School in June. I have spoken.

School’s over now, thankfully. This question came from both a combination of my previous projects and every time I wonder if a user actually last watched a film they’re trying to hate on.

For movie watching, mood is everything. I also forgo cynicism in order to suspend my disbelief enough to feel immersed in the movie. No matter how good or bad a movie may be with regards to screenplays, production, acting, etc., a movie always has a story to tell with characters that matter to the story. If I can tap into that, I feel I can reap the benefits of what a movie experience is offering.

Agreed.

I watch all of the films once every couple of years. Obviously I’ve got more motivation to watch the ones I know I enjoy like the OT, but I also make a point to rewatch the ones I don’t, as I think it’s only healthy.

Although the movies themselves don’t change, we do. If you give a movie another chance, you might find some deeper meaning that you didn’t see before, or something might relate to what’s going on in your real life.

Additionally, on the Internet we’re constantly being exposed to everyone else’s opinion. This exposure can really warp your perceptions without you noticing. Revisiting a film is important for assuring that the opinions you hold are your own and not someone else’s.

I’d say I “dislike” TROS. I feel very strongly that it failed in almost every regard. However, that doesn’t mean in the slightest that I’m going to push it out of my memory, and never give it a second chance.

Reason being, a year ago, I’d have said that I dislike Rogue One and ATOC, but now I legitimately like and enjoy them both. I think a reason behind that is that I’ve changed the way I watch a movie.

While I still enjoy the entertainment value of a film, I pay way more attention to the characters, themes, and messages that the film maker is trying to convey. As the op nicely put it, I’m actively participating in the narrative and really dissecting every scene. Personally, I find looking at things through a more analytical lens to be the most effective way to get the most out of every movie you watch.

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s important to understand that your opinions of films (or anything else for that matter) should be something you question constantly. Of course I’m not saying that you should change on a whim, but I am saying that believing that your opinions are never wrong, and never making any attempt to challenge them is not a healthy practice.

Absolutely. I'm not a fan of TPM, ATOC, or Solo, but I keep watching them every couple of years, just to keep their storylines fresh in my mind. I've found that the more times I watch them, the more details pop out at me, keeping things interesting... And it was only because of several re-watches that I ended up liking TFA and TLJ!

Success! I made a meme to summarize where my head was at while writing the original post. Feel free to use elsewhere.

I'd say that an opinion on any piece of media is less valid as time goes on, which is the core of why we should revisit everything with added perspectives.

I agree I watch all the movies once a year to refresh myself and find new details in scenes i might not have enjoyed

Before The Force Awakens came out I liked or loved almost every Star Wars thing I had consumed. There were a couple exceptions such as the Clone Wars episode titled Senate Spy and Battlefront 2015 but for the most part I liked everything. Granted at that point I had only read a few comics and novels and Rebels was only in the middle of its second season but that was where I was at.

I didn’t end up liking The Force Awakens though. It was enjoyable in theaters and I was to hyped up to admit I didn’t like it when it came out but after a few months I had to admit that it just didn’t work for me. It felt like a personal attack even though it obviously wasn’t, I had loved the Original Saga (Episodes I-VI) and I’d often made fun of fans who hated the prequels and had taken that hatred to the extreme. How could Lucasfilm have gone so wrong that I, a loyal fan who loved everything hadn’t liked the newest Star Wars movie? Not to mention the first one I had seen in theaters!

I struggled with the fact that I didn’t like it and went back and forth between trying to convince myself it was great and thinking of why I didn’t like it and tearing it down in my mind. By the time TLJ was about to release I had decided I was going to try to love TFA and vocally defend everything Star Wars. But then TLJ kind of broke me because of how Luke Skywalker was handled so that way of expressing my fandom blew up in my face.

As time went on I read more Star Wars books and comics and played more games and watched more stuff as it came out and I came to realize that it just wasn’t possible for me or almost anybody to truly like everything Star Wars because there’s just too much stuff made by too many different people.

So now when I rewatch or reread Star Wars stories I don’t like, I try to understand what the story was going for and why I didn’t like it. It’s basically become my healthy form of grieving in a way because I want to like everything Star Wars even though I know it’s impossible but analyzing why I don’t like something and then talking about it has been my way to be constructive and even enjoy something I don’t actually enjoy.

I know that last sentence seems weird but for example, The Last Jedi is my least favorite Star Wars movie but I actually do still enjoy watching it and talking about it because I find it interesting to break it down piece by piece and analyze why I dislike it so much. In some movies I don’t like overall I also look for good things amidst though there’s nothing I really like in TLJ though I acknowledge most of the people who worked on that film are talented and did a good job.

So overall I do like rewatching even the movies I don’t like in order to better understand them, why I don’t like them, and enjoy any good parts they may have.