There are certain movies that I’ll always remember the first time I watched them. They blew me away so much that I couldn’t wait to dive back into their worlds and re-watch them.
As good as subsequent viewings are for these classic films, there’s truly nothing like your first time.
So with that in mind, here are the movies I wish I could watch again for the first time.
The Matrix
My wife had never seen The Matrix, so I was super excited to introduce it to her for the first time a few years back. I was a bit nervous, though. How well would the movie hold up? Its action may not be as revolutionary today, especially in a post-John Wick world, and its CGI, while cutting-edge for 1999, could easily look dated.
I’m happy to report that all of my concerns were for nothing. The Matrix remains as incredible today as it was over 25 years ago. I first saw it at home on DVD, but I’d give anything to go back in time and see it in theaters for the first time.
Inception
Let’s get one thing out of the way: this movie absolutely still holds up today. It’s so well paced that its 148-minute run time flies by.
I remember seeing it for the first time in theaters; it was a showing for movie theater employees, and I was lucky enough to score a ticket. We were all hooked from the very beginning, crying in beautiful frustration at that incredible ending. I was so hyped up that I immediately went and saw it again a few days later. I’d give anything to experience this movie for the first time again.
The Prestige
It’s hard not just to list off Christopher Nolan’s entire filmography, so we’ll stop with this one.
For my money, The Prestige is his most underrated film. It’s an incredibly clever tale about two rival magicians constantly trying to one-up each other, coupled with an intriguing mystery with a satisfying payoff.
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Se7en
Don’t judge me: it took me far too long to finally get around to watching Se7en. Part of it is due to hearing so many people quote the film in casual conversation.
I bit the bullet and watched it about a decade ago, fully aware of the ending, but I was still hooked either way. I shouldn’t be surprised, though; David Fincher is an incredible director.
Gone Girl
Speaking of Fincher, as acclaimed as his filmography is, Gone Girl is most likely his best work.
Yes, it’s based on the best-selling novel, so the source material is already on point, but Fincher’s work behind the camera gets the most out of the story.
I’ll never forget the feeling of shock from the mid-movie twist here.
The Silence of the Lambs
I’m not sure how this happened, but I gravitated to horror films as a kid. Perhaps it was due to the successful revival of the slasher genre thanks to 1996’s Scream.
Older classics like The Exorcist hadn’t necessarily aged well and, as a result, failed to scare me. My parents then suggested I watch The Silence of the Lambs, so I rented it on VHS and booted it up alone (they said my sister was too young for it). Lo and behold, it scared the pants off me. It wasn’t Hannibal Lecter that would haunt my dreams, though. It was Buffalo Bill, and that night vision scene.
Jurassic Park
I’d give anything to not just experience Jurassic Park again for the first time, but to do so on the big screen.
I already talked about being nervous about how well the CGI from The Matrix would hold up. I don’t worry about that with Jurassic Park, an even older movie. Its visuals far exceed what you see from select movies today.
When they talk about how movies are magic, they’re talking about Jurassic Park.
The Wizard of Oz
Speaking of movie magic, that moment when Dorothy takes those first steps into the world of Oz is something we take for granted today.
Back then, though, it was an experience unlike any other. Even as a kid growing up in the ’90s, the transition from black and white to full color is one of the best examples of movie magic. There’s a reason why The Wizard of Oz still holds up today as an incredible cinematic experience. Watching the film for the first time is an absolute delight.
The Sixth Sense
Seeing The Sixth Sense in theaters before word about its twist ending got out felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was like I was in on a secret that nobody else knew about.
Remember: this was before the dawn of the internet and social media. There wasn’t anyone able to spoil the movie online. All we knew was that we had to see that movie, and it lived up to the hype. What an experience.
Pulp Fiction
It’s not just about watching Pulp Fiction for the first time again. It’s about going back to 1994 and experiencing one of the most original films of all time.
Movies felt pretty formulaic. They all played by a similar set of rules; it felt like people were scared to stray too far from what moviegoers expected. Enter Pulp Fiction, a movie that’s ready to break all the rules and inspire future generations of movie makers for years to come.
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