It's not bad, it's a classic

John Scalzi opens a can of worms:

[W]hat makes science fiction different than every other genre of film -- what makes it unique, for better or worse -- is that a strangely high percentage of the classics of the genre are not good films; some are structurally flawed in major ways, while others are just plain awful.

He goes on to list a few examples, including the beloved 1954 original "Gojira", a/k/a "Godzilla", which I probably saw a dozen times as a kid when they were doing "Monster Week" for the afternoon movie on Channel 9. I'll stipulate that it's perhaps not the finest example of the craft of moviemaking, but I loved it anyway, and Lord knows it was influential. I look forward to watching it some day with Olivia and Audrey.

There's some good discussion in the comments about the meaning of "classic" and why some of these films endure despite their faults, so check it out. What's your favorite example of a "classic" movie, from any genre, that's also an objectively crappy piece of film? Leave a comment and let me know.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 22, 2008 to TV and movies