‘Walked Out 5 Mins In’: 50 People List The Films They Wish They Never Saw
Interview With ExpertMovies have a way of leaving an indelible mark on our psyche, becoming a part of our core memory. Some classics shaped our younger, formative years, while others have become all-time favorites, whether to commemorate a lost love or channel the inner badass we believe lives within ourselves.
But some films make us fret about spending two hours of our lives on them, whether out of dissatisfaction or because we always want the fresh experience of seeing them for the first time. This list is a collection of responses from people online who didn’t hold back their strong sentiments.
Like in the previous Bored Panda list, you may see some familiar titles here, which can bring back a flood of memories, good or bad.
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A Serbian Film.
I remember reading a professional review that ended basically with (not verbatim, and I may be misquoting, but it’s close) “And if after reading this review you still want to see it I have completely failed you as a journalist. This was not a movie, it was 2 hours of having my soul r*ped”.
Whenever this topic comes up, so do the usual titles. If we’re talking about movies that changed the way we view life as a whole, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws pops up in everyone’s minds—so much so that even clinical psychologists from Columbia University were made to believe that their lingering phobias of sharks and the open sea are “as sensible as fearing a T-Rex attack in Manhattan.”
The Final Destination film series likewise created a similar impression. The story revolves around impending doom from freak accidents like slipping into a bathtub or getting cooked alive in a tanning bed, which has caused some deep-seated trauma.
Scary movie 5. Walked out 5 mins in.
Watched it as an inflight movie.
These parody movies are trashy for a reason. They are cheaply-made guilty pleasures. You watch them for the sake of watching them. They have their moments, but, ultimately, are not good. Studios make them because the budgets are so low that they are able to make their money back.
Probably get some hate, but the first twilight movie.
Avatar…for me, it was unwatchable it was so stupid. (I really tried).
Which one? Smurf Pocahontas or the dumped down adaptation of a beloved animation series?
Sausage Party, hands down. That's some messed up s**t going on in there.
Then there are the cringeworthy movies that left an unpleasant taste in the mouth. These films felt like nothing but wasted time and money. But what exactly makes a ‘bad’ movie?
Film director Peter Markham, whose credits include The English Patient and Gangs of New York, wrote an article where he laid out some descriptions of what he thinks makes a film unpalatable.
“[It] proselytizes. Evades the moral questions it prompts. Has story problems. Shifts genres to fix its story problems. Uses transitions to avoid story issues. Churns out the same old tropes and clichés. Pulls its punches. Has no punches to pull.
“Leaves no traces in one’s memory, no heart, no challenge, no sense of itself, nothing. Panders shamelessly to contemporary culture and assumptions, whether they be facile or laudatory.”
Grave of the fireflies. I get weepy whenever I used to see the little tin cans of candy at the Asian super markets.
I'm glad I watched it ONCE, but I will never ever watch it again. OMG! That movie broke me. Hands down the saddest movie I've ever seen. It's beautiful, but the sadness is all encompassing.
Starship troopers so I can get high and watch that s**t again. .
Tastes in films vary from one person to another. Critics weren’t a fan of Scarface when it first hit theaters in 1983. Simply put, they weren’t fans of the violence. Here’s what Newsweek’s David Ansen wrote about the film at the time:
“If Scarface makes you shudder, it’s from what you think you see and from the accumulated tension of this feral landscape. It’s grand, shallow, decadent entertainment, which like all great Hollywood gangster movies, delivers the punch and counterpunch of glamor and disgust.”
Fight Club is a similar case. With a budget of $63 million, it grossed a mere $37 million at the box office. Critics have deemed it a flop because of these poor numbers at the onset.
The Ring traumatized me as a child. Specifically the scene when they open up the closet to the girl being dead.
Requiem For A Dream
tbf, I was tripping pretty heavy when I saw it, and s**t went south quick.
I attempted to see it as a student, when I was going through a depressive period. I casually mentioned it to my English teacher. Her tough reaction kind of woke me up: "Give up this b******t! You spend your time feeling sorry for yourself, ignoring school and you'll end up failing your exams. And you're better than that." I started focusing on studying and passed all exams. God bless her.
*Mad Max: Fury Road*, so I could experience it for the first time all over again.
Despite further criticisms about promoting stereotypes against Cubans, Scarface eventually became a cult classic that everyone began quoting. "Say hello to my little friend" became a notable catchphrase. A-list rappers like Jay-Z and Nas saw themselves in Manolo Ribera and Tony Montana, respectively, the film's main protagonists.
For the late renowned critic Roger Ebert, the film depicted realism that people could relate to. As he wrote in his review, "[director] Brian DePalma and his writer, Oliver Stone, have created a gallery of specific individuals, and one of the fascinations of the movie is that we aren't aren't watching crime-movie clichés, we're watching people who are criminals."
I went to Battlefield Earth on opening weekend.
The hills have eyes , I watched it when I was about 7 and a certain scene won't get out of my head.
The Final Destination.
At least not when I was 8. Had nightmares for about week and was scared of escalators for years.
As for Fight Club, critics credit its success to the affinity it developed with the younger market. Here's an excerpt of Variety's review of the film in 1999:
"Despite certain hostility from some sectors, especially in the U.S., this bold, inventive, sustained adrenaline rush of a movie about a guru who advocates brutality and mayhem should excite and exhilarate young audiences everywhere."
Threads 1984
Its a movie that makes you feel like grime or sludge on a ball of insane people. Unlike a lot of movies this is one where all of the worst s**t thrown at you in this depressing movie you know could happen, it might never happen but it's reminding you there is a cloud of terrible death out there there could be unleashed and if you survive you'll wish you was dead.
The emoji movie.
Shrek, but just so i could watch it for the first time again.
On the flipside, some highly touted films failed to deliver on fan expectations. And these aren't just one-off criticisms from someone who didn't like the movie. This is unanimous feedback from fans of a TV show with a strong cult following.
We're talking about The Many Saints of Newark, a film by David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos. The multi-awarded HBO series has stood the test of time thanks to modern social media, which strengthened the movie's hype.
'Many Saints' served as a prequel to the series, as it centered around the race riots in the 1960s and ’70s. Dickie Moltisanti, who became an uncle to Tony Soprano, held the lead role, as the film showed snippets of the characters that comprised the show that fans grew to love.
Poor Things. What the f**k.
This is one of the best films I have ever watched. I thought it was genius.
Saw.
I refuse to patronize any torture porn. The whole Saw franchize kicked off the worst thing to happen to the horror genre ever. We wouldn't have Human Centipede if it wasn't for Saw. It was a sudden race to the bottom to see who could make the grossest horror movie and I wanted no part of it.
The film featured actors like Screen Actors Guild award winner Alessandro Nivola, Jon Bernthal, and Goodfellas star Ray Liotta, among many others. However, it garnered predominantly unsatisfactory reviews.
For critics, the film was ‘overplotted’ and ‘much less interesting’ than its television counterpart. AV Club’s review particularly focused on the Dickie Moltisanti character arc.
As you continue scrolling, let’s liven up this discussion more. Are there any more films on this list that should be included? What titles stand out to you in a not-so-appealing way, for whatever reason? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Both Percy Jackson movies because you know something is messed up when even the authors ask them not to release the movie because that is no longer his story.
Cats!
I'm the one person in the world who really liked the movie.
Human Centipede 2. Seriously, as a fan of graphic horror, even I said WTF I'm turning this s**t off. But I'd rather be tied to a chair at gunpoint, max volume, throbbing headache, a shirtless & smiling Diddy holding a strap on, then EVER watch the Cuties. fuuuuuck that movie. I'm sorry but If you purposely turn that s**t on, I'm kicking you out ASAP because there's no way you haven't gotten the memo.
The Day After, a movie about nuclear war.
I remember when it was first broadcast. It ran without commercials, because absolutely no one would sponsor it. People used to pooh-pooh it as unrealistic. Mind you, I said USED to. That movie is scary AF, and you couldn't pay me to watch it again. The radio switchboards lit up like Christmas after that movie.
Marley and me. The never ending story.
Open water.
The premise alone is so frightening. Thanks for ruining going scuba diving on a boat for me!
Hereditary. i don’t wish i never watched it, i just wished i hadve waited a few more years to watch it. 15 was too young.
Horrible movie. Don't even know how they can call it horror, so drawn out and boring. Only good part was the *ahem* car scene
We need to talk about Kevin.
Incredible move, but very disturbing. After his actions off screen, you realize that Ezra Miller was not reaching very far for his character development
Martyrs [2008].
Im just not a fan of French Extremism, too mentally heavy for me
Springbreakers with Selena Gomez. Up until the day the most stupid, vapid wannabe movie that had no right being as bad as it is. If it was a parody and didnt take itself serious then maybe. But it wants to be a serious movie and it fails spectacularly at it. I still sometimes weep at the 1.5h which were lost and that i will never get back.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. I want to experience watching it for the first time again.
>! That scene where SpongeBob and Patrick are drying to death and are singing Gooby Goober together almost made me cry !<.
Maze runner…. 1st one decent, 2nd 3rd there are no maze even.
Got 5 min in to second one and noped out coz it was NOTHING like the book
Old Boy. I wish I could forget that plot.
Odaisu wanted to forget it too. IYKYK. The original is not supposed to leave you feeling good. The American remake is just... ugh.
Caligula.
The Fourth Kind.
I liked this movie. It is kind of slowish and you don't really see much but an owl. The ending was kind of cool. Idk need to watch it again, it's been 14 years.
The Many Saints of Newark. I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed with a film I was really excited about.
Ultraviolet. I’ll never get that money back.
I'll get skewered for this, but I like Ultraviolet - fun, over-the-top escapism, especially with all the exaggerated CGI.
Suspiria - that was one f-up movie.
Funny Games.
The husband was pitifully weak and the wife was stupid. I never let two little punk kids overwhelm me like that.
Directors cut of The Professional. I watched it with my parents. 🤢.
IIRC I read the director's cut went more into the sexual relationship between Leon and the girl. Totally inappropriate given her age. Or was that the book? I just recall reading there were aspects to the story I didn't pick up in the version of the movie I saw. They cared about each other but I viewed it as more of a father / daughter sort of thing. And I'm glad for that because I liked the movie and a pedo aspect would have tainted it for me.
Dancer in the Dark. Anyone who has seen it would understand why.
The girl next door (horror movie not the other movie).
Event Horizon.
I didn’t see the whole thing but I heard about it and just watched the last 15 minutes because that’s what the commotion was about. I think it’s called Megan is Missing? Yeah, f**k that movie tbh.
This movie was so disturbing! I watched it from Netflix but assuming it is not available there anymore
When I was quite young boy (I guess 10-12 years old, 1985), I was flipping through the channels and there was this movie where I saw a flash of skin, maybe a breast on a French channel. I thought: "Hum, intriguing...I want more" and watched the movie. But 10 minutes into the movie, at some point two guys started kissing, drinking champagne and letting it spill into each others mouths, while moving and breathing heavily. My young mind was traumatized, it was not what I wanted....! Was I excited? Was that sex? Is this normal? And I remember feeling very perturbed and very sick to my 10-year old stomach, unable to fall asleep. Please Remember : I WAS 10 YEARS OLD, and that's in the 80s. I am 50 now and all I am trying to say is that some of my "sexual teachings" were smooth and natural, but some were brutal, like this introduction to homosexuality way too graphic for my young self. I did not turn gay or homophobe or whatever. It is just an event in my life that was significant and I wish it had happened differently.
Still remember vividly as I type this. I think the movie is called "My beautiful launderette" or something like that.
EDIT: Holy s**t, this is a movie with Daniel Day-Lewis. The universe makes sense now.
I have a Powders decorated laundry room with a signed poster, because this is a top ten for me, as are most Frears’ films. But I don’t get how this was traumatizing or even that provocative for a 10yo. I suppose if one comes from a very reserved home or society, but I felt this film was mundane on the issues of queerness and the sex scenes were downright PG.
The Thomas the Train movie. My kid wanted to go, but he was bored as s**t halfway through. I demanded we stay just to torture him for making us go.
"I demanded we stay just to torture him for making us go." Wow... Interesting parenting choice.
So this list is; some films-that-were-so-bad-that-I-wished-I-never-saw-it; some films-that-were-so-good-that-I-wished-I-could-see-them-for-the-first-time-again; and some-films--I'm-not-sure-which-it-is-because-no-information-beyond-the-title. Got it. Utterly pointless list then. Sorry for the snark. Leaving the internet for a bit. Have a good day pandas.
I went to the local theatre to see "I, Robot". It was (imo) dreadful. Only reason I didn't walk out was I had paid to see it. I suspect Asimov would have been spinning in his grave. Mind you, I should have known better after one reviewer mentioned 'sexy scientist Susan Calvin'.
You mean that film with Will Smith? It was actually pretty good, but it has nothing to do with Asimov. They just borrowed three laws of robotics.
Load More Replies...How did Freddy Got Fingered NOT make this list? It's widely considered the worst movie ever. TBH I've seen worse but that's what all the critics say.
It's made for comedy fans on a very, very specific wavelength. One of the RLM reviewers of FGF noted that Tom Green was genius in his execution of savage satire of not only that movie and the people paying for it, but the entire genre in general. It's a fascinating review.
Load More Replies...So this list is; some films-that-were-so-bad-that-I-wished-I-never-saw-it; some films-that-were-so-good-that-I-wished-I-could-see-them-for-the-first-time-again; and some-films--I'm-not-sure-which-it-is-because-no-information-beyond-the-title. Got it. Utterly pointless list then. Sorry for the snark. Leaving the internet for a bit. Have a good day pandas.
I went to the local theatre to see "I, Robot". It was (imo) dreadful. Only reason I didn't walk out was I had paid to see it. I suspect Asimov would have been spinning in his grave. Mind you, I should have known better after one reviewer mentioned 'sexy scientist Susan Calvin'.
You mean that film with Will Smith? It was actually pretty good, but it has nothing to do with Asimov. They just borrowed three laws of robotics.
Load More Replies...How did Freddy Got Fingered NOT make this list? It's widely considered the worst movie ever. TBH I've seen worse but that's what all the critics say.
It's made for comedy fans on a very, very specific wavelength. One of the RLM reviewers of FGF noted that Tom Green was genius in his execution of savage satire of not only that movie and the people paying for it, but the entire genre in general. It's a fascinating review.
Load More Replies...
