The Matrix

[Case]

A friend and I recently noticed that she, I, and a lecturer we know watched "The Matrix" (the first movie) probably 10 times, despite the fact that none of us likes watching movies several times. We don't like repetition in general... so this peculiar deviation is remarkably confusing.
[As far as I know, none of us found the sequels to be very interesting, either, but that isn't really confusing nor remarkable.]

So in order to check if this phenomenon is more widespread than we think it is, here are my two questions for you:

1) Do you generally watch movies more than once?
2) Did you watch "The Matrix" more than once, and if so, how often and if you still know: why?

 

[lrkun]

Ans: i. yes; ii. yes; and iii. Because it's fun.

 

[australopithecus]

1) If I like a movie I watch it to death. I've seen the South Park movie more than I have my own mother.
2) I've seen The Matrix many, many, many times and on average watch it about 4-5 times a year because it is a fantastic film. Shame the sequels were horrendous.

 

[Baranduin]

1) Not usually. When I do, they must be very spaced in time. I hate seeing a film whose end I remember.
2a) Yes.
2b) A few until they release the sequels. A couple since then.
2c) A glitch in the system.

 

[Noth]

A friend and I recently noticed that she, I, and a lecturer we know watched "The Matrix" (the first movie) probably 10 times, despite the fact that none of us likes watching movies several times. We don't like repetition in general... so this peculiar deviation is remarkably confusing.
[As far as I know, none of us found the sequels to be very interesting, either, but that isn't really confusing nor remarkable.]

So in order to check if this phenomenon is more widespread than we think it is, here are my two questions for you:

1) Do you generally watch movies more than once?
2) Did you watch "The Matrix" more than once, and if so, how often and if you still know: why?

1) yes. I watched Amelie and Pulp FIction both around 10 times each I think. LOTR I watched about 3 times (all 3) and other random ones as well.
2.a) Watched the Matrix about 3 times I think. The first one was graphically amazing for its time and I enjoyed the sci fi punk setting a lot.
2.b) In general I'll watch films again for numerous reasons. Some, in the above mentioned cases of 10x each) are just that awesome, and other times it's because we'll do a LOTR extended marathon with friends or someone wants to watch a film per sé that you've already seen but don't mind sitting through again. Sometimes, with films that have a twist, it's good to watch it again after a short while so that you notice all the details you missed the first time that might have given you the clue. And so on...

 

[borrofburi]

I'm just here to say I actually like the sequels.

 

[aeritano]

1) Do you generally watch movies more than once?
2) Did you watch "The Matrix" more than once, and if so, how often and if you still know: why?

1.) Depends on the movie, if i like the movie I watch it more times. (<3 netflixs)
2.) i watched and enjoyed the matrix. Do i still watch it, from time to time. (hand full of times a year) Why? because at the time, i saw the movie as pioneering a frame of thought for me.. The matrix was a new and unique concept for me, so i really enjoyed it. i still watch it because to me, it is a very unique story line.

There is no spoon...

 

[Pulsar]

I'm just here to say I actually like the sequels.

You are the eventuality of an anomaly.

 

[DepricatedZero]

No I don't normally watch movies(or TV shows) more than once. That said, some exceptionally good ones or ones that stick with me, I do. Other movies I'll occasion to watch:

SLC Punk
Hackers
Hannibal Rising
Red Dragon
That Thing You Do
The Warriors
The Stand (tnot sure if this counts as a tv show or movie)
Office Space
Plunkett and Macleane
Boondock Saints
The Rocky Horror Picture Show(not sure this counts for the reasons below though, lol)

There are more, I'm sure, that don't immediately come to mind.

What I've found is this:
The vast majority of movies are not worth a second watch. It's not because a movie is bad, necessarily, but in many instances they can be enjoyed simply through memory. Other movies, like the ones I listed above, are enjoyable through the show. The Matrix is a good example of this, while the sequals are not - incidentally.

As far as I can tell, it's a matter of two things.
First, affect - the overall feel of a movie. The movies I listed seem to evoke a certain feeling, they reach a certain emotional amplitude in one way or another. The Matrix does this as well.

The second is the storytelling. The difference between the first Matrix and its sequals, is the storytelling. Think about it - how is the story told in the first movie, and how is it told in the sequals? In the first movie, the Real World is slowly revealed to us, it's hinted at that everything is a dream, the Matrix is still vastly mysterious. The story slowly unfolds, at just the right pace to keep us grinning and enjoying it, and leaves us with a sense that there's far more going on than what we see. In the second and third movies, it's much more Mission Impossible helicopter-in-a-tunnel. Ya, cool to see once, but you don't experience the character growth, you don't feel like you're 'witness to a great becoming.' I mean, there are cool scenes, and explosions, and sword fights, and gun fights, and all sorts of cool things, but the mystery is gone, the revealing is done, it's no longer about the story and its now showing off the characters.

If a movie contains both of these things, it can be enjoyable to just sit and watch, at least for me.

 

[Prolescum]

I've seen loads of things more than once, I've read many books more than once. I don't really need to qualify it beyond enjoying them. Try reading Nostrodamus ate my hamster only the once...

 

[Welshidiot]

I've seen the Matrix more than once, and it was because I enjoyed it the first time, this also applies to many other films, books etc.

BTW, The Matrix is basically a rip-off of Dark City,......I just needed to say that.

 

[RichardMNixon]

I've seen the Matrix maybe ~4 times.

My most frequent reason to watch a movie more than once is to share it with others who haven't seen it. The Big Lebowski, Kung-Fu Hustle, and The Life Aquatic occupy the highest bin in my histogram. Oh and my family has a tradition of watching Christmas Vacation for the holidays.

My step-father has seen Robin Williams' RV something like 30 times, I'm still at a comfortable zero on that one.

 

[Nemesiah]

I tend to do things compulsively, The Matrix I have seent it around 15 times maybe, sadly no sequels were ever made http://xkcd.com/566/ that is however low in my standards, Akira I watched it around 20 I used to obsess over the animataion, Dune maybe 30 or so I know I sounds far fetched but I used to have it in for the vcr and the tv at supper time was horrible si I would just watch it again and again, Starship toorpers is at a low 10 maybe. starwarwars 10 of each I believe etc...

WHY? I dont know, maybe is may bad memory or maybe it's that those movies represent realities more than just stories that I like, those are movies where I want to go live in (maybe not akira but then again at that age Anime obsesed me and getting it was very dificult in mexico)

 

[Case]

Yea, I do watch some movies more than once, every now and then, with a couple of years in between; the thing with Matrix was that we watched the movie several times within a short period of time, say a couple of days/weeks.

One of the reasons for me to watch it several times could have been that it was one of the first movies I watched entirely in English (I had started to learn English about 3 years prior). Either way, I think I'll watch it again, soon. :lol:

 

[Doc.]

I thought sequels to be horrific but after watching it again lately I thought that they were not that bad actually, sure it's just "omg karate!!" at places and a bit too much of it but you still get some interesting bits (like the french guy). of course the first part was the best. Probably the movie that I watched most times in a period of time was V for vendetta as I enjoyed the dialogs very much.

...if you are looking for the guilty, truth be told, you only need to look into a mirror.

honestly the bar is set SOOO LOW from today's movies that I thank gods that I can still watch something like matrix. I expected "The Eagle" to be good and it was such an utter rubbish I wanted to kill myself. Centurion was even worse, I couldn't stand it. I always keep saying "oh god you are not going for that cliche are you? please don't be this predictable. have I seen this movie already? why didn't they just do this instead of that? when will they quit trying to heal complexes of the audience? what? wtf?" and then if you just want Rome without bullshit you can go back and watch good old Gladiator.

Sometimes, if a movie has some kind of a deeper concept that can't be understood at that age I may watch it again to see what the film was trying to tell me; I watched Hercules the other day to remind me of childhood; sometimes it's just for laugh.

 

[borrofburi]

I thought sequels to be horrific but after watching it again lately I thought that they were not that bad actually, sure it's just "omg karate!!" at places and a bit too much of it but you still get some interesting bits (like the french guy). of course the first part was the best.

I mean I like bad action movies, so I'm probably biased for movies with so many bad action scenes... But I do think watching the Oracle play everyone is slightly deeper than everyone gives it credit for: http://www.thematrix101.com/revolutions/meaning.php

 

[Gnug215]

A friend and I recently noticed that she, I, and a lecturer we know watched "The Matrix" (the first movie) probably 10 times, despite the fact that none of us likes watching movies several times. We don't like repetition in general... so this peculiar deviation is remarkably confusing.
[As far as I know, none of us found the sequels to be very interesting, either, but that isn't really confusing nor remarkable.]

So in order to check if this phenomenon is more widespread than we think it is, here are my two questions for you:

1) Do you generally watch movies more than once?
2) Did you watch "The Matrix" more than once, and if so, how often and if you still know: why?

1) Only some.
2) Yeah, about 6-7 times by now I guess, because of it's (what I like to call) rewatchability

Now, this rewatchability thing is kinda hard to explain, I think. It's, of course, quite subjective, but some movies seem to be reoccuring.

Like... Terminator 2, and Aliens. Die Hard (I'd argue all of them).

I think it has to do with pacing, most of all. The dialogue in those movies is information packed, without being too compressed; the action sequences are stringed together in a way that doesn't make it seem forced; and the story just progresses smoothly.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

You now feel incredibly old.

 

[nemesiss]

some movies/series i've seen only once.
For some it was once too many, some it wasn't enough.

ussually if i like the movie/series enough i also buy the dvd for the original price or i wait till the price drops to a price which i find more appropriate.

as for what i have watched more then once... i consider it a waste of time to even make such a list because i don't care.
for movies, i do prefer the cinema experience.
what reason, don't know, can't explain really....