The anticipation is greater than the actual event

[samhexum]

The current thread about films that are too long to sit through got me thinking about some classics I was underwhelmed by.

Jaws, Raiders (which I call over-raters of the lost ark), and Pulp Fiction.  I wondered if there could be any common factor that led to my reaction.

They're all the same genre, and even have very similar plots and settings, so that offered a clue, but perhaps this offers another:

I saw each of them about 10 months after they came out.  With all the hype I'd heard about them, they would've needed to be the three best films of all time to live up to expectations.  And that was simply not possible-- not with the original BATMAN movie from the 60s already ensconced in the cannon of cinematic masterpieces.

This all leads up to a question-  Does the anticipation of waiting to see a hyped movie (or play or TV show) affect your reaction to it?

[+ WilliamM]

1 hour ago, samhexum said:

The current thread about films that are too long to sit through got me thinking about some classics I was underwhelmed by.

Jaws, Raiders (which I call over-raters of the lost ark), and Pulp Fiction.  I wondered if there could be any common factor that led to my reaction.

They're all the same genre, and even have very similar plots and settings, so that offered a clue, but perhaps this offers another:

I saw each of them about 10 months after they came out.  With all the hype I'd heard about them, they would've needed to be the three best films of all time to live up to expectations.  And that was simply not possible-- not with the original BATMAN movie from the 60s already ensconced in the cannon of cinematic masterpieces.

This all leads up to a question-  Does the anticipation of waiting to see a hyped movie (or play or TV show) affect your reaction to it?

No

[jeezifonly]

Always keeping expectations low does a lot to prevent disappointment. 

[samhexum]

2 hours ago, jeezifonly said:

Always keeping expectations low does a lot to prevent disappointment. 

You're plagiarizing somebody's rentman ad, admit it.