This thread is brought to you by my experience five minutes ago when I gave up on "The 47 Ronin (1941)" at the 43 minute mark because I had no idea what was going on. I had three hours left and didn't want to be scratching my head the entire time. Strangely enough I was able to appreciate what I saw, but damned if I knew what was going on.
What are your "too confusing I gave up" movies?
Interesting question.
I can't remember right now.
Anyway,most confusing movies were:
2001:A Space Odyssey
The Lost Highway
Mulholland Dr.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Memento
Eternal Sunshine is such a great movie. Watch again after reading this article.
http://screenprism.com/insights/article/what-is-the-message-of-eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind#targetText=The%20power%20of%20love%20and,the%20person%20of%20the%20other.
You should watch the great remake titled 47 Ronin (2013). It's a sad story that western audiences don't understand and simply say it's Stupid.
shareIs it less complicated than the 1941 version? I love Asian Cinema but that version had so many names being thrown around. Right away they began with a complicated backstory.
shareI'm gonna go with less complicated. I know what you're talking about. All the asian movies that involve an emperor and his court always have like 20 names you have to partially remember.
shareThe remake is a fantasy version of the original, with only the base ideas carried over.
Yeah, the original can be confusing, but it's a great story, and a classic example of Japanese bushido spirit and ethics. I say read up on the original story below, maybe that will help spur your interest in forging ahead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_r%C5%8Dnin
The keanu Reeves version is ok, but it's a very different idea all around.
Inception (but I was quite beyond merely drunk at the time...I may have been watching the wallpaper at certain points)
shareI had to watch The Sixth Sense 3 times before I had a clue what was going on..
The 3rd time was the charm when I left out the refreshments.
I didn't follow that one either. I actually think it was the movie that taught me not to buy into the hype. Terribly disappointed.
I like Nolan and have been meaning to watch Interstellar for the longest time, but it continues to elude me.
That's been one I've meant to watch...
I've liked several of Nolan's but he does seem to arrive with the hype machine up to 11
I think that you thought the movie was confusing because it played itself up as a high concept sci-fi movie. But there's nothing high concept about it at all. It's as dumb as a box of rocks, like Christopher Nolan (who is all style but has the intellect of a kumquat). Watch it again with zero expectations, and you'll see how simple-minded it is. Literally, the plot is: a group of people who can break into dreams are asked by a businessman to convince the son of a rival business to not take over when his father dies. They do this by breaking into his dream, and then creating this overly elaborate dream sequence to convince the son into giving up the family business. That's it. Very simple-minded stuff from a simple-minded director, but from the way he directs, it's very easy to think that his stuff is really deep and complex.
shareI'll give it another go but will heed your advice atomicgirl
shareMost of the time I keep watching confusing movies like The Lobster or The Killing of a Sacred Deer eventhough usually I feel like wtf did I just watch.
However, there are some movies that are not just confusing but boring / ridiculous as well. I stopped watching Sucker Punch, John Carter, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, for example. I was like why the hell am I watching this, and turn the tv off.
Normally I finish watching the movie no matter how complicated or bored I am, but I had three hours left. There was really no point.
shareOh, also The Purge. It's just too nonsensical. What's happening. Why people are okay with this "purge?" No explanation. It just is. Stupid movie. I stopped watching around 30 minutes in.
shareI had no idea what was happening in Lawrence of Arabia. That movie committed the sin of expecting the audiences to be already familiar with that part of history, so provided next to no historical context. I was so angry, bored and frustrated that just gave up midway. What is the point of shooting a beautiful movie without context?
Also, Jupiter Ascending. Holy crap, is that a mess of a movie. I was completely lost by the third act. I didn't stop watching the movie. I just kept watching it to see if I could make sense of it. I never could.
That movie committed the sin of expecting the audiences to be already familiar with that part of history, so provided next to no historical context.
Some filmmakers think that if they only cater to the small number of people who know a story, that makes their movies "smart." But it just makes their movies elitist, in my opinion.
share