Sometimes, the number of movies released in a single year can be overwhelming. It can be difficult to keep up, let alone assess the movies I have actually seen properly. So I recently decided to take a breather and revisit some of the movies I have already watched over the years. It’s not like new releases are going anywhere, and I sort of stopped going to movie theaters anyway.
What I’ve discovered is that some of my favorite films are even more enjoyable with repeat viewings, but it wasn’t just that. Some movies I wasn’t entirely sure about during an initial watch came out looking even better the second time. There’s something to be said about eliminating expectations because you already know what’s going to happen.
I’ve done my best to skirt around the big reveals in these films—but some details are unavoidable.
Arrival
Watch Arrival on Paramount+
Arrival is definitely not a movie that I didn’t enjoy the first time. It’s easily one of my favorite movies from 2016, and one of the best science fiction offerings of all time. I tuned in for the fascinating tale of linguist Louise (Amy Adams) learning to communicate with an alien lifeform, but I stayed for the emotionally captivating take on non-linear time and grief.
Knowing all the twists and turns in Arrival doesn’t detract from the experience; it only makes you realize just how brilliantly crafted the film is. Every little hint tells you exactly what is going to happen, but in a subtle way. It’s almost as if Arrival wants to ensure that a rewatch is as fulfilling as possible, and it absolutely is that. This is a very smart film, and it offers something new each time you watch.
Tenet
Rent or buy Tenet on Amazon Prime Video
I generally enjoy Christopher Nolan movies because they are extremely ambitious, especially when he tries his hand at science fiction. Tenet, on the other hand, was a frustrating viewing experience for me the first time through. Unlike something like Inception, this film got too bogged down in its premise for my liking. You had to spend half the time trying to understand its take on time travel and how that fit in with the weird plot twists.
Recently, I rewatched it with some friends, and I enjoyed it much more when I stopped trying to understand every little aspect. I already had the context of the events of the film, so I could just enjoy Tenet for its exceptional action sequences and stellar cast of characters. I maintain that Nolan could have made it far less frustrating for viewers, but he’s never been one to back down from an artistic vision. There’s a lot to respect in that.
Shutter Island
Watch Shutter Island on Paramount+
I didn’t find Shutter Island to be particularly surprising with its big plot twist, but I did enjoy it somewhat on an emotional level. Leonardo DiCaprio brings a powerhouse performance to Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the book of the same name, and I have to admit that it’s well-crafted. But it telegraphs too many of its clues for my liking.
Yet on a second viewing, I couldn’t help but meet Shutter Island on its own level of storytelling. Sure, those obvious clues remained, but I didn’t realize that Scorsese had injected the film with a lot of smaller ones as well. It’s actually a very confidently told story, and I didn’t spend the whole time being annoyed that I’d already guessed the plot twist. Shutter Island is pulpy and fun and probably the most surprising entry on this list for me, plus it’s one of those paranoia-fueled thrillers that will keep you wide awake afterward.
Nope
Watch Nope on Peacock
I know that Nope wasn’t exactly perceived as well as Jordan Peele’s previous two films, and when I first watched it, I could see why. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun film with a lot of great thrills and some genuinely disturbing moments of pure terror. Plus, the cast is excellent. I could watch Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer do pretty much anything on screen and find a reason to be entertained.
But like all of Peele’s films, it’s what is beneath the surface that really matters when it comes to examining Nope. Its themes of exploitation and profiting off of grief run completely through every thread of this movie. Every single subplot exists to hammer this theme home, but it’s a lot more subtle than that. Nope is a harrowing examination of how society engages with tragedy, and it’s become my favorite of Peele’s filmography.
The Sixth Sense
Watch The Sixth Sense on Hulu and HBO Max
I’ve heard many people say that The Sixth Sense loses its impact once you know that big Bruce Willis plot twist, but I actually think it becomes a far more interesting viewing experience. What’s essentially a creepy ghost story with a child who can see ghosts and gets help from a therapist the first time around, becomes a tragic tale of a ghost who can’t move on and gets the help he needs to do so.
It’s also why it remains one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best films, because it can stand on its own with a twist or gimmick to make it interesting. It has a beating heart and wonderfully established characters. The Sixth Sense only gets better the longer I engage with it, and it only goes to show how disappointing the majority of Shyamalan’s other movies have been.
You can learn a lot about a movie with multiple viewings
I maintain that even the worst of movies can surprise you with another watch, and that doesn’t even always have to be a positive experience. Movies I’ve hated have failed to offer a redeeming quality on a rewatch, but it’s helped me realize exactly what I dislike about a certain film. However, these movies are not a good example of that. If you’re searching for more movies to watch, we can tell you all about five comedies on Netflix that never get old.
