I know it's considered one of Spielbergs worst. But I thought it was a solid film. While its Hanks film. But I felt like Tucci was just as good as if not better then Hanks.
I know that Spielberg is objectively a great director, but most of his filmography just doesn’t do it for me even though I’ve seen most of his movies at this point.
Typical r/movies downvoting someone for their personal opinion. I for one think many of Spielberg's movies suffer from way too much schmaltz and pathos.
people aren't emotional about it, it's just whack to downvote exclusively for a contrary opinion. it also buries the downvoted comments and cuts down on general discussion.
I was wondering why anyone would say anything bad about it, but as you point this out, it’s true. Once things got a little more real in the second half some of the oomph isn’t quite there. I still love the movie but yeah.
Agreed. After the first half of the movie I wondered why people didn't like it very much.
Then the second half was an extremely dull romance and I went "oh"
I enjoyed Ready Player One a lot more than The BFG. But both sucked complete ass and will never revisit either movie. Never fell asleep in a theater until The BFG.
At least BFG is absolutely, totally earnest. Ready Player One felt like Spielberg capitulating to the scourge that is corporate synergy. Hey, remember all these movies that are far superior to the one you’re currently watching?
The source material is one of the worse fucking books I have ever read. So many fucking references which I assume are what people like about the book but to me most of them were either date or some random thing that I vaguely knew of.
Oh yeah them he gets a extra life item while in game super early in the book and we are suppose to feel tension during any point after that?.. maybe we were suppose to forget but only reason I finished it was to see at what point the 1up would use.
Cause as soon as I read the line about a extra life I knew this would be part of the final battle/fight/scene etc and this was like chapter 5 or 6....
also sending drones to bomb a trailer park cause corporations are so Evil they just to that in that in the future.... but can't jammed a WiFi signal, or cut the electricity, or just send a crack head take his headset idk.
I'm pretty fucking high right now so I don't know if I'm conflating the book and movie, and yeah I did watched the movie after I had already read and hated the book, but it was Spielberg.
movie is better. still shit though.
Honestly all the product placement fits the narrative.
People always mod in things from other licenses into their games, if the players have the tools this is literally one of the first things that will happen.
Who hasn’t seen the Skyrim dragon as Thomas the tank engine? Or mr. X from resident evil 2 remake play “x gonna give it to you” by DMX as he chases you?
Sure, they justify it in the plot but that doesn’t mean I ever stop feeling like I’m being advertised to. It’s the same as Wreck It Ralph 2. The first film wisely spends most of its runtime with original characters but the second film just goes balls deep into cross promoting Disney IP and no amount of clever plot devices to make it work can take away from the fact that that film is a 2 hour ad for Disney Plus
Ready Player One is a movie made on autopilot. 80% of it was pre-vized by effects guys before Spielberg even entered the building. He just directed the few live action sequences.
A lot of Spielberg’s turn-of-the-century output was received with a shrug but I think the themes and political commentary has held up rather well. Maybe in 2004 people weren’t ready for the Indiana Jones and ET guy to make adult movies that commented on current events, especially right after 9/11 when in the furor of the swing right dissenting voices regarding the myth of American exceptionalism were told to fall in line (see: the whole Freedom Fries debacle)
My friend and I call this "competency porn," where the plot of the movie relies heavily on a character thinking through their circumstances and solving problems. *The Martian* is my friend's favorite movie for this reason.
Not the best film but it's dripping with charm.
I always turn this on when I see it playing.
Probably the only thing to make me actively want a whopper.
I love this movie, but I remember that it didn’t review well and did poorly at the box office. I have no idea why, it was an original idea, but I guess it’s just one of those movies. My now wife and I saw it in theatres and it was mostly older couples seeing it as well. I think it’s because it reminded people of old time love story movies.
That could be a factor. I think some were also looking at it through the Spielberg lens and going "HE directed this?" and thus found it an inferior entry in his catalogue.
My thinking as well. I love that movie, and while it has its jokes, it should not be classed as a comedy. Not even comedic drama IMO.
Edit: Looked at IMDB and Wiki for posterity. Neither mention comedy, and both class it as a dramatic romance fantasy.
True (though Zemeckis shares custody), I just figured the assumption was this would be the kind of film a Nora Ephron or Ron Howard would tackle. It’s not to say Spielberg cannot do these kind of films (given the scale of his bigger efforts he could do like 50 of these in his sleep lol), it’s just you have that kind of “huh. Wouldn’t have thought” notion.
It‘s not an orginal idea.
The film is partially inspired by the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, from 1988 to 2006.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehran_Karimi_Nasseri
I never saw the movie mostly because I was saddened that they based it off this guys life but never really gave him any credit.
They should have made the film his video-biography instead of making up an entirely new story for entertainment. What a terribly wasted opportunity.
Part of that might be because it came out the same weekend as Dodgeball, which blew up
www.theringer.com/platform/amp/movies/2024/6/18/24180348/dodgeball-true-underdog-story-movie-oral-history-vince-vaughn
I have this now and it's 20 years later. He's a fine actor but it seems is in a major movie every year or so now. He's never gotten to the point, at least for me, where he *becomes* the character. All I can see is Tom Hanks in another movie.
I hope I don’t get flamed for this and it’s been a while since I’ve seen it but here goes…
…was Hanks the BEST guy for the role? I remember him being a little hammy (which is fine) but his accent kind of took me out of it
But on the other side would people really go see this without Tom Hanks? Who knows
Honestly, I always felt it was wronged in not getting a Best Production Design Oscar nom.
They built an entire living breathing airport terminal. I genuinely thought for the longest time they shot in a legit airport https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=118GmArZW04
Feel like everyone who has seen the film, generally likes it. The reviews and perception of the film doesn’t really align with the consensus of viewers
I watched this movie on a motel tv in Daytona Beach with my dad when I was like 11, back in 2004 I think it’s the most we laughed at a movie when I was young.
I don't think the romance angle worked very well and was the weakest part of the film by far. But I dunno how else they fill out enough time to make a movie without it so I get it I guess.
Does someone really care about the movies that came out at the same time as another movie or the month a movie came out beside maybe Hollywood financial analysts? I feel like it's talked about way too much here.
It’s called putting something into perspective. Which is necessary when people are asking why a movie isn’t a bigger deal to people.
*UHF* is another great movie that most people don’t know of because when it released in theaters it was up against *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*, *Ghostbusters II*, *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids*, *Lethal Weapon 2*, *Batman*, *License to Kill*, *Dead Poets Society*, *When Harry Met Sally...*, *Do the Right Thing*, and *Weekend at Bernie's*.
I think a lot of what people didn’t like about it was intentional. It’s understated, it’s uncomplicated, and it is earnest. It was supposed to be very intentionally Capra-esque and it just either works for you or doesn’t.
I really wanted to love this movie but it suffers from metaphor collapse by the last third. Didn't like the Indian guy getting caught for him, and didn't love the implication that he was actually going to go back to Krazokzia by the end.
Never really cared for it. Feels very by-the-numbers romance movie that feels more like it was directed by Ron Howard than Spielberg. Making the security guards the bad guys for just doing their jobs was a weird choice.
As I recall the story isn't really true either. The guy have easily left the airport, he just didn't want to. He was clearly suffering from some sort of mental illness, which is not romantic at all. He eventually went back to living in the airport where he died.
Tried watching it a few weeks ago and couldn’t get more than 30 minutes into it before I gave up. The scenes at the start where all of the airport staff are talking in slow English to this man who clearly does not speak any English at all was incredibly frustrating to the point of breaking my immersion.
I get that things were quite different at that time but you’re telling me, “this traveler’s nation enters political limbo but instead of bothering to get a translator or some sort of lodging, we’ll just set him free in the airport full of shit he doesn’t understand” was their official policy? I just can’t get behind that premise even if Tom Hanks looks to be doing a great job as always.
> The scenes at the start where all of the airport staff are talking in slow English to this man who clearly does not speak any English at all was incredibly frustrating to the point of breaking my immersion.
I'm an American living in Europe (and speak the local language fluently) - what you describe is behaviour I see all the time, even by people that should "know better".
I know it's considered one of Spielbergs worst. But I thought it was a solid film. While its Hanks film. But I felt like Tucci was just as good as if not better then Hanks.
The fact that it's considered one of Spielberg's worst really says a lot more about the rest of Spielberg's filmography than it does about this film.
I know that Spielberg is objectively a great director, but most of his filmography just doesn’t do it for me even though I’ve seen most of his movies at this point.
Sorry to hear.
That’s classiest “fuck you” I’ve ever ever heard. And then the period. 👨🍳💋
I'm sorry you got down voted for having a contrary opinion. I like his movies but it's okay if you don't.
It’s alright, I knew it would happen. I’m honestly just surprised the thumbs didn’t rain down even harder.
Typical r/movies downvoting someone for their personal opinion. I for one think many of Spielberg's movies suffer from way too much schmaltz and pathos.
Upvotes and downvotes mean nothing. I don’t get why people are so emotional about it.
people aren't emotional about it, it's just whack to downvote exclusively for a contrary opinion. it also buries the downvoted comments and cuts down on general discussion.
Voting is purely a popularity contest so I don’t know what you’re on about. Sort by controversial if you want to see unpopular comments at the top.
What do you mean with Schmaltz and pathos? English is not my native language and I’m unfamiliar with the terms.
schmaltz, noun - excessive sentimentality, especially in music or films pathos, noun - a quality that evokes pity or sadness
Wow really!?!? This is one of my favorite movies!
Same here. It’s just a fun movie to watch.
I think the first half is truly great but the second half is kinda whatever
I was wondering why anyone would say anything bad about it, but as you point this out, it’s true. Once things got a little more real in the second half some of the oomph isn’t quite there. I still love the movie but yeah.
Agreed. After the first half of the movie I wondered why people didn't like it very much. Then the second half was an extremely dull romance and I went "oh"
I don’t know how anyone looking back at his entire filmography in present day can claim this is his worst when Ready Player One exists
Or 1941, a film that gets points for audacity but just straight up doesn’t work. The Terminal is not in his upper ranks but it’s a perfectly fine.
I enjoyed Ready Player One a lot more than The BFG. But both sucked complete ass and will never revisit either movie. Never fell asleep in a theater until The BFG.
At least BFG is absolutely, totally earnest. Ready Player One felt like Spielberg capitulating to the scourge that is corporate synergy. Hey, remember all these movies that are far superior to the one you’re currently watching?
To be fair, the source material for Ready Player One is cram packed with innumerable pop culture references.
The source material is one of the worse fucking books I have ever read. So many fucking references which I assume are what people like about the book but to me most of them were either date or some random thing that I vaguely knew of. Oh yeah them he gets a extra life item while in game super early in the book and we are suppose to feel tension during any point after that?.. maybe we were suppose to forget but only reason I finished it was to see at what point the 1up would use. Cause as soon as I read the line about a extra life I knew this would be part of the final battle/fight/scene etc and this was like chapter 5 or 6.... also sending drones to bomb a trailer park cause corporations are so Evil they just to that in that in the future.... but can't jammed a WiFi signal, or cut the electricity, or just send a crack head take his headset idk. I'm pretty fucking high right now so I don't know if I'm conflating the book and movie, and yeah I did watched the movie after I had already read and hated the book, but it was Spielberg. movie is better. still shit though.
If you hate the book don’t go looking for the author’s poetry. That is the most god awful thing you will ever read.
Id read a poem about Granddaddy Gundam n Mecha Godzilla fighting it out. Just sayin.
If only it was that
Yeah, it’s appropriate given the source material but he still chose to make it and for that I won’t forgive him
Honestly all the product placement fits the narrative. People always mod in things from other licenses into their games, if the players have the tools this is literally one of the first things that will happen. Who hasn’t seen the Skyrim dragon as Thomas the tank engine? Or mr. X from resident evil 2 remake play “x gonna give it to you” by DMX as he chases you?
Sure, they justify it in the plot but that doesn’t mean I ever stop feeling like I’m being advertised to. It’s the same as Wreck It Ralph 2. The first film wisely spends most of its runtime with original characters but the second film just goes balls deep into cross promoting Disney IP and no amount of clever plot devices to make it work can take away from the fact that that film is a 2 hour ad for Disney Plus
I think it was Red Letter Media that made the joke that the only reason he took this job is he’d only have to be on set for a day lol
I guess that’s why it’s also ugly as sin
Ready Player One is a movie made on autopilot. 80% of it was pre-vized by effects guys before Spielberg even entered the building. He just directed the few live action sequences.
It’s a real shame because if Tintin is anything to go by, he’s a great mocap director.
Man, can we just get TinTin 2 already?!
Because of 4chan, I always read The BFG as "The Big Fucking Guy" (For you) because of Baneposting. Can't help it.
I read it as Big Fucking Giant.
Artless but entertaining
Ready Player One was one of the worst movies ever. Had to watch it with my kid and it was such a cringefest.
Perhaps the Terminal speaks more to immigrants. I found it so on point, it's one of my favorite movies.
A lot of Spielberg’s turn-of-the-century output was received with a shrug but I think the themes and political commentary has held up rather well. Maybe in 2004 people weren’t ready for the Indiana Jones and ET guy to make adult movies that commented on current events, especially right after 9/11 when in the furor of the swing right dissenting voices regarding the myth of American exceptionalism were told to fall in line (see: the whole Freedom Fries debacle)
It did for the writer of this article
It’s one of my fav movies.
I consider it one of his best.
This is a good film, but it’s not one Spielberg will be remembered for.
I couldn't take it serious, his character felt like an Sacha Baron Cohen character.
“Do you want to get an eat to bite?”
eat to bite eat to bite eat to bite eat to bite
Bet wit, bet wit, bet wit, betwit
I think when I saw this as a kid, the creativeness of “living in an airport” really spoke to me
Absolutely. The problem solver in me loves The Terminal.
My friend and I call this "competency porn," where the plot of the movie relies heavily on a character thinking through their circumstances and solving problems. *The Martian* is my friend's favorite movie for this reason.
I guess I’m your friend.
Not the best film but it's dripping with charm. I always turn this on when I see it playing. Probably the only thing to make me actively want a whopper.
I read this as you always getting turned on whenever you watch it🙂↕️
I love this movie, but I remember that it didn’t review well and did poorly at the box office. I have no idea why, it was an original idea, but I guess it’s just one of those movies. My now wife and I saw it in theatres and it was mostly older couples seeing it as well. I think it’s because it reminded people of old time love story movies.
That could be a factor. I think some were also looking at it through the Spielberg lens and going "HE directed this?" and thus found it an inferior entry in his catalogue.
Spielberg doesn't seem to have much luck when it comes to comedies. 1941, Always, The Terminal
His two blind spots are comedies and 30s/40s culture. He tends to be too corny when he combines both.
Ah yes, Schindler’s List is a movie I think of when thinking of corny.
The epitome of comedy
Schindler’s List had more moments of genuine comedy than a lot of so-called comedies
Not the hoot saving private Ryan is
Wow you made a joke about a comment you didn’t even comprehend!
Indiana Jones?
Always was a comedy?
A fantasy romantic comedy
I don’t know what website you read that on but always is in no way a comedy, despite the Goodman and Dreyfus banter.
My thinking as well. I love that movie, and while it has its jokes, it should not be classed as a comedy. Not even comedic drama IMO. Edit: Looked at IMDB and Wiki for posterity. Neither mention comedy, and both class it as a dramatic romance fantasy.
Does it not seem exactly like the type of movie he’d make? He works with Tom Hanks all the time.
True (though Zemeckis shares custody), I just figured the assumption was this would be the kind of film a Nora Ephron or Ron Howard would tackle. It’s not to say Spielberg cannot do these kind of films (given the scale of his bigger efforts he could do like 50 of these in his sleep lol), it’s just you have that kind of “huh. Wouldn’t have thought” notion.
I agree it feels more like a Ron Howard movie.
It‘s not an orginal idea. The film is partially inspired by the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, from 1988 to 2006. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehran_Karimi_Nasseri
I never saw the movie mostly because I was saddened that they based it off this guys life but never really gave him any credit. They should have made the film his video-biography instead of making up an entirely new story for entertainment. What a terribly wasted opportunity.
Part of that might be because it came out the same weekend as Dodgeball, which blew up www.theringer.com/platform/amp/movies/2024/6/18/24180348/dodgeball-true-underdog-story-movie-oral-history-vince-vaughn
Maybe Tom Hanks fatigue? He was in every big movie for about a decade, winning award after award.
I have this now and it's 20 years later. He's a fine actor but it seems is in a major movie every year or so now. He's never gotten to the point, at least for me, where he *becomes* the character. All I can see is Tom Hanks in another movie.
I hope I don’t get flamed for this and it’s been a while since I’ve seen it but here goes… …was Hanks the BEST guy for the role? I remember him being a little hammy (which is fine) but his accent kind of took me out of it But on the other side would people really go see this without Tom Hanks? Who knows
I never thought he was strong with accent work asides from Forrest Gump.
Take a look at the box-office again. It was actually a success!
Honestly, I always felt it was wronged in not getting a Best Production Design Oscar nom. They built an entire living breathing airport terminal. I genuinely thought for the longest time they shot in a legit airport https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=118GmArZW04
Feel like everyone who has seen the film, generally likes it. The reviews and perception of the film doesn’t really align with the consensus of viewers
That's a good point. Anyone I recommend the movie to seems to have never heard of it but eventually enjoys the movie.
That and the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Pretty much everyone I talk to whos seen it thought it was a sweet, thoughtful movie. Which it is.
I watched this movie on a motel tv in Daytona Beach with my dad when I was like 11, back in 2004 I think it’s the most we laughed at a movie when I was young.
It also had one of the most unrealistic things put to celluloid: I’ve never seen a Whopper look that appetizing.
I don't even eat fast food burgers and that scene makes me want to go buy one .. in 2004 anyway.
And at 74¢
I don't think the romance angle worked very well and was the weakest part of the film by far. But I dunno how else they fill out enough time to make a movie without it so I get it I guess.
This reply should be higher.
#Is for goat
Pouring out a ketchup packet in honor
Had no idea people were split on this film, I've seen it many times, always loved it
lol this came out the same day as Dodgeball which just overshadowed it on opening day
I know I’m in the minority but Dodgeball just don’t click with me.
Well you obviously can't dodge a wrench.
I feel shocked
Does someone really care about the movies that came out at the same time as another movie or the month a movie came out beside maybe Hollywood financial analysts? I feel like it's talked about way too much here.
That was unique cause a lot of theaters reduced screens for terminal for dodgeball since it was completely unexpected success
But why would one care about screens in theaters?
It’s called putting something into perspective. Which is necessary when people are asking why a movie isn’t a bigger deal to people. *UHF* is another great movie that most people don’t know of because when it released in theaters it was up against *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*, *Ghostbusters II*, *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids*, *Lethal Weapon 2*, *Batman*, *License to Kill*, *Dead Poets Society*, *When Harry Met Sally...*, *Do the Right Thing*, and *Weekend at Bernie's*.
I think a lot of what people didn’t like about it was intentional. It’s understated, it’s uncomplicated, and it is earnest. It was supposed to be very intentionally Capra-esque and it just either works for you or doesn’t.
One of the very few instances product placement has its intended effect on me (that Whopper looks so damn good)
MEDISEEN FUR GOAT! Great movie!
It was inspired by a real story.
If this had been made by anyone but Spielberg, it would have been forgotten 19 years ago.
I always loved the Burger King part of the movie with John Williams' whimsical score. Best BK commercial ever! ''Keep the change''.
Probably one of Spielbergs best movies. No cap
I wanted to like it. It wouldn’t let me.
I’m shocked that this movie is not widely adored, it’s such a wonderfully unique and enjoyable film!
I have a soft spot for The Terminal. Loved that Kumar “Mr. Littlejeans” Pallana got a chance to showcase his dish spinning.
Weird how it’s not very well known.
This film is a masterpiece
Thought this came out in 2010 or 2014 wow 20 years
my all-time favorite movie.
Back when I'd watch anything with Tom Hanks in it.
They say it's one of his worst but this movie is just too good to be considered like it.
I really enjoyed this one. Big factor was being son of Eastern European immigrants and how much Tom Hank’s character reminded me of my dad though
I really wanted to love this movie but it suffers from metaphor collapse by the last third. Didn't like the Indian guy getting caught for him, and didn't love the implication that he was actually going to go back to Krazokzia by the end.
Like others have said, I loved the parts of the main character learning to live in the airport. The romance wasn't kind of meh/ bad however
Deserves at least a 75% on RT instead of being stuck at 61%. That just creeps me out
Crap movie.
Not a bad movie but man that story was seriously embellished compared to the true story it was based on. It came off really far fetched.
It's a movie.
Eat shit
you're getting downvoted by people who haven't seen the movie :-) (it's a quote you goofs)
1 men, 2 womens. Crowded.
Never really cared for it. Feels very by-the-numbers romance movie that feels more like it was directed by Ron Howard than Spielberg. Making the security guards the bad guys for just doing their jobs was a weird choice. As I recall the story isn't really true either. The guy have easily left the airport, he just didn't want to. He was clearly suffering from some sort of mental illness, which is not romantic at all. He eventually went back to living in the airport where he died.
Bad movie with terrible acting from the female lead and bad writing.
I was gonna insult your tastes but obviously you’re a golfer 🎳
Fuckin a
Tried watching it a few weeks ago and couldn’t get more than 30 minutes into it before I gave up. The scenes at the start where all of the airport staff are talking in slow English to this man who clearly does not speak any English at all was incredibly frustrating to the point of breaking my immersion. I get that things were quite different at that time but you’re telling me, “this traveler’s nation enters political limbo but instead of bothering to get a translator or some sort of lodging, we’ll just set him free in the airport full of shit he doesn’t understand” was their official policy? I just can’t get behind that premise even if Tom Hanks looks to be doing a great job as always.
> The scenes at the start where all of the airport staff are talking in slow English to this man who clearly does not speak any English at all was incredibly frustrating to the point of breaking my immersion. I'm an American living in Europe (and speak the local language fluently) - what you describe is behaviour I see all the time, even by people that should "know better".
This movie sucks
Thoroughly dislike it. Hanks and CZJ are awful together.
I didn't like it much and quit watching partway through, the more recent movie "Terminal" however is much better.
I skipped it in my watching of the best movies of 2004. Watching it once was enough