5 Movies That I Appreciate More Than Enjoy Watching

We can all relate to enjoying movies that objectively, we acknowledge to have some major flaws in them. But we just don't care about it because of the enjoyment - a guilty pleasure. But what if it is the other way around - You watch a movie that you appreciate immensely on an objective level, but just don't find it that enjoyable for you personally - not your cup of tea so to say.

Why talk about it?

On one hand, people are more opinionated and knowledgeable about movies than they have ever been. That translates to people looking at movies in a more and more objective and detailed manner. On the other hand, movies have been, are and always remain subjective in their very nature. They cannot be taken entirely objectively, since one of their main purposes is to simply offer enjoyment and entertainment.

That contradiction could potentially make it difficult to express one's feelings about a movie that deserves appreciation, but that was not personally that enjoyable.

A few things to keep in mind about the list below

1. These are but a few examples of a long list and not necessarily the definitive ones

2. Movies that tackle real life tragic and dark events, or simply very disturbing but important themes are left out of this list. In one way these types of movies are perfect for this list. But movies like that are not always aimed to be enjoyable in an entertaining kind of way in the first place. They are meant to share an important story or a message. That doesn't mean that they can't be enjoyable, but it would have been unfair to put them in this list, since the focus is on movies that mainly aim to entertain (bare in mind, of course, that a strong message and entertainment value don't exclude each other).

3. When I say that I appreciate the movies on this list more than I enjoy them, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy them at all. In fact, some of them I enjoyed a lot and had a lot of fun with. I just felt that it was just not my cup of tea 100% or I found more positives in them as a person who is interested in filmmaking as a craft rather than as a person just wanting to be entertained.

Without further ado, here is the list...

'Batman Returns'

Why do I appreciate this movie?

After the success of the first Batman movie in 1989, director Tim Burton was given more freedom to bring his vision to life on the sequel. Tim Burton unleashed was not necessarily good for the franchise and actually unintentionally started a downward spiral, since it's very dark and gothic tone did not sit too well with the general audience and brought smaller profit than intended. Thus making the studio do a 180 and aim to be more kid friendly, which eventually lead to "Bat credit card"...

Having said that, how awesome it was that the studio dared to give a director with an original and eccentric vison full control and complete freedom to tackle an established and classic character along with the fictional universe around that character. It looks stunning, creates an undeniably distinctive aura (soundtrack, sets, editing) and generally, has a lot fun with the characters in imaginative ways (maybe except Batman himself). In other words, it is extremely original and innovative, which is someting that should be encouraged in the film industry.

Furthermore, darker themes bring more drama and give cast more opportunities to display their talent and create memorable characters. And what a cast it is. Keaton is amazing both as Batman and Bruce Wayne and brings this hard to describe darkness and intensity to the character, Pfeiffer is a revelation as Catwoman. DeVito and Walken bring just the disturbing and oddball originality you would expect from them in roles like that. It is perfect casting.

Why didn't I enjoy it as much?

Taking all the above said positive aspects into account, it just wasn't a very exciting and well paced story to me. At times, it feels like a bunch of awesome and brilliantly made scenes thrown onto screen without being properly tied together. When watching it, I never get a sense of a full and complete movie experience.

Also, although Batman has a history of being outshined by it's villains and one could argue that it is part of the essence of Batman, Burton seemed downright disinterested with the character at times. I can definitely appreciate the idea of leaving the character of Batman more vague, but in this case it comes across to me as more of a genuine disinterest than an artistic choice.

To Sum Up

Very happy this movie exists but it just feels incomplete to me and doesn't give me the full and coherent movie experience - too odd (or Tim Burton-esque) for it's own good I suppose.

'The Avengers'

This is maybe going to be a bit controversial one, so I will try to express myself as clearly as possible.

Why do I appreciate this movie?

I mean why wouldn't you. It is a frickin awesome movie experience :) . This movie was an event. A culmination of a carefully built up superhero cinematic universe that changed peoples understanding on just how far can one go with a franchise and it has only gotten bigger ever since.

This movie has so much to offer in extremely huge quantities. The brilliant and talented cast are perfect for their characters and their interactions with each other is already a good enough reason to see this movie. Furthermore, it manages to have so many high profile actors and so many famous characters while being fun and not feeling bloated.

Oh yeah, and it certainly deliveres on the action and spectacle.

Why didn't I enjoy it as much?

While trying to be this epic magnum opus, it kind of forgot to be an engaging and entertaining story. Simple as that ;) .

To Sum Up

As epic in scope as it is, it still should entertain and admitting it should be okay.

Being John Malkovich

Why do I appreciate this movie?

It is a masterpiece in both concept, set up and acting. It is original but not in a vain manner. The acting is top notch and it creates this amazing aura. Oh, and there is a scene where John Malkovich goes into John Malkovich's mind... enough said.

Why didn't I enjoy it as much?

I love weird and off beat movies, but this time around, the share oddness of it at some point just became a bit too much for me. To explain my point - the parts that regarded going into Malkovich's mind were probably the most normal feeling parts in the movie.

To Sum Up

I really love this movie and consider it a masterpiece, but the vibe I got from it, got weirder and weirder to a point, where it was just a bit too much. Doesn't take anything away from the movie, but should also be addressed if you felt about it like that.

'The Hangover Part III'

Why do I appreciate this movie?

With "The Avengers", it was going to be a tricky one to explain why I did not enjoy it as much. In case of "The Hangover Part Three", it is going to be a tricky one to explain why I appreciate it at all.

Mainly it's the fact that it dared to be original. It dared to tell an original darker story and actually sacrifice it's formula and most of the comedy. It dared to do new things. For a thrid movie in a comedy franchise (that really should have ended with the great first movie), to go against the expectations of the fan base like that, was quite a bold move and deserves some praise.

Why didn't I enjoy it as much?

Doing something new and original and going darker doesn't necessarily equal better. Despite the creators really trying hard to make something new, the whole thing feels unnecessary and is an entry in a comedy franchise that lacks... comedy (however noble reasons behind it). In the end, it is just not a very good movie.

To Sum Up

Even when I don't find that movie good, I still feel, that the good intentions of the creators should be aknowledged.

To Conclude

Movies are subjective and one of their their main purposes is to entertain. So, when we find a movie not to be "our cup of tea" no matter how good it objectively was, we should be honest and unashamed about it. But as fans of the movies in general, we should also acknowledge the aspects that deserve appreciation about a certain movie and bring it out, even though we did not necessarily enjoy it that much. That way we we can be honest with ourselves, while also encouraging the world of movies to go in right direction and filmmakers to make right choices :).