How much do you need to know about a movie before you watch it?

C

cincin

New member
Surely a movie like Shrek you want to know that it's fun, contains nothing that isn't suitable for your children if applicable, and that it's animated.

But what about films like Munich, Shindler's List, Syriana, etc. Complicated thrillers that may need a bit of background info before you can fully enjoy it. How much is too much?
 
I prefer to know as little as possible, I add things to my rental list based on imdb rating and box office and don't read anything about them before watching them.

This way I get both the blockbuster hits and also the little known gems.

The only exception is for 'event' movies for which I'll bother to go to the cinema.
 
I never knew anything about "Lord Of The Rings" when i went to see the first movie, i didn't even know the characters.I only went along to see it because Christopher Lee was in it.I enjoyed the movie.
 
I only go to the cinema if I really want to see a film (Lord of the Rings or Happy Feet or whatever), in which case I'll already know at least the vague outline.
If I'm buying in '3 for
 
Now that the children are old enough to take themselves to see a film I rarely go. My OH hates being confined in a cinema so if I ever suggest seeing a film I need to gen up on it & make it sound worthwhile.
 
I like to know who the people are in it either because if its got certain people in it I'm guaranteed not to like it Or because I trust certain actors judgement in the parts they play I'm pretty sure to like the film.

I like to know the director and a vague outline of the plot but not too much or it can feel redundant watching it
 
I like to know very briefly what the film is about and what sort of genre it fits into. Also I'm interested in the actors, writer and director most of the time.

Seeing a trailer is never good enough by itself because they're often misleading. Some don't tell you anything at all about what the film is about. I've seen a number of trailers recently that seem to feature a number of very fast edits but which tell me absolutely nothing about the movie other than who its principal actors are.

Oh, and a good review from TV or magazines etc. is always a good recommendation. If I know a movie is generally well-accepted by the critics I'm more inclined to see it than one that gets the thumbs down.
 
I usually check all the movies out on IMDB along with the user comments before deciding if it's worth buying or going to see.

The ratings on this site are usually a good indicator if the film is up to much.

Anything below a rating of 6, then I usually I give it a miss.
 
well i like to know the gist of the film really because i get sooo confused with some films, i think its mainly because i dont concentrate enough and i get far too easily distracted.
 
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