theater

Replay Value is a term that is used by reviewers and critics in the video game industry. It basically means after you’ve played and completed a game, is the game fun and entertaining enough to entice you to play it again. However the term Replay Value can be and is also applied to music and movies. For this featured list, we will apply it to big budget blockbuster Hollywood films.


#1. Avatar (meh)

I know I’m one of the few people who actually didn’t really care for this movie by James Cameron. Yes the experience was cool watching it in 3D IMAX but the movie itself wasn’t that good or complex due to the non-original story and lameness. I get it; only white men can save non-white indigenous people, in this case indigenous blue aliens. If I ever look at this movie again, it will simply be to test out my HDTV.

Better Replay Value – Aliens (Hell Yeah)

We all know what the “Alien” looks like due to the first film but this excellently directed, acted and suspense filled sequel Aliens by James Cameron is a timeless master piece! Sigourney Weaver is the space version of 1978 Jamie Lee Curtis from Halloween. Forget 3D and CGI, the lore created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett set the stage for “grown up” science fiction horror in film.  Aliens is and will be the HANDS DOWN standard for space horror decades to come. “Game Over Man, Game Over”!

P.S. has anyone else noticed how Michelle Rodriguez is the new Private Jenette Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein)?


#2. Terminator (meh)

trmintrArnold Schwarzenegger plays the robot (The Terminator) from the future, sent back to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Why? Because Sarah’s yet unborn son John will rally survivors of an AI created nuclear holocaust and lead a resistance movement against an army of AI controlled machines. It’s not that this James Cameron film was bad; it’s just that is not that good that it needs multiple viewings.

Better Replay Value – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Hell Yeah)

t1000Damn you Skynet. Technological advances, not only in the fictional world but also in the real world (via CGI) allowed us to be introduced to the shape shifting T-1000. James Cameron’s Abyss like CGI displayed here took movies to a whole new level. This time around the “original” Terminator is back to protect Sarah and her now 12 year old son from the liquid metal bad assery of the T-1000. What follows is decades worth of replay value.


#3. Inception (meh)

incptionFor many this is considered Christopher Noland’s true masterpiece. The reality bending dream world that was created within Inception was visually beautiful and mentally awe inspiring. This science fiction heist film was talked about and debated on the internet for months. Nonetheless for some reason I’ve only seen it once.

Better Replay Value – Inception (Hell Yeah)

incepton

I ask myself why have I only seen it once? It’s a great movie. In my opinion it’s far superior to Avatar but does it have true replay value? The effects are really not that cutting edge or innovative. We’ve pretty much seen them already in The Matrix. Although the plot is cerebral, it’s feels like it gets buried under its own weight. Was I highly entertained while watching this film? Yes. Should I stop being a cynical asshole and watch this movie again in all its mind bending HD glory? HELL YES!


#4. Batman Begins (meh)

bbatmanBy no means was Christopher Noland’s Batman Begins a bad movie, I just had no reason to look at it a second time. Everything was straight forward and to the point.  I got it; this is how it “begins”. Great, I’ve only seen this similar Batman story told and retold for the last 20 plus years via comics, movies and cartoons. Move along,  there’s nothing to replay here.

Better Replay Value – The Dark Knight (Hell Yeah)

jokerJack Nicholson who? Heath Ledger is the cause of the replay value here! Joker made this sequel to the re-re-boot replay value’s stock go way up. Heath made Joker his own and thus made it the new standard. All other Jokers will live in Heath Ledger’s Joker shadow from here on out. This definitive Joker is cause enough to re-watch The Dark Knight but all around this is still a great movie.


#5. Spiderman (meh)

spdrmanIt was nice to see Spidey on the big screen but I wasn’t entertained by this movie at all. The Green Goblin was a bore. Spiderman and his love for his kidnap and accident prone girlfriend Mary Jane (played by the weird faced Kirsten Dunst) was tiring. Frankly, I didn’t care about this movie or the characters. In my opinion the first movie should have started with Peter Parker 5 years after he obtained his powers. I will only watch this movie again if it’s shown on an airplane and I need to fall asleep.

Better Replay Value – Arachnophobia (Hell Yeah)

spiderFake spiders and a lot of real creepy ones are a lot more watchable than the movie with the superhero bitten by a CGI spider. Arachnophobia is a critically acclaimed comedy horror film from 1990 about a deadly spider from Venezuela that is inadvertently transported to small town America where it reproduces an army of deadly spiders. The film is directed by Frank Marshall and stars Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. The replay value comes from the real stars of the film which are real trained spiders. I promise you will not be able to watch this film without itching.


#6. #7. and #8. X-Men Parts I, II and III (meh to horrible!)

xmenSorry but these films went from bad to horrible. All of them for the most part sucked. The plot, acting and directing was just plain bad. The best scene out of all three films is the beginning action sequence with Night Crawler attacking the White House in X-2. Too much hype, too many characters and too much Wolverine ruined XMen for years to come.

Better Replay Value than XMen Part I – Reservoir Dogs (Hell Yeah)

rdogs

A better team up film than XMen Part I, is Quentin Tarantino’s independent film featuring Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, and Mr. White is a cult classic. We are treated to superb acting and “fly on the wall” cinematics while witnessing the before, during and after affects of a heist.  Reservoir Dogs is “film school study material” good and helped launch Tarantino’s career.

Better Replay Value than XMen Part II – Usual Suspects (Hell Yeah)

us spctsWe again have another classic. Directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie, this crime thriller introduces the world to “Keyser Söze”. This smart 1995 film ends with one of the greatest twist and revelations we have seen. Some can say this type of film was the inspiration to the twist filled films by M. Night Shyamalan. Maybe, maybe not, nonetheless Usual Suspects is a must see.

Better Replay Value than XMen Part III – The Avengers (Hell Yeah)

mrvls avengersTired of Wolverine and the “do nothingness” of Storm but want true super hero team up action? The Avengers is here to save the day. Iron Man, Caption America, Thor and Hulk gives you the best true super hero team up movie to date. Its replay value is not only greater than all of the XMen films combined but also greater than James Cameron’s Avatar (I did mention I didn’t like Avatar right?).


#9. Superman: Man Of Steel (meh)

man of steelWho knew the super hero Superman was really Jesus Christ Super Star? According to Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel, Superman is really Jesus. Sorry to say but I hated what this film became. The biblical similarities to the story of Jesus were front and center. You were forced to sit through Sunday School while hoping to see a super hero action film. Fuck you Zack Snyder for taking a beloved iconic character that transcended all barriers and making it your personal pro-dogma propaganda filled suckfest.

Better Replay Value – Boondock Saints (Hell Yeah)

boondockIf you want to see a great action drama with religious undertones along with the protagonist’s quest to know “who is my father” check out Boondock Saints. This 1999 film by Troy Duffy centers on twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus and their vigilantism in their home city of Boston, Massachusetts. After the brothers experience an epiphany, they set out to rid the city of crime and evil in the guise of the Russian Mob, all the while being pursued by an FBI Agent played by Willem Dafoe.


#10. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (meh)

Darth MaulEpisode I begins the tale of young Anakin Skywalker and his destiny in the war between the Jedi and the Separatists (secretly lead by the Dark Side). The ending fight sequence featuring Darth Maul was the highlight of this slow and boring film. It was great seeing a new Star Wars film on the big screen after so many years; however many were left with a feeling of, “I waited this long to see this shit”?

Better Replay Value – Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (Hell Yeah)

Darth VaderGeorge Lucas got his groove back. Episode III is by far the best out of the newer Star Wars films. In this third installment of the prequels, we finally get to see how Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader. Episode III is an action packed joy to watch for Star Wars fans and the most entertaining and critically acclaimed of the trilogy. Rise Lord Vader.

FYI, I was so happy to see General Grievous get his comeuppance.