People seem to be including both DVD and film releases, so here's a list of films I've seen this year, film or otherwise, that were better than I thought they'd be:
-Terminator: Genisys. Y'know, I thought I'd hate this, after seeing the trailers. And I saw it not long after seeing Jurrassic World, a film which I enjoyed, but didn't live up to expectation, and is only superior to JP3 in my eyes. Genisys, however, was the best Terminator film since the first two IMO.
-Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Bought this on DVD for $5. I didn't have many expecations, considering that it's a videogame movie, and one that isn't rated too highly. And that said, while I don't think it's good (it's "okay" IMO), I still enjoyed it.
-Iron Man 3: Same scenario - $5 dollars, wasn't expecting much, given how few of the MCU films I've enjoyed. But, once again, this bucked the trend, and out of all the MCU films I've seen, is my favorite (ducks flying object).
-Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Borrowed this from the library. And to be honest, I enjoy it. Not the best Star Trek film I've seen, and it lurks closer to the bottom than the top for me. But yes, I enjoyed it. Found it interesting from both a thematic and visual standpoint.
-Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation: Caught this on a whim, had no expectations. But I enjoyed it. It's been so long since I've seen the first two MI films, that I can't rank this in relation to them, but overall, I enjoyed it. Fun ride, good thriller.
-Star Trek: Nemesis: I'm including this on the proviso that this isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Though it's still my second least favorite Star Trek film.
-Do You See Me?: An Italian film that I saw at an Italian film festival. I had no preconceptions about it, but damn was it better than I thought it would be. In fact, it would be my second favorite film this year.
-Star Wars Films: I'm grouping Episodes I-VI together as I did a marathon in preparation for The Force Awakens. So, on that note:
-The Phantom Menace: This actually went down for me. I loved this film as a kid, holding it in the same regard as the OT. Watching it now, it's actually gone down significantly for me. That said, I still enjoy this film. Is it flawed? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, I still had fun.
-Attack of the Clones: Always my least favorite of the Star Wars films, even back when I first saw it. Rewatching it now, it's actually gone up in terms of my appreciation for it. Yeah, the Anakin/Padme stuff is bollocks, as are the lightsaber fights in the end, but factor in Christopher Lee's performance as Dooku, and the material where Obi-Wan is by himself on Kamino and Geonosis, and some other material, there is stuff I enjoyed. That said, it remains my least favorite.
-Revenge of the Sith: I loved this film back in the day. I've always maintained that RotS is a genuinely good film - one that has its flaws, but is leagues apart from the first two prequel episodes. Having rewatched this film in the marathon, my appreciation has gone up even higher.
-A New Hope: Loved this as a kid. As an adult, if anything, my apprecation of this film has gone up even more. The characters, the pacing, the music, the motifs, the action - for a film released in 1977, it holds up amazingly well. In fact, I think A New Hope has taken the no. 1 spot for Star Wars films for me.
-The Empire Strikes Back: Um...to be honest...I've never liked the Empire Strikes Back. Rewatching the film, I was reminded why. I hold it above the first two episodes, but...well, I'll leave it here. Want to keep my head.
-Return of the Jedi: For years, RotJ has been my favorite Star Wars film, a position I've clung to even while remaining one of the few people on the planet who doesn't like TESB. Rewatching it as an adult...yes, I still love this movie. It's not perfect, and as mentioned, I think A New Hope has edged it out, in that I feel ANH is overall a better crafted movie. But as an adult, my appreciation of RotJ has increased. So, it takes the no. 2 spot, but it's a very close call.
