The best movies you cannot bring yourself to watch again.

[Metalhead]

For me, Requiem for a Dream is at the top of this list.

Irreversible also earned a spot on this list in my case.

What are the greatest most well made movies you have seen that you have zero desire to sit through again at any point in your life?

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

There is so few movies I have ever watched twice usually once in the theatre maybe a second time on TV. I do not even read books twice.

 

[Judge]

The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Must admit have not seen that yet heard some good stuff about it.

 

[Metalhead]

The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

That movie should have been rated NC-17, IMO. It is gorier than most slasher movies.

 

[Rodafina]

 

[LadyS]

Not a movie but a good documentary called Dear Zachary. That one broke me to the point where I was in denial that I ever even watched it or that it was a true story. Let's just pretend that it never happened.

Also have to mention Pay it Forward, any Holocaust related movies, and there are more if I remember..

 

[Judge]

What Maisie Knew (2012)

Good movie, but it hit a little too close to home over a relationship I once had with a divorcee and her daughter. The closest I ever came to being a father I suppose.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1932767/

 

[AGXStarseed]

Threads and Where The Wind Blows.

Both movies that deal with nuclear annihilation and its aftermath, but both of which are downright depressing.

 

[Richelle-H]

This has little, if anything, to add to the topic. I am someone who has had a deep interest in film since I was 5 or 6 years old. I have never found a good film that I would not watch again and in fact have watched some films many, many times (even a few that no one but I would dare watch more than once )

In the long-gone days of the roadshow picture, if you were around then, I saw one particular film ten times (I am not going to reveal which one). In the same era, I saw 2001 a Space Odyssey 4 times in a roadshow engagement, attending opening night in Hollywood (the film was much shorter the very next day, and I know this fact because I saw the film again the very next evening).

To assess good from bad, it requires you to see anything and everything. Even the worst of the worst can sometimes surprise with an unexpected scene. I think I had seen all of Ed Woods’ oeuvre many years before Tim Burton did the biopic. I am also a big fan of 50's and 60's B-grade films (science fiction in particular). I believe I have seen the film “Them” some 5 or 6 times.

It is important to experience a wide range of film (good, bad, and ugly) in order to fully appreciate those which bring new and creative ideas to the theatre. That simple fact may explain why I find many of today's blockbusters disappointing.

It strikes me that story has been subjugated to big moments in many of today's films and I fail to understand the adulation many of those receive. A good example of that for me is the most recent film version of Dune. It is a cumbersome, lifeless, unemotional mess in my opinion. The aborted misstep that was David Lynch’s version shows more economy and vision than this 2021 release. Chalamet’s performance in the central role is much inferior to Kyle MacLachan’s and how could the new film possibly top Sting as Feyd Rautha. Also, the new film takes over two and a half hours to only cover about two thirds of the book and leaves you hanging at a critical juncture of the story (Boooooooooo!!!!!!!!). I do not know if I have it in me to watch part 2.

In my view, Denis Villeneuve is a director who is all style over substance. He does not know how to direct the emotions of the characters in his films, and they are left to swing in the wind or deliver performances that are difficult to connect with on any level. Obviously, I do not consider Dune (2021) to be a good film, so my current refusal to watch it again does not meet the topic heading for the simple reason that even with all my loathing for it, I may one day deign to view it again, even though I am quite certain a second viewing will not change my opinion.

These are just the ramblings of someone who has no compunction when expressing my thoughts on any and every film I have experienced. So, confessing that, I apologize for running on and on. It is just that I am rather hopeless when anyone starts a topic about film.

 

[Knower of nothing]

I imagine you mean movies we still liked even though lacking the rewatch desire. If so, probably nothing. I'm very much a re-watch kind of guy, I consider the re-watch to be too separate of an experience for better or worse.

However if we're talking globally recognized as well-made film that I have no interest in watching again I can probably think of a few. John Carpenter's The Thing perhaps, a very recent watch of mine and I was honestly disappointed by it. Beautifully made though, and the only reason I watched it was its relevance in the history of practical effects so those definitely went appreciated, but I had a very wrong impression of what sort of movie it was.

I remember always reading how atmospheric and a masterclass of suspense it was. I was expecting something captivating. So when it opened with a smug faux-cowboy American action hero called MacReady I was really taken out of it immediately and it never managed to bring me back in.

 

[Slime_Punk]

All of them! I'm the worst movie-watcher in the world. Sometimes I wish I could enjoy them like everybody else

 

[Raggamuffin]

Empire of the Sun.

Ed

 

[Outdated]

At one stage I had a large hard drive full of movies and I decided to tidy it up a bit. I kept only the movies that I thought I'd like to watch again. The collection went from over 3000 movies to around 30.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

LotR series, The Green Mile, Black Swan, Jackie, Star Wars series, and The Princess Bride. I just have no interest in any of them. Watched half of Shakespeare in Love during my ninth grade English class and I thought it was awful mostly because of what a horrible actress Gwyneth Paltrow is. Seriously, a corpse can act so much better than that hack!

 

[mysterionz]

The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

I remember watching a South Park episode where one of the characters, who is Jewish and comes from a Jewish family ends up seeing the movie and is seemingly traumatized after he’s convinced by another one of his friends who has seen the film 34 times (who’s really really hateful towards Jewish people, hippies, and redheads). The impact that this movie had on him made him question his upbringing/religion even more. His other two friends (who aren’t Jewish) thought the film was a waste of time but for different reasons.

I have never seen the passion, but I’ve heard of it, and I don’t want to. Mel Gibson is also known to be very anti-Semitic too.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

To assess good from bad, it requires you to see anything and everything. Even the worst of the worst can sometimes surprise with an unexpected scene. I think I had seen all of Ed Woods’ oeuvre many years before Tim Burton did the biopic. I am also a big fan of 50's and 60's B-grade films (science fiction in particular). I believe I have seen the film “Them” some 5 or 6 times.

I love Ed Wood! Plan 9, of course, but also Jail Bait, Glen or Glenda?, and Night of the Ghouls. Absurd, touching, vivid. People can say what they want, but at least they're entertaining. There are way worse movies out there.

I also loved this book:

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I guess I'll add anything by Tarantino. I think he's a talented guy with a vivid style, and I appreciate his influence. But, I find the movies hollow and soulless.

Kubrick: great visuals and music. He can immerse you in a world so well, but I feel the story is very thin compared to the spectacle. As memorable as A Clockwork Orange is, it's nothing compared to the book.

Some of the Marvel movies I've seen, too. Great cast, great visuals. A lot of talent involved. But, they're like 30 minutes of story stretched into 2-hour movies. There is nothing profound going on to warrant that.

 

[Forest Cat]

Lars von Trier movies. He makes these movies that creep up on you and makes you feel bad. I think he hates people and wants to torment everyone. I watched "The House That Jack Built", there's a scene in that movie where the main character is very lucky, he meets a nice woman and takes her and her kids out on a date in the forest. And she is happy she met him and she is excited to go on the date. It could have been a very nice day. I never want to see that scene again, the psychological aspect of it is too rough. And von Trier is too good at making scenes like that, it's too well made. And that makes it truly horrible. Matt Dillon is very good in that movie, his acting, that makes it worse. And "Melancolia", don't want to watch that again either. Or "Antichrist".

And as Metalhead said, "Requiem for a Dream". Not watching that again. It's well made but after watching movies like that I just feel bad and want to get away from it.

 

[AGXStarseed]

I guess I'll add anything by Tarantino. I think he's a talented guy with a vivid style, and I appreciate his influence. But, I find the movies hollow and soulless.

Kubrick: great visuals and music. He can immerse you in a world so well, but I feel the story is very thin compared to the spectacle. As memorable as A Clockwork Orange is, it's nothing compared to the book.

Some of the Marvel movies I've seen, too. Great cast, great visuals. A lot of talent involved. But, they're like 30 minutes of story stretched into 2-hour movies. There is nothing profound going on to warrant that.

I think my biggest issue with a lot of the MCU Marvel movies is their obsession with shoving random jokes in where it isn't appropriate, instead of just letting a serious/hard-hitting scene have a chance to sink in and allow us to emotionally process it.