Film Enjoyment

When talking film with people and asked to recommend films, most people will talk only about the good films they have seen. What they talk less about are films they have enjoyed, but if they are honest aren't too good sometimes.

Take Hawk The Slayer. It was a low budget British attempt at a fantasy epic and it shows. The cast performances are all over the place, the lead actor, John Terry is wooden in the role, whereas Jack Palance goes over the top as the villain. The action scenes are often the same shot repeated over and over, the score, as I've said before sounds like outtakes from Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds album. In many ways this is a poorly made film.

And yet I love it.

To be fair this was one the first films I recall ever seeing on VHS when home viewing really took off. At that time, I wasn't as much into film as I became and thought it then fun. Now when I see it, that fondness still remains.

But I don't just mean older films. Last year, one of the biggest flops at the box office was disaster film, Geostorm.

Now, there is a lot wrong with Geostorm, it throws every cliche you can think off into the mix, has some dodgy effects and has clearly been re-edited and scenes reshot for the finished film. And yet, like Hawk The Slayer, I really enjoyed it.

I think the reason for that is a simple one, despite everything wrong with the film, the cast, by somehow playing it straight manages to keep you entertained throughout even when spouting ridiculous, cliched dialogue.

Or it could be I'm a sucker for bad films!

A couple of years back, I watched Manos: The Hands Of Fate. It's regarded by many as one of the worst films ever made. There are some who think it is the worst film made. It's really not a good film. And much like the similarly maligned Plan 9 From Outer Space, they are somewhat entertaining in their own way.

Perhaps in those cases, time has been somewhat kinder to them and looking at them today, you probably find them funnier than they are supposed to be.

I think everyone who enjoys film has a list of films that could be considered 'guilty pleasures,' films they know aren't that good but they find enjoyment out of. But why? Why are there some poor films that you still get enjoyment from, while most you don't? I think the Transformers are badly made films. But unlike Geostorm, I get no enjoyment from them at all. What is the difference?

It's something I've pondered for awhile.

At the end of 2017 I watched A Matter Of Life And Death at the cinema. It's one of the greatest films I've ever seen. I love it. But it's not a film I could watch often. It's one, like many of the great films, I only watch on occasion as I want to savour every moment of it.

But I think when it comes to simple viewing pleasure either at the cinema or at home, there are times you just want to watch something that you can simply switch off and enjoy. I can't do that with a film like A Matter Of Life And Death, but can with Geostorm. A Matter Of Life And Death is a fantastic film, but one I want to fully engage with. Geostorm, well simply put, doesn't need your brain.

I'm not saying that every film no matter how bad it is can be redeemed in some way. But I do think there are some that in the right circumstances, or in the case of a film like Hawk The Slayer a film I remember with fondness, where its flaws somehow add to its charm.

I'm a big believer in the idea that your favourite film isn't always the best film you have seen. Of course, that is a bit general and for some both are the same. For me they are different. My favourite film of all time is Zulu. I love it. But the best film I have ever seen is Ran.

When I did my review of 2017 I, like I often do, made two lists, my favourites and the best films I've seen. It's why the very flawed Justice League is on my favourites list, but would never make the best films of the year. The best film I saw last year was Mother! It's an extraordinary film. My favourite film of the year was the fun horror, Happy Death Day.

If I were to make an honest comparison of both, Mother! would probably win, in terms of quality overall. And yet, I know which one I would reach for if I had a couple of free hours one night, or on a Sunday afternoon.

That's right, Geostorm!