Nostalgia has a nasty habit of clouding our minds; especially when it comes to remembering things we loved when we were younger. Thinking back on a film from our childhood often fills us with a warm, fuzzy feeling, but in many cases, it can cloud our ability to look at things through an objective, critical eye.
While there are many classic movies that have stood the test of time, it can sometimes be a painful process to return to a once-beloved piece of cinema to realize it isn't as good as you remember. The sinking feeling we feel when finding ourselves disappointed by something that we once held in such high regard can be crushing, but there are movies out there that are still just as good, if not better than you remember.
10 Aren't As Good: Back To The Future Part III Ends The Trilogy On A Whimper
Surely nothing could go wrong with cowboy and time travel. In what sounded like the greatest concept on Earth as a kid, rewatching the final entry in the iconic Back To The Future franchise with adult eyes shows us the final, sputtering gasps of a concept stretched far beyond its limits. While definitely not the worst film ever made, Part III was such a massive step back from the first two entries that it is genuinely frustrating.
Suffering from being part of a series that has two incredible, well-loved entries; Part III will forever go down in history as a major disappointment for fans who go back in time to rewatch this particular film.
9 Still Holds Up: Back To The Future Is As Perfect As You Remember
Widely considered a classic of '80s cinema, and rightfully so, the original Back To The Future still feels as fresh and vibrant as it did on its first viewing. With a brilliant ensemble cast, fantastic direction, and impeccable writing, these features meld together to give audiences an unforgettable movie-going experience. There is a reason why Back To The Future is still so highly regarded to this day.
There are few films that manage to stay so engaging upon subsequent viewings, but Back To The Future continues to entertain and inspire even after countless rewatches. A true example of everyone involved working together at the top of their game.
8 Aren't As Good: Batman Forever Feels Confusing And Dated
While certainly not the worst of the '90s Batman films, Batman Forever sits in a strange position between the much-loved Batman and Batman Returns and the universally maligned Batman & Robin. Batman Forever comes across as bizarre and jarring.
Straddling the nether zone between the darkness of the first two films and the over-the-top campness of its follow-up, Batman Forever doesn't really know what it wants to be. Brilliant performance by Jim Carrey as The Riddler and spectacular set-design aside; it is not hard to see why the franchise was taken in a much different direction after Christopher Nolan came along.
7 Still Holds Up: Clerks Continues To Be Hilarious And Razor-Sharp
If there is one thing that is truly evergreen and universal, it's that working in retail can quickly destroy your will to live. What Kevin Smith's debut movie managed to do so perfectly was to encapsulate this feeling and the hopelessness of being stuck in a dead-end job in your 20s, and mix it with some of the quickest, wittiest dialogue ever uttered on screen.
The exchanges between the characters in Clerks still manage to shock audiences to this day and hasn't lost any of its hilarious, side-splitting effectiveness. With Clerks III right around the corner, there has never been a better time to rekindle your love for this cult classic.
6 Aren't As Good: Van Helsing Is The Worst Example Of 2000s Action Schlock
Van Helsing should have been the greatest love letter to classic Universal Monster pictures ever made. Instead, it became an overblown, overlong mess that commits the worst sin capable of an action movie; it is boring. Despite brilliant performances by both Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, Van Helsing manages to totally drop the ball with a premise that should have been impossible to mess up.
The CGI has aged poorly and lets Van Helsing down, despite having some brilliant ideas and set pieces. This was such a great concept with unlimited potential, and it is a sad thing indeed that Van Helsing didn't pan out.
5 Still Holds Up: Dawn Of The Dead Is Still The Best Zombie Film Ever Made
George A. Romero's seminal masterpiece continues to stand head and shoulders above all other pieces of zombie fiction that have followed its 1978 release. Featuring a cast of believable, likable characters and a premise so tantalizing that it has been stolen, ripped-off, homaged, and referenced countless times, this is the high point of a genre still going strong to this day.
Epic in both scope and duration, Dawn Of The Dead is the perfect Sunday afternoon movie. Revisiting this picture is like reconnecting with an old friend. No matter how many times you watch Dawn Of The Dead, it still manages to make you gasp, squirm, cheer, and set your heart racing.
4 Aren't As Good: Freddy Vs. Jason Is An Early-2000s, Nu-Metal Nightmare
While not as bad as the worst entries in either series, this mash-up of the Friday The 13th and Nightmare On Elm Street franchises still manages to miss the mark and feels incredibly dated. Freddy Vs. Jason left fans wondering how they were able to mess up such a brilliant, once in a lifetime opportunity.
While seeing Freddy and Jason together in one film was enough to leave most audiences satisfied, revisiting Freddy Vs. Jason once the luster has worn off leaves much to be desired. If the disappointing narrative and fight scenes between the two titans of terror wasn't bad enough, the early 2000s nu-metal soundtrack makes it all feel like some kind of horrific, mall-goth fever dream.
3 Still Holds Up: Raiders Of The Lost Ark Is A Masterclass In Adventure
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's iconic, action-packed homage to the film serials of yore still stands true as one of the pinnacles of action/adventure cinema. Raiders Of The Lost Ark is still so lauded in screenwriting classes over the world because of its perfection of the seven-act structure, which serves as the Bible on how to craft a script that adheres to these time-tested conventions.
Still as exciting and fun after the hundredth viewing, Indiana Jones will forever go down in history as one of the iconic film heroes, and Raiders Of The Lost Ark is the definitive example as to why.
2 Aren't As Good: Tomb Raider - The Cradle Of Life Put An End To Lara Croft
After the smash success of the original Tomb Raider film, the franchise seemed unstoppable. Until its sequel came along and detailed everything. Angelina Jolie was the perfect casting when it came to stepping into the most iconic video game heroine in history, but the burden of the material she had to work with was too heavy for even her to shoulder.
Critics of the time claimed that Cradle Of Life was a better film than its predecessor. They were wrong. Cradle Of Life is a meandering, boring film that stumbles its way through a runtime that feels much longer than it is, and only serves as a reminder as to why the original was so much fun.
1 Still Holds Up: The Exorcist Is The Greatest Horror Movie Of All Time
There is a reason why this Academy Award-winning film is held in such high regard, and that is because it is just so good. Genuinely terrifying, even to this day, The Exorcist has a sense of artistry running through that makes it a joy to watch, keeps it engaging and impossible to look away from even after countless viewings.
Sublime direction, unparalleled performances from every cast member, and a script that is as endlessly quotable as it is horrifying, this could be considered the best horror movie of all time and the best film ever.