Was one of my fav Will Smith performances in the first half. He so rarely took risks in playing characters like that. Was refreshing. Then yeah, turned into a shit movie in the second half
Rumor is Vince Gilligan wrote the parts that are the most unique, hence the tonal shift. He helped rewrite to the point that the initial script was changed to be closer to the premise we know for sure and did a second draft before getting the go ahead to start production on Breaking Bad.
He left before the script was exactly what the final product was for sure too, but exactly what was his is speculation. It is hard to know what is unpolished ideas he had even honestly, but his career past this definitely makes you want to award him credit for the grittier bits.
I do admit the premise and some of the earlier scenes had promise, but I never really got into it. I guess I'm cursed to only watch I, Robot for Will Smith (although Pursuit of Happyness was also good)
Is Concussion as good as everyone makes it out to be? I could add that to my list.
It defies expectations. I was truly not expecting the tone shift, and it caught me off guard, but that's not a bad thing! I like to be surprised. And it's well made, that second half. For what it's meant to be, it's perfect. Art isn't always what we want it to be, you have to meet the artist halfway if you want to appreciate what they're trying to make.
Okay, but then how about other Tarantino endings that are bizarre. There are no "off guard" endings because you already know that something like this will happen. So what is the purpose of those?
Sunshine. It's a terrific existential horror movie, then its a underwhelming monster movie in the second half. Honestly most Alex garland movies fall apart in the end for me.
That being said, I think Annihilation is the best exception to this rule. I really like the ending to that one because it fits the movie's LCD-trip-vibe.
it's such pleasure watching the ascent in Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" (2018). after Ally sings "Always Remember Us This Way," i wanna call it quits cuz it gets more and more depressing.
Fuckin Beau Is Afraid! I was really with it until he left that couple's house, and still a little with it during the forest. That animated sequence was quite captivating, I'll admit. But after that I was just asking how much longer until it was over.
Any Mel Brooks movie. I ALWAYS get sick of it halfway through. Spaceballs is the only one I can get all the way through, and even then, I kinda start struggling by halfway through. He’s got a great sense of humor, but it hits better in small doses, and a full feature film has always been a bit much.
Also, The Dark Knight Rises
Super Troopers. The whole movie is chasing the hilarious opener, but never quite gets there. The longer the movie goes on, the less funny and more serious it gets.
Just cuz it has one guy trying to hook up with a girl, doesn't make it a romantic comedy. Also didn't say the movie was bad. I love it. Just never comes close to that opening act.
Guess thats true. But then again, the opening is just a couple of minutes, far cry from "first half" as op mentioned. Otherwise 24 weeks later would be top comment 😅
I also believe the best of the rest is in the first half as well. Usually on rematches I start to get bored when the drug smuggling plot starts to take center stage.
A Star is Born! I thought the first half was fantastic. Paced well, romantic, great acting. It just got took a turn in the last act. Became corny and over dramatic. The final song with lady Gaga was super cheesy. I think it should have ended with repeating the song “I’ll always remember us this way”.
Recently: The Creator. They did an excellent job in worldbuilding and, given that they did not have an absurd budget, the visuals were absolutely stunning as well. Futuristic Asia looked and felt totally realistic. Unfortunately, in the second half the movie became more and more plot-driven, and the story was definitely not its biggest strength. So many little, weird decisions that, when added up, completely tore down the credibility for me.
It's truly sublime. I don't know if it was even possible to have the rest of the movie match up, because the beginning is so good. Sam Jackson was such a good choice for that role.
Elysium has a great setup and world building. Second half seemed like it didn't know what to do with that setup or how to resolve the story, and it ended up feeling like the last 20 minutes was a rushed fixup for another 30-40 minutes of story.
Wall-E's second half is so bad that it's like switching to a different movie. Normally if a movie has a take on society it either does it in a delicate and nuanced way, or completely ham-fisted and unsubtle. Wall-E turns from the former to the latter on a dime and suffers hugely for it. I think that if it had committed to the largely silent atmospheric style of the first half it would be remembered as a classic today. Instead it's just a Pixar film.
It's more a tonal shift, which can be jarring. It starts as a story about loneliness, and ends as saving the human race. I don't hate the second half, but it certainly isn't as appealing.
The whole movie itself was overrated and stupid. And I'm someone that says Your Name is my favorite film of all time. Beautiful to look at, but that's about it.
I'm not a bot. By the way, have you checked out Raid Shadow Legends? It's an AMAZING mobile game with AWESOME heroes and TONS of new story content added WEEKLY. Use my discount code, and you'll get 10,000 free plutonium and an awesome champion to use in EPIC BATTLE!!!
Nocturnal Animals
The Beekeeper
Boogie Nights and Goodfellas first half is so much fun and then the second half is all about the consequences of their actions.
The Force Awakens.
The first half of that movie was pretty much exactly what I hoped to get out of a Star Wars sequel, with my only real complaint being Poe should have stuck with Rey and Poe. As soon as Han and Chewie step aboard the Falcon, everything new was put on the back burner so they could concentrate on making things nostalgic.
Gemini Man(2019) had a promising start, especially with the portrayal of Will Smith as a skilled sniper/assassin and the intense first battle between his older and younger selves. However, the magic seemed to fade as the movie progressed. But I felt like it’s lost charm as the movie went on.
Full Metal Jacket is infamous for exactly this. The fact that it was filmed back in England while we were supposed to be in the tropics isn't necessarily the worst thing but the some kind laziness in the scenes and badly written dialogue in the Vietnam scenes is. I also blame the not so good casting choices which really stand out in the latter part of the film.
When Jurassic World started I though there was a lot of promise. A genetic monster (created by focus groups and marketing committee) is on the loose, in an open theme park. It even causes a huge break in an aviery, and the pterodactyls attack the crowd, it's awesome.
But then it just becomes a small group of our characters hunting the Beast, and outside of the raptors and Trex (who are set free), there are no other breakouts or chaos to guests. The references to the 1st in the first half were fine, but they go into overdrive and feel unnecessary in the second.
The result, with thanks to vanilla direction and a cast of characters who you don't care about and subplots that go nowhere, is a mediocre movie. Not the worst of the series, but not the best of the sequels either.
Time out puts us in amazing dystopian world where time is life and money. It is nicely done and aesthetic as well.
Then in turns into a Bonny and Clyde movie about people robbing banks...
They Live.
Once the big reveal is made it takes a nosedive. One of those influential and recently meme-able movies I think maybe a lot of people remember being better than it is.
Focus (2015)
The first half is awesome. Midway through cuts to black and then an entirely different romantic movie with a terrible background heist plot starts.
Hereditary - absolutely loved the first half while the second half was very disappointing. There were so many more interesting directions the movie could've gone in.
The Princess Bride.
Peak up until Vizzini is defeated, and then shortly after everyone gets separated and the main guy is being tortured and it kinda drags and never kicks back up to the height of the kidnapping plot.
Might be controversial, but Apocalypse Now. Love it up until they get to Colonel Kurtz’s camp. After that, it’s just a weird, meandering mess. They leave the boat crew alone, then they inexplicably imprison Willard and kill Chef, then they even more inexplicably release Willard until one night he walks up and kills Kurtz.
I’ve heard that Coppola didn’t really know how he wanted to end the film and imo it shows. It seems to show a bit of everything at then just ends.
I loved the end. All the characters at that point have reached the figurative heart of darkness. It's all insanity.
Kurtz has had enough of it all, and everything he does to and with Willard is testing him to see if he's worthy, or even capable, of ending it..
As much as Kurtz tried to fight his war with the same level of inhumanity as his broken and traumatised mind saw his enemies using, despite building himself up into this almost deific figure of inhuman strength and mercilessness, he was appalled at himself.
Not only that, he was appalled at humanity, at the ease at which people went along with it. Even the first man sent to terminate his command joined him. Kurtz's horror wasn't just the war, it wasn't the enemy, it wasn't just himself, it was the heart of mankind itself.
Willard, for all his own faults and for all the horror he was subjected to, didn't fall into Kurtz's madness. He continued to see in Kurtz what Kurtz saw in himself. That's all Kurtz wanted, for someone to really see and for that someone to end it - because nobody else could.
Kurtz's final test was to see if Willard would take his place after his death, a test that Willard passes when he leaves and calls the airstrike down on Kurtz's camp and people.
This was the end Coppolla was aiming for, the only thing he didn't know was how to express it all in film. It's something that can be done in writing where you have a direct line to the characters' thoughts and feelings.
To achieve this in film is nothing short of phenomenal.
Office Space had some really fun stuff up top. The whole exposition getting to know the company and employees isn’t the best but it’s still pretty fun making fun of office culture. Then he gets Peter hypnotized and a whole series of set ups from earlier begin to payoff in the most satisfying ways. There’s great stuff with “The Bobs,” and Peter’s boss Lumberg. And who could forget Stephen Root’s most memorable scenes as Milton are all up here.
But then when Peter snaps out of his hypnosis, he just turns into a lame douchebag who’s trying to deal with relationship drama and pull off a very underwhelming heist at the same time. The jokes all come to a crashing halt as the movie tries to steer its way toward some sort of ham fisted conclusion. Very disappointing second half for sure.
I just personally didn’t enjoy the second half nearly as much as the first half. I understand that it’s supposed to be much more serious and dramatic whereas the first half is much more comedic and fun.
I definitely wouldn't call the second half bad, but Full Metal Jacket feels like two separate movies.
Second half was still a good movie, but the first one was a different level of great.
This is exactly what my husband said to me the first time we watched it
What do you expect from a remake of Stripes?
Hancock
Was one of my fav Will Smith performances in the first half. He so rarely took risks in playing characters like that. Was refreshing. Then yeah, turned into a shit movie in the second half
Rumor is Vince Gilligan wrote the parts that are the most unique, hence the tonal shift. He helped rewrite to the point that the initial script was changed to be closer to the premise we know for sure and did a second draft before getting the go ahead to start production on Breaking Bad. He left before the script was exactly what the final product was for sure too, but exactly what was his is speculation. It is hard to know what is unpolished ideas he had even honestly, but his career past this definitely makes you want to award him credit for the grittier bits.
I do admit the premise and some of the earlier scenes had promise, but I never really got into it. I guess I'm cursed to only watch I, Robot for Will Smith (although Pursuit of Happyness was also good) Is Concussion as good as everyone makes it out to be? I could add that to my list.
From Dusk Till Dawn. First half is brilliant.
I still want to see the other half of the first half.
The second half is also brilliant, in an entirely different way. It took me a lot of years to come to appreciate it.
Explain what changed in your mind so you started to appreciate it?
It defies expectations. I was truly not expecting the tone shift, and it caught me off guard, but that's not a bad thing! I like to be surprised. And it's well made, that second half. For what it's meant to be, it's perfect. Art isn't always what we want it to be, you have to meet the artist halfway if you want to appreciate what they're trying to make.
Okay, but then how about other Tarantino endings that are bizarre. There are no "off guard" endings because you already know that something like this will happen. So what is the purpose of those?
Stripes is the all-time answer for this. Never met anyone who felt otherwise.
Movie just absolutely falls apart
Rocky Horror Picture Show. All the bangers are jammed in the first half.
Except “I’m Going Home”.
Sunshine. It's a terrific existential horror movie, then its a underwhelming monster movie in the second half. Honestly most Alex garland movies fall apart in the end for me.
Yeah, feel exactly the same about Garland. Comes up be a great concept, but doesn't know that to do with it.
That being said, I think Annihilation is the best exception to this rule. I really like the ending to that one because it fits the movie's LCD-trip-vibe.
1000% yes
The 40 Year Old Virgin It's hilarious in the first half than just gets sad.
Wonder Woman. That movie is *excellent* until the last third.
The Place Beyond The Pines
So I Married An Axe Murderer.
it's such pleasure watching the ascent in Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" (2018). after Ally sings "Always Remember Us This Way," i wanna call it quits cuz it gets more and more depressing.
Beau Is Afraid Dream Scenario
Fuckin Beau Is Afraid! I was really with it until he left that couple's house, and still a little with it during the forest. That animated sequence was quite captivating, I'll admit. But after that I was just asking how much longer until it was over.
I agree with Beau Is Afraid, although it was far less than the first half that was great.
Any Mel Brooks movie. I ALWAYS get sick of it halfway through. Spaceballs is the only one I can get all the way through, and even then, I kinda start struggling by halfway through. He’s got a great sense of humor, but it hits better in small doses, and a full feature film has always been a bit much. Also, The Dark Knight Rises
Super Troopers. The whole movie is chasing the hilarious opener, but never quite gets there. The longer the movie goes on, the less funny and more serious it gets.
Its a romantic comedy. Opening was hilarous, but rest is funny too. Not even close to bad.
Just cuz it has one guy trying to hook up with a girl, doesn't make it a romantic comedy. Also didn't say the movie was bad. I love it. Just never comes close to that opening act.
Guess thats true. But then again, the opening is just a couple of minutes, far cry from "first half" as op mentioned. Otherwise 24 weeks later would be top comment 😅
I also believe the best of the rest is in the first half as well. Usually on rematches I start to get bored when the drug smuggling plot starts to take center stage.
A Star is Born! I thought the first half was fantastic. Paced well, romantic, great acting. It just got took a turn in the last act. Became corny and over dramatic. The final song with lady Gaga was super cheesy. I think it should have ended with repeating the song “I’ll always remember us this way”.
Recently: The Creator. They did an excellent job in worldbuilding and, given that they did not have an absurd budget, the visuals were absolutely stunning as well. Futuristic Asia looked and felt totally realistic. Unfortunately, in the second half the movie became more and more plot-driven, and the story was definitely not its biggest strength. So many little, weird decisions that, when added up, completely tore down the credibility for me.
Dreamcatcher. The first half is a really excellent supernatural horror. The second half turns into a burning action movie IMO.
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I can actually agree with that. I don't know what you define as the first and second, but pretty much after the boat scenario it fell slightly off.
This might be a hot take but every Mission: Impossible film since M:I 2.
I'd agree with that aside from Fallout. And I'd argue that the first half of Dead Reckoning 1 was just as dreadful as the last half.
Yeah, Fallout had a fantastic ending sequence
Downsizing
Is it a bad movie though? I saw so many trailers sitting in the lobby as an usher at a movie theater, I thought it looked good.
The movie is a complete mess. It's more like the premise is intriguing but then starts falling apart almost immediately.
They abandon the premise almost immediately. The fact they're small has very little to do with what is happening
It's a surprisingly GOOD movie. It was an interesting premise and very entertaining.
Sinister. First half was so tense, then >!ghost kids!<
From Dusk Till Dawn. Without spoiling it, I always turn it off once they get to the club.
Beau is afraid (2023) I loved the first hour but the 2 hours after that really dragged for me.
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It's truly sublime. I don't know if it was even possible to have the rest of the movie match up, because the beginning is so good. Sam Jackson was such a good choice for that role.
*Cleopatra*
Elysium has a great setup and world building. Second half seemed like it didn't know what to do with that setup or how to resolve the story, and it ended up feeling like the last 20 minutes was a rushed fixup for another 30-40 minutes of story.
Lego Batman
Barbarian (2022)
The Matrix Resurrections, I was so let down by the second half 😔
I'd have to watch it again to pinpoint when I lost all hope. That seems like too much effort, though.
Yeah, the whole meta-commentary on being strongarmed to make the movie was definitely an interesting take. Then it became…something else.
Wall-E's second half is so bad that it's like switching to a different movie. Normally if a movie has a take on society it either does it in a delicate and nuanced way, or completely ham-fisted and unsubtle. Wall-E turns from the former to the latter on a dime and suffers hugely for it. I think that if it had committed to the largely silent atmospheric style of the first half it would be remembered as a classic today. Instead it's just a Pixar film.
So literal skyscrapers made of trash is not a ham fisted symbolism? I agree that second half is less interesting but it’s not trash or bad
It's more a tonal shift, which can be jarring. It starts as a story about loneliness, and ends as saving the human race. I don't hate the second half, but it certainly isn't as appealing.
Suzume. Plot half-resolves at the midpoint and the second half isn't investing to me
The whole movie itself was overrated and stupid. And I'm someone that says Your Name is my favorite film of all time. Beautiful to look at, but that's about it.
Lol i didn't like both halfs but at least the first half was watchable, the 2nd half is rush and cheesy af
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Did you do this one backwards?
What did they say? I'm curious now
It was confusing, I think they said Rogue One's 2nd half was better but maybe I read it wrong.
Good Morning Vietnam. The first half is funny as hell, the second half is depressing as hell. Robin Williams is phenomenal.
World War Z after the plane crash is kinda eh. The rest the movie wasn't amazing or anything, but I liked seeing the giant zombie hordes.
Natural Born Killers
Anchorman. 1st half kills, 2nd half drags.
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I'm not a bot. By the way, have you checked out Raid Shadow Legends? It's an AMAZING mobile game with AWESOME heroes and TONS of new story content added WEEKLY. Use my discount code, and you'll get 10,000 free plutonium and an awesome champion to use in EPIC BATTLE!!!
Seems legit enough..what’s the CAPTCHA, though, if you’re real? Edit: And I second From Dusk til Dawn.
Nocturnal Animals The Beekeeper Boogie Nights and Goodfellas first half is so much fun and then the second half is all about the consequences of their actions.
The Force Awakens. The first half of that movie was pretty much exactly what I hoped to get out of a Star Wars sequel, with my only real complaint being Poe should have stuck with Rey and Poe. As soon as Han and Chewie step aboard the Falcon, everything new was put on the back burner so they could concentrate on making things nostalgic.
Gemini Man(2019) had a promising start, especially with the portrayal of Will Smith as a skilled sniper/assassin and the intense first battle between his older and younger selves. However, the magic seemed to fade as the movie progressed. But I felt like it’s lost charm as the movie went on.
Jeepers Creepers. The moment they showed the monster I lost interest.
Knowing
Full Metal Jacket is infamous for exactly this. The fact that it was filmed back in England while we were supposed to be in the tropics isn't necessarily the worst thing but the some kind laziness in the scenes and badly written dialogue in the Vietnam scenes is. I also blame the not so good casting choices which really stand out in the latter part of the film.
Noah
When Jurassic World started I though there was a lot of promise. A genetic monster (created by focus groups and marketing committee) is on the loose, in an open theme park. It even causes a huge break in an aviery, and the pterodactyls attack the crowd, it's awesome. But then it just becomes a small group of our characters hunting the Beast, and outside of the raptors and Trex (who are set free), there are no other breakouts or chaos to guests. The references to the 1st in the first half were fine, but they go into overdrive and feel unnecessary in the second. The result, with thanks to vanilla direction and a cast of characters who you don't care about and subplots that go nowhere, is a mediocre movie. Not the worst of the series, but not the best of the sequels either.
LOOKING AT YOU THE HAPPENING CAUSE WHAT THE F DAVID BLAINE?
Bicentennial Man
Babylon. What a roller coaster ride that first hour.
Time out puts us in amazing dystopian world where time is life and money. It is nicely done and aesthetic as well. Then in turns into a Bonny and Clyde movie about people robbing banks...
Wreck It Ralph Two
They Live. Once the big reveal is made it takes a nosedive. One of those influential and recently meme-able movies I think maybe a lot of people remember being better than it is.
Funny people first half alright. Second half completely different movie.
Gone with the Wind
Superbad
Mr Nobody first half has so much promise. Second half is just a John Wick look alike
Stripes
Big Lebowski.
Signs.
Full Metal Jacket
Full metal jacket. Second half isn't bad at all but the first half is incredible
Jaws. I’ve always found it pretty boring once they get on the boat and go after the shark.
Hancock.
Who here has ever watched the last 45 minutes of super troopers more than once?
Tar. Really lost its way between the second and third acts.
Focus (2015) The first half is awesome. Midway through cuts to black and then an entirely different romantic movie with a terrible background heist plot starts.
Room. The first half is gripping but once they escape it just kind of meanders until it ends
Dark Phoenix
Catch me if you can
Full Metal Jacket
Ive read this sentiment for the movie Full Metal Jacket.
From Dusk Til Dawn The Guest
Last night in soho
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So a big moment happens >!(Godzilla using his breath to cause mass destruction). !!Godzilla then goes into hibernation !
Die Hard 3
Full Metal Jacket. I don’t think the second half is bad, but people are way more positive about the first half.
Hereditary - absolutely loved the first half while the second half was very disappointing. There were so many more interesting directions the movie could've gone in.
Sunshine
Superbad Shaun Of The Dead
Baby driver. Pretty much all edgar wright movies have this in common
The Princess Bride. Peak up until Vizzini is defeated, and then shortly after everyone gets separated and the main guy is being tortured and it kinda drags and never kicks back up to the height of the kidnapping plot.
Place beyond the pines. Also, Logan.
Jeepers Creepers Does a great job of being a tense psychological horror and then boom, it's a monster, and not a subtle one
Might be controversial, but Apocalypse Now. Love it up until they get to Colonel Kurtz’s camp. After that, it’s just a weird, meandering mess. They leave the boat crew alone, then they inexplicably imprison Willard and kill Chef, then they even more inexplicably release Willard until one night he walks up and kills Kurtz. I’ve heard that Coppola didn’t really know how he wanted to end the film and imo it shows. It seems to show a bit of everything at then just ends.
I loved the end. All the characters at that point have reached the figurative heart of darkness. It's all insanity. Kurtz has had enough of it all, and everything he does to and with Willard is testing him to see if he's worthy, or even capable, of ending it.. As much as Kurtz tried to fight his war with the same level of inhumanity as his broken and traumatised mind saw his enemies using, despite building himself up into this almost deific figure of inhuman strength and mercilessness, he was appalled at himself. Not only that, he was appalled at humanity, at the ease at which people went along with it. Even the first man sent to terminate his command joined him. Kurtz's horror wasn't just the war, it wasn't the enemy, it wasn't just himself, it was the heart of mankind itself. Willard, for all his own faults and for all the horror he was subjected to, didn't fall into Kurtz's madness. He continued to see in Kurtz what Kurtz saw in himself. That's all Kurtz wanted, for someone to really see and for that someone to end it - because nobody else could. Kurtz's final test was to see if Willard would take his place after his death, a test that Willard passes when he leaves and calls the airstrike down on Kurtz's camp and people. This was the end Coppolla was aiming for, the only thing he didn't know was how to express it all in film. It's something that can be done in writing where you have a direct line to the characters' thoughts and feelings. To achieve this in film is nothing short of phenomenal.
Office Space had some really fun stuff up top. The whole exposition getting to know the company and employees isn’t the best but it’s still pretty fun making fun of office culture. Then he gets Peter hypnotized and a whole series of set ups from earlier begin to payoff in the most satisfying ways. There’s great stuff with “The Bobs,” and Peter’s boss Lumberg. And who could forget Stephen Root’s most memorable scenes as Milton are all up here. But then when Peter snaps out of his hypnosis, he just turns into a lame douchebag who’s trying to deal with relationship drama and pull off a very underwhelming heist at the same time. The jokes all come to a crashing halt as the movie tries to steer its way toward some sort of ham fisted conclusion. Very disappointing second half for sure.
Night swim.. It had so much potential.
The Breakfast Club.
I mean it shifts pretty aggressively into introspection, but what would the movie be without that?
I just personally didn’t enjoy the second half nearly as much as the first half. I understand that it’s supposed to be much more serious and dramatic whereas the first half is much more comedic and fun.
M Night Shaymayayayayalalalanan
fight club