What elements do you need to enjoy your movies?

You can’t go far wrong with a quality script & fine acting.

I like easter eggs, or callbacks, or clever writing. Movies that assume a knowledge from the audience always get bonus points and are more re-watchable.

Shaun of the Dead for example? Simple zombie comedy? Watch it again. The authors specifically designed the script so that everything that happened in the second half of the movie was described in detail by the dialogue in the first half. The movie is perfectly symmetric, and most audience members never notice.

That kind of attention to detail makes me feel a closer attention and appreciation for any movie or show.

So judging you. If a woman is watching a movie that is 90% muscular men with their shirts off wrestling, I am judging her.

I can enjoy movies for a lot of different reasons. Great writing and acting, or fantastic action, moving drama, or humor, or scary/gross horror stuff. Bonus points if I can get all of that in one movie.

The only movie I’ve ever stopped watching because I considered it too horrible to endure was Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. (Not counting the Sy-Fy channel’s horrible original movies.) I can almost always find something to like.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought I love that movie, and had no idea! Got to rewatch it.

A large liquid-butter slathered popcorn

It takes a good plot and a decent twist, witty writing always makes it more enjoyable. I too can vouch for a giant bucket of popcorn in all it’s buttery goodness. That’s always a plus.

I’m easily amused. I like the sounds and pretty colours.

I want a coherent but complex plot with the ability to surprise me with unforeseen plot developments.

I want characters with depth and subtly, not cardboard caricatures.

I want believable and multidimensional relationships between the main characters.

I expect special effects to be necessary to tell the story rather than just included because the technology exists.

Otherwise, I am not particularly demanding.

Well if it’s horror, I’m not picky at all. But I like good and bad movies of all sorts, I can be pleased with cheesy clichés, groundbreaking innovation or laughable plots, effects and whatnot. Bad horror movies rock my socks. Action movies full of dumbass stunts that not even God could do rule, and I like satire in my movies. I’m there to have a good time, and the standard works for me, just as much as the obscure. I’ll watch anything from Con Air to Gummo. Of course I have my fave elements; gore, creepy environments and imagery, or movies like Trainspotting that offend everyone. I like epic sword movies, movies where people intensely talk a lot while chain smoking and any movie that includes a hospital that’s not abandoned, but really deserted for some reason.
What I don’t like is overuse of CGI effects, comedy movies about stereotypes, Christmas movies unless it’s Black xmas or that old claymation movie about Rudolph, and I do my best, but science fiction bores me, mostly.

Movies have to draw me in to their world, immerse me and stay in my mind a bit after. I’m easy, that’s not hard to do. The reasons I listed, such as a movie being fun, thought provoking or so bad you can just laugh at it are all valid. Sometimes it’s fun if you can relate to someone or something in a movie, whether seriously or just indulging yourself.
If I’m watching a movie and my mind starts drifting though, that’s no good.

porn

“Action movies full of dumbass stunts that not even God could do rule” Every now and then you remind me why I like you, Guy Ritchie ROCKS
“that old claymation movie about Rudolph” – I’bb cyoot, I’bb cyouut, she said I’bb CYOOOOOOOOT!

First of all the casting. Second, the plot. Third, the direction. Followed by the writing, cinematography, musical score and then art direction. And yes, even with zombie movies.
: )

@mazingerz88 You should watch some of those old zombie movies from the seventies, bro.

@Trillian Ha yeah. Snatch is cool and all…but I love Tony Jaa and that he does most of his own stunts and breaks 7545432702 limbs per movie…and everything he does still looks ridiculously impossible. XD

It has to have great visuals, ie great cinematography, great costumes, lighting, and or special effects plus a sense of place and time, plus great characters( and great acting), plus great plot and storyline. With all these things a movie can’t lose. To be truly great it should also have an inspiring message.

I think more in terms of what I don’t like to watch. I don’t like violence. There can be a little violence, but if the entire movie is full of it, I’m not enjoying it. I don’t like horror flicks. I don’t like stupid comedy like The Hangover.

My favorite movies are dramas that have some levity. I also like sci-fi that leans more towards cerebral and not gory or very violent.

Oh, and I don’t like when the camera moves around a lot. Lots of zoom in and out, and mpving around the actors as they stay still, not diggin’ it at all. Also, if the movie, how it is filmed is very dark, I find that annoying. Lastly, if the soundttack is so loud I cannot hear what the actors are saying half the time, that really ticks me off.

Half naked sweaty men (like Predator) always makes for an enjoyable movie, especially when the movie is SciFi. Otherwise I love good dialogue well acted, and a soundtrack that is supportive without being too intrusive.

For me it usually takes two or more of these traits to catch my interest or earn my affections:

mindbendy plot
artistry (attention to detail, beautiful/unique visuals)
ridiculous violence/gore
absurd humor
dark humor
magical or fantastical stuff!
stories with multiple levels/metaphors
atypical romance
good old-fashioned drama and strong performances
set in high school (and not utter crap)
truly imaginative stunts/action/FX

This makes me particularly vulnerable to horror comedies, dark fairy tales and arsty drama. If Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarrantino ever got together to make a Borgesian fairy tale set in high school I just might die.

@Symbeline I can relate to not being a big scifi fan. The part of me that loves fantastic stuff thinks I ought to be interested in more of it, but the actual number of scifis I love is pretty small. That said I think you should see Pandorum if you haven’t. It’s a horror-scifi and smartly written at that.

@Symbeline I would love to watch Tony Jaa unleashed in a city crawling with zombies!

I love suspense, I also love real to life characters or interesting faces to look at, because if all else fails at least I have that!