If you could wipe movies from your mind...

[Morrus]

... so that you could watch them again fresh, would you do it?

 

[Ryujin]

I don't think that I would. There are too many movies that take on new and deeper meanings when you see them for the second, third, fourth time. Too many where you see things you missed the first time around. I wouldn't want to miss that.

 

[Mad_Jack]

I'm sure I could think of a couple I might want to do that with, but there are probably more I'd just want to forget completely, lol...

Mostly, though, the majority of my favorite movies have been the stuff that I've watched dozens of times or more and still enjoy, and the ones that I've appreciated more after several viewings because I caught the little, subtle stuff that I didn't quite get the first time.

I think, for me at least, it'd have to be one of those big flashy movies with huge special effects, the ones you only ever watch once or twice before the "ooh, shiny" wears off. And it'd have to be in a movie theater.

 

[MNblockhead]

Not so much that I would want to wipe so that I could enjoy them as for the first time, but that I would like to wipe memory of having seen a hyped movie AND wipe all memory of the hype so that I could see the movie with no preconceptions. Often the movies that have the most impact are those that I go in with no preconceptions of.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Nope.

There may be some I'd wipe from my mind with a note telling me to avoid them, though...

 

[Jhaelen]

I _am_ already doing it. My memory (at least regarding movies or novels) isn't particularly good. I often only recall a movie's title and the fact I've watched it at some point. And sometimes I start watching a movie and about a half hour in it starts to remind me of something I've already seen, but I rarely recall enough of it to be able to tell how it's going to end.

I still try to never watch a movie twice, since there's just too many of them. There's just a handful of movies I purposely watch again and again, e.g. 'Bladerunner'. 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' is also the only novel I've read more than twice.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Not sure if I’d want to do that to any – I think context is important to the movie-viewing experience. Could the first Matrix work outside of the shifting technology at the end of the 90s? Or would I love The Dark Crystal or Excalibur as much if I hadn’t grown up watching it? Or The Fellowship of the Ring, which arguably kicked the modern geek renaissance into high gear? Or the aforementioned Bladerunner, outside of the 80s era.

If I had to pick one, I'd go with the first Hobbit movie...with the caveat that I forget all the other Jackson movies. What would it be like, if seeing Gollum in his cave was one's first experience of the character? Of the first view of the Shire being Bilbo sitting out front of Bag End, smoking his pipe?

 

[Deset Gled]

I would like the opportunity to see some of the "classic spoiler" moves without knowing the ending ahead of time. The original Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, etc.

 

[Ryujin]

Not so much that I would want to wipe so that I could enjoy them as for the first time, but that I would like to wipe memory of having seen a hyped movie AND wipe all memory of the hype so that I could see the movie with no preconceptions. Often the movies that have the most impact are those that I go in with no preconceptions of.

If the question had been, "Would you like to wipe the memory of a movie's ADVERTISING before seeing it?", the answer would have been an unconditional yes.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I would like to watch the Empire Strikes Back fresh. Return of the Jedi was the first Star Wars movie I saw and it was always a fact for me that Vader was Luke's dad. Not only did I not experience the big reveal but I think a lot of the emotional weight of Empire was lost for me. I suspect experiencing "No, I am your father." unspoiled would make me have even more appreciation for the film.