WILL NEVER WATCH THIS AGAIN.”

“This, the cinematography was some of the best and most interesting I’ve seen, and the performances are incredible. But it’s such an uncomfortable movie to watch,” said another.

“This is exactly it,” a third agreed. “It’s a visually stunning film. Parts of it still get me, particularly where Dafoe is giving this excellent monologue while dirt is flying into his face and mouth. I can’t, at my own will, sit through this movie for a second viewing.”

10. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

“2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a remarkable technical achievement. But as a movie, I can’t do it again,” said one. “I love this sci-fi classic. It’s stunning, and the slow-burn nature of the pacing helps make it feel more human if that makes sense.”

“But I’m also not too fond of it. It’s also prolonged and weird,” another replied. “Yeah, same here. I get that this beloved and respected film is a technical masterpiece. But it is so dull. So mindboggling dull,” a third added.

11. Citizen Kane (1941)

“Citizen Kane deserves the accolades. It broke a lot of ground visually and technically. It’s based on the lives of egomaniacal newspaper barons, which a modern audience has mostly forgotten. But you don’t want to watch it repeatedly,” one expressed.

“I only watched it to watch Mank, and it took me three tries to finish it… I know this film was innovative regarding cinematography, editing, and script, but it was just not for everyone,” replied another. 

“For me, it’s about something other than not liking it in total but not liking the story itself. The film is gorgeous, but I see it as the story of the rise and fall of a detestable person and all the despicable people who surrounded him,” a third person shared. 

12. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

“Yeah, that movie is emotionally exhausting. You become so invested in the story that you can feel the dread of these terrified citizens scrambling to survive. I had to watch this in high school for a class discussion in French Class. I will never watch this again,” admitted one.

A second noted, “It’s interesting how little violence they choose to show. Using your imagination puts you in the hotel occupants’ shoes, and the unknown can be more frightening. It is surely a story that needs telling, but I would not recommend it for anything other than research.”

“We watched this in high school for a History through Film course. It took a couple of days to watch and discuss, but it became one of those movies I watched once. Too emotional and upsetting for me,” a third user noted.

13. Amistad (1997)

“Amistad with Matthew McConaughey has no-frills, matter-of-fact scenes of brutality towards enslaved people. I respect it as probably close to accurate. But they are hard to watch. My wife cannot watch Amistad again, and I won’t let her. She broke down sobbing the one time she saw Amistad,” one confessed.

“This movie was so hard to watch, but that means it is making its intended point,” another said. “To this day, scenes of abject brutality don’t sit well. I know that it happens, it’s historically accurate, but nothing is entertaining there. It’s instructive, of course. I still haven’t watched The Passion.”

14.  12 Years a Slave (2013)

“The one time my partner asked how bad 12 Years a Slave I told her she would not want to watch it. However, that movie made a lasting impression, enough for the both of us,” reported one.

“She saw the look on my face and has never asked to watch it. I understand its message so much that I need never see it again.” A second agreed, “12 Years a Slave, for sure. It’s upsetting and unsettling, but well done and accurate.”

15. The Road (2009)

“The Road did an excellent job of capturing a sense of hopelessness, but I couldn’t make it through the whole movie a second time. Finally, I got about halfway through and realized that I didn’t need or enjoy how it made me feel. But by that point, I was too far in to turn back,” someone explained.

“The relationship between the two main characters was very well done,” shared another. “I enjoyed seeing it done well. But, on the flip side, I had an overwhelming sense of dread once the film was over. Won’t be doing that again.”

“I was the same way with this movie. I had to finish it, will never view it again. I don’t have the emotional resilience to repeat the experience. But, the book is just as much, if not bleaker, so it’s a faithful book-to-film adaptation,” a third informed.

16. Eraserhead (1977)

“I feel this way about most of David Lynch’s work. Utterly enthralling and wildly unique, but generally, just not for me. I do find David Lynch, the person, to be delightful, though,” someone stated.

“I watched it once and found this film super interesting and stylistically incredible, but would I watch Eraserhead again? Not really. I also wanted to love Twin Peaks, but it fizzled out for me,” confirmed another. “I just watched this for the first time yesterday. What an absolute slow burn of a masterpiece. I’ll never watch it again.”

17. Mother! (2017)

“OH, MY WORD! I had to go way too far down the list for this one. I respect the movie for what it did, but I will never watch this again. It also didn’t help it was advertised all wrong,” suggested one.

“The end of this film I had in my head for over a month. Sweet Christmas, the anxiety and panic the ending induced was horrifying and amazing simultaneously,” a second confessed.

Finally, a third admitted, “One of the most anxiety-inducing movies I’ve ever seen. That scene with the baby sent me into a full-on panic attack. I can respect this as a form of art, but I could never watch this a second time around.”

18. The Tree of Life (2011)

“In a theater, I saw this, The Tree of Life with Terrence Malick, and many people clapped at the end. My sister and I thought it was the most boring thing we’d ever seen. We had no idea why everyone was clapping. I would not sit through that again,” one informed.

“I was furious after seeing this movie. Forty-five minutes of off-screen whispering, 45 minutes of the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey and dinosaurs. Then 45 minutes of other random things. I didn’t get any of it. Call me insane, but I respect his work of art; I would never participate in watching it again.

19. Solaris (1972)

“Tarkovsky’s films, specifically Solaris. It is a profound work in its own right. But Solaris is much too slow for me. I recently attempted to watch Stalker but couldn’t make it through. Hope to finish Stalker soon” noted one.

A second shared, “Recently watched Solaris in the last two years. You must be in an exceptional mood to watch this Tarkovsky movie. Solaris is heavy, mentally, and thematically dense,” reported another.

“And not only that, but the things he wants you to examine are so gosh darn lofty. He’s the film equivalent of reading War and Peace or Ulysses. I understand his premise, but I could never watch this movie again.”

20. Dancer in The Dark (2000)

“Dancer in the Dark. One day I was thinking: It’s been long enough that I’ve been tempted to watch it again recently, but then I remember a few key scenes, and I know I can’t,” someone informed.

“Yes. Holy smokes, the ending is so freaking bleak. It’s an absolute triumph, but catch me never watching that movie again as long as I live. I also didn’t enjoy it, but I respected it,” a second added. “I came here to say this. I watched it 20 years ago and loved it, but I’m not putting myself through it again. It’s peak bleak,” a third agreed.

21. Black Panther (2018)

“I understand and appreciate what the film achieved for the black community, but overall it was pretty dull. I get it, Marvel Cinematic Universe and all, but I couldn’t bare to watch this again,” reported one.

“It’s a badly paced movie. It has a good cast, but most have nothing substantial to do other than Michael B. Jordan, a great villain. It is let down by the climax being a battle between two almost-identical CGI models against a CGI background,” another concurred.

22. Grave of The Fireflies (1988)

“Grave of the Fireflies. Excellent movie, but it was emotionally exhausting, and I can’t watch it again. Talk about full-on ugly crying,” one confessed. “Easily the greatest movie I’ve ever seen that I will never watch again. That’s my formal review. This animated film was soul-crushing,” a second replied.

“I WISH sometimes I had the fortitude to watch it again, but after my experiences with the language and history/culture and time spent there (esp in Hiroshima)……every time I think I can revisit the film, I just feel utterly haunted,” a third user admitted.

23. The Irishman (2019)

One user shared, “The special effects were incredibly distracting for me in The Irishman. I was stoked to see the heavy hitters from the mob movies’ glory days, but walked away scratching my head.”

“Same here, I love the old mob movies, so I was stoked to hear about Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in a movie together. So it felt weird wanting the movie to end already. Would not recommend,” another noted.

“Perfect answer,” a third replied. “I was so excited about The Irishman, and I tried to assure myself that I liked it even while watching it. Yet I’ve never even considered rewatching it or recommending it to anyone.”

24.  Mulholland Drive (2001)

“I love him, but can you blame someone for saying I respect Mulholland Drive but did not enjoy watching it? I feel that way about many of David Lynch’s works,” someone confessed.

“I don’t even get why it’s so good. I enjoyed Twin Peaks, but all of his stuff is weird for the sake of being weird. Can someone explain why Mulholland Drive is so good?” asked another.

“It’s a beautiful take on the spectacle of Hollywood. I can appreciate that was the message, and it was aesthetically pleasing at any one moment. It just never captured my interest like I wanted it to. And I don’t mind the freaky. I liked Eraserhead,” replied a third user.

25. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

“The Killing of a Sacred Deer is one of the best and most disturbing films I’ve seen in a long time. It has stuck with me, but I’m in no hurry to rewatch it anytime soon or ever!” one exclaimed. “I like The Killing of a Sacred Deer. But it was alarming, both about how monstrous “regular” people can be and how scary the aftermath is. So I am in no rush to subject myself to that again,” another reported.

Source: Reddit.

25 Extraordinary Sequels and Remakes That Outshine the Originals

Every once in a while, a movie sequel or remake surpasses the original film. After polling the internet, “Name a single movie where the sequel or remake was better than the original?” Here are the top-voted responses.

25 Extraordinary Sequels and Remakes That Outshine the Originals