With Others, Not With Me

Movies may be one of the hottest discussion topics these days (among all age groups and both on and off-line), but every once in awhile a movie comes along that captures the focus of an entire generation. Many of these examples rightly deserve their reputation, but in my opinion, some of these movies are so over-hyped (by the media or otherwise), and enjoy such a position among certain goers that it boggles my mind. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FREAKIN' APPEAL!

The following is a list of movies that hold significant status with large numbers of viewers or popular opinion, but just don't dazzle me.

Avatar
I realized from the beginning that this film was pretty much going to be all about the special effects, but I sincerely hoped for more than that. The storyline was sorely lacking, and I just don't understand how a movie like that could generate so much hype purely on the basis of visual effects; or, for that matter, become the highest-grossing film of all time.

The Shining
Considered by many to be a quintessential modern horror film, I have seen this movie three times (mostly at gatherings with friends) and am stumped as to why so many people like it. The plot line is stilled/choppy, and the psychological impact, while original (and vastly parodied), fell far short of scaring or impressing me.

The Dark Knight
Ever since I saw "Batman Begins" on a school trip, I was convinced that the entire Batman franchise was going downhill. "The Dark Knight" was somewhat better, but I was still not impressed. Heath Ledger may have given a good performance, but I think that he won the Oscar in large part due to his unfortunate death (no offense). I was a huge fan of "Batman and Robin" when it came out, yet it received dismal reviews from both critics and fans, and to this day I just don't understand why.

Roots
I read Alex Haley's award winning book in High School and was massively into it. The teacher showed part of the miniseries towards the end of the year, and I thought it fell very short of the book. Perhaps this was merely because I had read the original material so recently, but I didn't get why this was so popular with audiences.