13 Movies You Really Wanted To Hate (But Actually Couldn’t)
"That'll never work!"
Movie fans are some of the most passionate people on the planet. If they love a particular series or character they’ll go the extra mile, collecting all the movies on Blu-ray, buying the various spin-off media - animated movies, novelizations etc - and keep an eye out for rumours of future entries.
The flip side to fandom is that when they sense an upcoming movie will suck, they won’t be shy expressing their opinion. It’s easy to be cynical about movies now, since studios regularly churn out filler just to meet a gap in their schedule. Movies like Monster Trucks and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 clearly aren’t made because the filmmakers have a burning need to tell a story, so there are plenty of movies that look rubbish from the start.
It could be because they have a silly premise or there are stories of a troubled shoot, but the movies on this list defied expectations by overcoming bad trailers or weak buzz, and being pretty good.
It’s a minor miracle when this happens, and here are a few movies that pulled it off...
13. 21 Jump Street
The 21 Jump Street TV show is where Johnny Depp made his name, playing a baby-faced cop going undercover in various high schools. The show was a huge hit back in the day, though Depp always hated it, feeling it was too much too silly, and he wanted to be taken seriously.
When it was announced Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum were reviving it, reactions were mixed.
Why You Wanted To Hate It: Movies based on cheesy old TV shows rarely work out (The A-Team, Wild Wild West etc) and at the time Tatum was considered little more than a bland hunk. A Bad Boys style buddy comedy featuring him and Hill didn’t sound promising, and the world had no idea just how brilliant directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were.
The Reasons You Couldn’t: Because it was absolutely hilarious. The chemistry between the two leads was incredible, and it’s the film that gave Tatum cred as a talented actor. Lord and Miller kept the jokes flying but also injected some heart into it. Johnny Depp’s cameo is also the best thing he’s done in years, and it fulfilled his wish by violently killing off his character.
The sequel was even better.