10 Best Picture Oscar Winners That Aged Terribly

Chariots of Fire is not a badly shot film, by any means. It’s well acted, and the cinematography makes it really feel like you’re watching 1924. Additionally, it deals with some pretty heavy themes in a very subtle way - which not a lot of recent Academy Award winners can say they have done.

However, it can’t be denied that the film feels like it’s about four hours long, and it’s almost overwhelmingly boring in parts. It’s pompous, and nostalgic, which is problematic. But what’s truly strange is that while the subject matter could lend itself to gripping, tense, exciting filmmaking, Chariots is most famous for slowing things down.

Additionally, Chariots is also another one of those films whose modern relevance has been somewhat undermined by its own success. Its famous score and famous racing sequence are both so entrenched in the public psyche, thanks to three decades of pop culture referencing, that the magic has well and truly worn off both these elements.

Now, that's not the fault of the filmmakers. It's just an unfortunate thing that happens when your art is so self-serious, that it becomes ripe for parody.

But the damage has been done. Thirty-five years of taking the mick out of its most famous elements have made the film feel like something of a tedious, and pompous joke that doesn't live up to the hype.