By Nora Chen — Movie fan who has changed her mind about many films. Keeps a list of movies to try again.
Last updated: April 2026
I walked out of 2001: A Space Odyssey the first time I tried to watch it.
I was in college. A friend had recommended it. “Greatest sci-fi movie ever made,” he said.
I made it about 45 minutes. The monkeys at the beginning. The long spaceship shots. The classical music. The slow pace. I could not take it anymore. I turned it off and watched something else.
For years, I told people that movie was boring. Overrated. Pretentious.
Then, about five years later, I tried it again. Same movie. Different me. This time, I loved it.
What Changed
The movie did not change. I did.
The first time, I wanted action. I wanted plot. I wanted things to happen quickly. *2001* does none of those things. It is slow. It is quiet. Long stretches have no dialogue.
The second time, I was not looking for the same things. I was interested in mood. In visuals. In ideas that the movie does not explain out loud.
I stopped waiting for something to happen. I started paying attention to what was already happening on screen.
That shift changed everything. Not just for that movie. For how I watch movies in general.
Other Movies I Changed My Mind About
The Master (2012)
First time: Confusing. Long. What was the point?
Second time (years later): Noticed the acting. The small moments between characters. The things they do not say. Now I think it is brilliant.
Lost in Translation (2003)
First time: Nothing happens. Two bored people in a hotel.
Second time: Noticed the loneliness. The quiet connection. The ending that says more by not saying much.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
First time: Too slow. Daniel Day-Lewis is intense, but where is the story?
Second time: Realized the story is not about plot. It is about a man destroying himself. The ending is not random. It is the only way it could end.
I am not saying everyone will change their mind about these movies. Some people hate them forever. That is fine.
I am just saying: sometimes the problem is not the movie. It is the timing.
Why This Happens
There are a few reasons a movie might not work for you the first time.
You were in the wrong mood.
A slow drama will feel boring if you are tired. A comedy will feel dumb if you are stressed. A horror movie will feel silly if you are distracted.
Mood matters. More than most people admit.
You were expecting something else.
If someone tells you a movie is “the funniest ever,” and it is not that funny to you, you will be disappointed. That is not the movie’s fault. It is the expectation’s fault.
You were too young for it.
Some movies are not for your younger self. They are for the person you become later. You cannot force understanding before you have lived enough to understand.
What I Learned
I stopped calling movies “overrated” after one bad viewing.
Now I have a rule: if a famous movie does not work for me, I put it on a list. “Try again in a few years.”
Some movies stay on that list forever. Some come off. A few have become favorites.
I also stopped trusting first impressions completely. A first viewing is just a first conversation. You cannot know a person after one conversation. Same with movies.
How to Try This (If You Want To)
Make a list of famous movies you did not like. Pick one. Wait at least two years. Watch it again.
Do not force yourself to like it. Just watch with an open mind.
If you still hate it, that is fine. Not every movie is for every person.
But sometimes — not always, but sometimes — you will see something you missed before. And that feeling is worth the risk of being bored for two hours.
The Bottom Line
I walked out of 2001: A Space Odyssey the first time. Now it is one of my favorites.
The movie did not change. I did.
That is not true for every movie. Some movies are just bad. But some are just ahead of where you are right now.
Give them time. Give yourself time. Watch again later. You might be surprised.
About the author: Nora Chen has been watching movies for as long as she can remember. She keeps a list of films to revisit and updates it every year. These are her personal opinions, not professional criticism.
This article is for entertainment purposes. Movie tastes are subjective. What works for one person may not work for another.
