Live Die Repeat /Edge of Tomorrow
As much as I hate Tom Cruise as a person this movie was one of the most fun sci-fi action flicks I have seen in a very long time.
Same. This was actually an incredibly solid movie. And I also dislike Tom Cruise.
I rewatched Oblivion with him in it, and though I had fond memories of that movie it didn’t hold up nearly as well.
I’d agree with that sentiment.
I agree. Didn’t expect much but really enjoyed it!
Into the Spider-Verse.
I was kind of aware of that sort of plot line in the comics. And I loved The live action Spider-Man movies.
Was blown away at how complete a package it was: visuals, score, writing, voice acting. It was just an all around great movie.
It’s a perfect movie. The art, the music, the recursive pacing, everything about this is composed absolutely perfectly. I don’t remember if my expectations were high or low for it but it’s so, so good.
Mad Max: Fury road far exceeded my expectations.
I’d heard good things about the movie, and actually went in with reasonably high expectations of it, and it completely amazed me anyway. Just an incredible spectacle of a film.
Tropic Thunder. Went in knowing it was a new Ben Stiller movie and nothing else.
I love Tropic Thunder, and I hate Ben Stiller movies!
I remember sitting in the theatre and the intro commercials integrated seamlessly with the previews and it was just hilarious from the start.
Dune
My expectations were sky-high for Dune and they were still exceeded.
I was going to say the same. It’s a hard book to bring to the screen but damn they nailed it. The cinematography is phenomenal as well. I can’t wait for part 2! The second half of the book is definitely more suited for a movie format than the first.
The new Dungeons and Dragons movie. It was a blast
I think people only complained about the owlbear because everything else was so damn authentic. The lore, the feeling of a DnD session, the classes, etc. And to top that of: It was just a good movie. Even for a non DnD player it is worth watching as a comedy/action movie.
What was wrong with the owlbear? Owlbears are authentic to DnD.
Owlbears are monstrosities not beasts and therefore the druid probably shouldn’t of been able to shapeshift into one (I think. I’ve never actually played as or with a druid)
Haven’t played a druid either, but just checked the Player’s Handbook, and the Owlbear is above the combat rating that a Druid can Wild Shape into as well. But hey, it’s cool so i give it a pass.
Afaik using wildshape to become an owlbear would be possible! Albeit only with one specific druid subclass, circle of the moon, which allows for higher challenge rating forms, and the requirement that a druid be lvl18+. I don’t think any of them were near that point lol
What a fun movie. I hope they make more.
My first thought as well. I figured I’d enjoy it, but it was better than I expected. Very well done all around.
Bullet Train was fun as hell.
Edit: I just realized that I saw John Wick based on, “Hey I want to see a movie today. John Wick? No idea what this is, but if it’s in IMAX it might be fun!”
It was.
The new Puss In Boots. I went to see it mostly for my husband who likes Puss, but oh my goodness it was actually REALLY good. The animation was really interesting.
You beat me to this answer. I knew it was going to be good because of its phenomenal word of mouth and I was still surprised. There are so many cool details that no one will notice on a first watch, but show how much care the creators had for it. By way of example, Death can be seen in the crowd during the opening giant fight (he was there to witness each frivolous end, after all), and the numbered cards denoting each death have the silhouette of Death holding his shotels in the corners.
Train to Busan. Shit was INTENSE.
Coco.
I went into thinking it’d just be another generic Disney animated movie that my sister kept pestering me to watch.
Ended up crying at that last 15 minutes of the movie. Wow was it good.
Same! It’s so good!
Yeah that whole “remember me” stuff where the last person who ever knew him was about to die was just… Uff… That tore me up.
Remember Me was the best Disney song in the last 20 years. The way it plays into the themes of the movie, the way the meanings change each time someone sings it, just perfect.
Both Prey & Bullet train I was expecting average action movies, and both ended up being some of my favourite movies last year with great rewatchability.
The New Jumanji. The first one, I never saw the second. I expected it to be a dumb, corny movie made just to fill the years reboot quota, but it was a VERY enjoyable movie.
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2 movies immediately come to mind, and I think it’s because I went in with an expectation that the movie is gonna suck.
- Pacific Rim
- District 9
It’s probably been 10 years since I watched either of those movies so I’m not sure how they have aged…
District 9 was very good! I think that was my first bluray.
Yeah. Pacific Rim was a breath of fresh air just to be getting a Yaeger/Kaiju movie at all. Then to watch it and discover it was made by a true fan of the genre, just fantastic.
I knew I was going to love Pacific Rim (giant robots and monsters? Sign me up) but I didnt expect the horror element of it and exactly how menacing each kaiju would be. I can easily rewatch it many times.
To the original question, from recent memory a film that surprised me was Dungeons and Dragons Honor among Thieves. The IP didnt have a great track record in film, but this one was entertaining, funny, heartwarming, and highly recommended.
Bullet Train. I didn’t know what to expect going into it really, but it turned out to be a super fun movie.
At first Asteroid City got my attention with it’s title. But after watching the movie I am amazed and wondering why are movies like this not more successful.
You really have to like Wes Anderson style. It’s not for everyone. It’s a niche taste to be honest. A few love Anderson peculiar movie style, but many despise it. I’m in the former group.
I always go into a Wes Anderson film expecting it to be good, and it ends up being even better than that.
I immediately put his movies on the first place of my must watch list.
I feel like Wes Anderson films have been quite successful for a while. Maybe it didn’t get the hype Barbenheimer got this go around, but Grand Budapest hotel won like 4 Oscars.
