movies/tv Is it really too late to watch any movie/series?

[PCutter 127]

Apart from MLP, I can probably think of many other movies or shows that I haven't watched due to these reasons:

Having never even heard of them.

Not watching them while they were still freshly released/broadcasted and while fandoms were still alive watching them. I feel like watching them now many years later makes me feel like I'm watching in a void where my enjoyment is completely isolated.

Looking back then and believing that I liked those movies or shows only to suddenly encounter negative backlash that still endures all these decades later, whether it concerns some specific aspect/episode or the entire thing.

Those are the ones at the top of my head right now. But if I come up with other reasons, is it already too late to watch any media I've never heard of or rewatch familiar material? I feel like I've missed out a lot and it's too late to appreciate back them while they were still in their prime.

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

It's never too late to get to anything I say~! I'm experiencing FF7 for the first time after all.

That being said, I just don't get into a series because of how unbelievably long it can be, which is really intimidating haha. I'm not much of a binger. I'm glad I got into MLP while S1 was still airing cos there's no way I'd marathon 9 seasons worth of episodes.

JoJo is this for me. Almost everyone I know likes it and tells me to watch it but I don't wanna binge 100+ episodes to catch up.

[Pentium100 2,136]

I properly watched Babylon 5 for the first time (as opposed to seeing a few episodes on TV) probably 5 or more years after it finished airing.
I found Deep Space 9 even later, when I was watching all Star Trek shows in order, so I watched TOS decades after it finished airing.

2 hours ago, PCutter said:

I feel like watching them now many years later makes me feel like I'm watching in a void where my enjoyment is completely isolated.

For some reason I was never concerned with that. If I found some TV show that I liked and thought my friend would like, I recommended it to him. If he started watching s well, great, if not, well, I could still watch the show alone no problem.

I do not need to discuss it with anyone.

As for movies - I watched Metropolis (1927) a couple of years ago and bought Laserdiscs of Buster Keaton movies (similar age), again, no problem for me.

Some stuff ages badly, other ages great and is still a great movie/show decades after it was made.

Another example, I really enjoy MLP, but my friends do not really like it. It didn't stop me from watching and enjoying the show, even though I was not discussing it with anyone until 7 years later I joined this site.

I have watched TV shows (like the entire 20 seasons of Law & Order), without discussing them with anyone. Come to think of it, I do not discuss the majority of what I watch with anyone, the shows that I do discuss are exceptions - either my friends like them or (in case of MLP) I joined a forum for that show.

2 hours ago, PCutter said:

Looking back then and believing that I liked those movies or shows only to suddenly encounter negative backlash that still endures all these decades later, whether it concerns some specific aspect/episode or the entire thing.

As with the other thread - I do not really care what other people think. However, it may affect my decision to watch something in the first place, for example, I bought and watched Citizen Kane because of how highly regarded it was, just to see what's so great about it. Also, I would look at the review scores etc before buying a movie, so I guess that does affect me. However, if I watch a movie and like it, the fact that other people hate it does not affect me.

 

I also played games, like System Shock 2 or the original Deus Ex, many years after release, had to use a separate PC with Windows 98, because those games did not run on XP (Deus Ex may run on XP, but System Shock 2 definitely didn't).

Edited February 24, 2020 by Pentium100

[Dark Qiviut 22,439]

It is never too late. Take it from me:

1. First began watching Cardcaptor Sakura in 2005. The original series ended in 2000.
2. First began watching Gravity Falls in 2017. The series ended in 2016.
3. Watched The Incredibles and Mary Poppins each in full for the first time last year. They aired in theaters in 2004 and 1964, respectively.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

Check your local library.

I never watched a minute of it in my life before, but I have recently become a HUGE fan of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"! Luckily my library has the whole series on DVD. I'm about a third of the way into season three, and LOVE it!. Willow is my favorite character. The same thing goes for "Firefly" How did stupid Fox end up cancelling such a great show after just fourteen episodes? I have the movie "Serenity " on order with the library.

Another series I've discovered? "Supernatural". I lucked out and got the season one box set at a thrift store for...ONE DOLLAR! I have one more episode in season one. I already have season two from the library! 

[Miss 6,230]

I would say def. not. You know some things never get "fandoms" at least not on the brony scale or close to it or obviously not larger than it. I became a brony in 2015, def. not too late. 

Steven Universe, got into last year and it's ending this year, but like there's always gonna be fans out there. You can possibly even seek them out. 

Looking for meetup groups in your city/town/etc. or forums of the media you're watching. 

I would say I def. feel like the way you do sometimes, but I do end up watching something, because a show is more than it's fandom. The show can provide you with lots of enjoyment and sometimes maybe the fandom is not that great to be around. This is how I feel about the Star Wars fandom. I still engage with them, but only on platforms that are not directly related to Star Wars or you know people I hangout with, but not because of Star Wars. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,307]

1 hour ago, Dark Qiviut said:

It is never too late. Take it from me:

1. First began watching Cardcaptor Sakura in 2005. The original series ended in 2000.
2. First began watching Gravity Falls in 2017. The series ended in 2016.
3. Watched The Incredibles and Mary Poppins each in full for the first time last year. They aired in theaters in 2004 and 1964, respectively.

I just recently watched "Tangled" for the very first time. This led me to the series. I downloaded all the episodes and plowed through them. Next week is the last episode. I can't wait!

[Oleks 1,993]

As someone who's usually late for anything popular/memetic in the media, I can confirm that it's never too late. I started watching MLP and Adventure Time in 2015, Doctor Who in 2016 and Twin Peaks in 2018, and still enjoyed these shows. Not to mention that I actually started watching movie (any movies) in 2014 after a 10-year break, so now I watch films made over the last 5 decades for the first time and really like man of them, even though some are criticized for "not aging well".

[Dreambiscuit 9,934]

I almost never watch anything current. I'm perpetually behind the times and usually hear about things long after their hayday. This doesn't matter in the least though because enjoying a show for its own merits doesn't require an active fandom. It's what a show does for the individual viewer that counts. I started MLP in season 2 and that didn't matter at all. I quickly caught up and didn't even realize there was such a thing as Bronies until after the fact. 

Some of my favorite shows of all time came before I was even born, so it really makes no difference as long as you love what you're watching. 

[PhoenixGER 190]

Whether it's too late or not depends on your way of thinking. The first thing I noticed was the word fandom. So you are a bit concerned that there is no fandom active about this old show/movie. First question: Are you watching the show for your enjoyment or for some random people on the internet that then can chat with you about it?

Second: Why are you/we all watching movies and series at all? Because they are funny? Only because we want to waste our time in a way, which doesn't seems to be wasteful? Most people do. But you should think different about just watching a movie or playing a video game. Think what life lessons you can get out of this show. Just as an example that we all can relate to I pick MLP. Some people (mostly children) just watch the show to waste their time in a not so much wasteful way. Others do it for the fandom for the shit chats and the Oc creating and so on. But what you should do is looking objectively at the series and think: What lessons can I learn? What can I get out of this? 

At the end it is about one question: Do you want to waste your time? Then a show without a fandom into which you can pump all your free time might not be the thing you want. 

If it's really only about the: I don't want to watch old series/ movies because I'm late to the game. I only have one thing to say. So what? Go watch it or not there is nothing to think about. No bad things can result out of it. Just get a hot chocolate, dim the light, grab a pen and some paper to take notes and watch it!

[Pentium100 2,136]

I actually would strongly recommend Metropolis (1927) and The General (1926). Metropolis may seem like it copies some other Sci-Fi shows, but actually, it was one of the first Sci-Fi movies. The General is a great comedy.

It does not matter that the movies are over 90 years old, they are both really good.

[PCutter 127]

Some cases I wonder why for example:

Why I wasn't born in the 1940s or 50s and ended up preferring Star Trek and watched the original series while it originally broadcasted and that there were many other people who I never interact with but feel like their existence gives the show value (but then I ended up being born preferring Star Wars)

Something along that line.

For my little pony, maybe the show will still be there for eternity. On one hand, I feel like I have never missed out on anything if I watch it decades after it ended and that I'm hypothetically the only or one of the very few fans in the world enjoying it. On the other, if I watch it that long after, I still feel empty knowing that there's no one else's existence to give it value, even if I choose to never interact with them.

Should I focus on the former, when it comes to watching any series?

On something on the side, I watch Snow White (1937) and never give a damn if I'm the only one in the world who loves it.

Edited March 2, 2020 by PCutter

[PCutter 127]

On 2/25/2020 at 7:16 PM, PhoenixGER said:

Whether it's too late or not depends on your way of thinking. The first thing I noticed was the word fandom. So you are a bit concerned that there is no fandom active about this old show/movie. First question: Are you watching the show for your enjoyment or for some random people on the internet that then can chat with you about it?

Second: Why are you/we all watching movies and series at all? Because they are funny? Only because we want to waste our time in a way, which doesn't seems to be wasteful? Most people do. But you should think different about just watching a movie or playing a video game. Think what life lessons you can get out of this show. Just as an example that we all can relate to I pick MLP. Some people (mostly children) just watch the show to waste their time in a not so much wasteful way. Others do it for the fandom for the shit chats and the Oc creating and so on. But what you should do is looking objectively at the series and think: What lessons can I learn? What can I get out of this? 

At the end it is about one question: Do you want to waste your time? Then a show without a fandom into which you can pump all your free time might not be the thing you want. 

If it's really only about the: I don't want to watch old series/ movies because I'm late to the game. I only have one thing to say. So what? Go watch it or not there is nothing to think about. No bad things can result out of it. Just get a hot chocolate, dim the light, grab a pen and some paper to take notes and watch it!

And there have been people in my life who hate me doing something for the sake of doing it.

But who the f cares? Me watching movies and series and playing games for the sake of enjoying them, for not doing anything constructive or destructive should be enough isn't it? Doing something like enjoying hobbies for its own sake is already enough? Either I could care or not about the social implications but in the end feeling good alone about doing them is enough.

Edited March 2, 2020 by PCutter

[PCutter 127]

On 2/25/2020 at 12:44 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

It is never too late. Take it from me:

1. First began watching Cardcaptor Sakura in 2005. The original series ended in 2000.
2. First began watching Gravity Falls in 2017. The series ended in 2016.
3. Watched The Incredibles and Mary Poppins each in full for the first time last year. They aired in theaters in 2004 and 1964, respectively.

 

On 2/25/2020 at 7:04 PM, Dreambiscuit said:

I almost never watch anything current. I'm perpetually behind the times and usually hear about things long after their hayday. This doesn't matter in the least though because enjoying a show for its own merits doesn't require an active fandom. It's what a show does for the individual viewer that counts. I started MLP in season 2 and that didn't matter at all. I quickly caught up and didn't even realize there was such a thing as Bronies until after the fact. 

Some of my favorite shows of all time came before I was even born, so it really makes no difference as long as you love what you're watching. 

 

On 2/25/2020 at 4:45 PM, Oleks said:

As someone who's usually late for anything popular/memetic in the media, I can confirm that it's never too late. I started watching MLP and Adventure Time in 2015, Doctor Who in 2016 and Twin Peaks in 2018, and still enjoyed these shows. Not to mention that I actually started watching movie (any movies) in 2014 after a 10-year break, so now I watch films made over the last 5 decades for the first time and really like man of them, even though some are criticized for "not aging well".

To be honest, sometimes I feel like a "loser" for not being in the trend while it still lasted.There have been instances where I was made fun of missing out on "the greatest movie(s)/series of all time."  But then being the "only one" watching after something has long ended isn't wrong, right?

[Dreambiscuit 9,934]

8 hours ago, PCutter said:

To be honest, sometimes I feel like a "loser" for not being in the trend while it still lasted.There have been instances where I was made fun of missing out on "the greatest movie(s)/series of all time."  But then being the "only one" watching after something has long ended isn't wrong, right?

You can't always control being around when 'the greatest movies of all time' are in their initial circulation. And enjoying them after the fact doesn't make you more or less of a fan. The only thing you'd miss out on from the fandom is the peripheral activities, nothing more. A lot of fans that are into something at it's height of popularity are sometimes just riding the trend, but it's the ones who stick with a show or movie long afterward that measures in true dedication and loyalty. That's what I call a real fan.

[Xoomy228 418]

As long as you can gain access to the shows, it's not too late to watch them. Not to mention watching it on your own pace and coming to your own conclusions about it can be a liberating experience. Being in a fad/trend can feel great, but it's more of a social situation not a media situation.

Also for many things, the fandom will pretty much be always there. Even if you make a small group by showing it off to your friends. Also things can return, at least on a surface level from time to time.

[TotallyNotNyx 15,566]

Plus if mlp is anything to go by, the people that remain after the show finishes are often the biggest fans and the nicest people. They choose to stick to the fandom eventhough the actual show has ended.  

I started watching mlp after the season 9 finale, yet I still love it. It doesnt matter to me that I didn't watch it when it first premiered. Its actually better for me now, cause I can go watch several episodes at once and not be restricted by the fact that episodes haven't come out yet. Plus there's the fact that you might lose interest if you have to keep waiting a week or so for episodes to drop. Being able to access it all at once keeps the interest going. 

[PCutter 127]

On 3/14/2020 at 11:36 AM, Dreambiscuit said:

You can't always control being around when 'the greatest movies of all time' are in their initial circulation. And enjoying them after the fact doesn't make you more or less of a fan. The only thing you'd miss out on from the fandom is the peripheral activities, nothing more. A lot of fans that are into something at it's height of popularity are sometimes just riding the trend, but it's the ones who stick with a show or movie long afterward that measures in true dedication and loyalty. That's what I call a real fan.

Well I recently got into Batman TAS. It aired back in the early 90s (if that's right) and I still wasn't even born yet. But since here I am in 2020 watching it a bit more regularly even when most or everyone of the original fans who first watched it in the original airtime are gone forever, that still doesn't diminish the fact that it's still ok to regularly and avidly watch a movie or series even if it aired millennia ago?

[Megas 27,704]

Reasonably speaking it isn't. Heck personally it's only ever too late if the show in question is ridiculously long while relying heavily on story. It's part of why I have no intention on watching One Piece

[PCutter 127]

On 3/15/2020 at 3:40 AM, Spacetime Vortex said:

Plus if mlp is anything to go by, the people that remain after the show finishes are often the biggest fans and the nicest people. They choose to stick to the fandom eventhough the actual show has ended.  

I started watching mlp after the season 9 finale, yet I still love it. It doesnt matter to me that I didn't watch it when it first premiered. Its actually better for me now, cause I can go watch several episodes at once and not be restricted by the fact that episodes haven't come out yet. Plus there's the fact that you might lose interest if you have to keep waiting a week or so for episodes to drop. Being able to access it all at once keeps the interest going. 

And you're sure you haven't felt the slightest bit of guilt of not watching it while it was still "popular" or that you can be hypothetically be the last one on earth watching it?

I and possibly you would not give a damn that we watch something because it's "the biggest thing." We watch it because we feel satisfied watching it, popular or not.

[Dreambiscuit 9,934]

20 hours ago, PCutter said:

But since here I am in 2020 watching it a bit more regularly even when most or everyone of the original fans who first watched it in the original airtime are gone forever, that still doesn't diminish the fact that it's still ok to regularly and avidly watch a movie or series even if it aired millennia ago?

Sticking with out of love for the show and not because others love it is the definition of a true fan. A lot of fans who were watching it 'live' and have moved on aren't as dedicated as someone who comes in late and stays with it forever. In many cases you're more a fan now than they were then. 

[dashie2020 86]

Honestly, it's never too late. I watched a little bit of MLP when I heard that Season 9 was starting, and I might have watched a couple of episodes when I was like 8, but I only started watching every single episode in chronological order around the start of this year. I'm up to S9 now.

 

I have gotten into series that have ended before I was born before. I'm sure many people have. So yeah. 

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

20 hours ago, PCutter said:

Well I recently got into Batman TAS. It aired back in the early 90s (if that's right) and I still wasn't even born yet. But since here I am in 2020 watching it a bit more regularly even when most or everyone of the original fans who first watched it in the original airtime are gone forever, that still doesn't diminish the fact that it's still ok to regularly and avidly watch a movie or series even if it aired millennia ago?

Dude, you know us 80s/90s kids are only in our 20s and 30s, right? Early 40s, maybe. We’re not “gone forever”. XD 

The is still a perfectly active fan base for Batman: The Animated Series and the rest of the DCAU. I watched it as a kid and got back into it in college. I myself was an active part of that community until very recently, and I only took a break because I got temporality distracted by other fandoms.

I own the entire series on DVD.

Edited March 16, 2020 by ShadOBabe

[TotallyNotNyx 15,566]

1 hour ago, PCutter said:

And you're sure you haven't felt the slightest bit of guilt of not watching it while it was still "popular" or that you can be hypothetically be the last one on earth watching it?

I and possibly you would not give a damn that we watch something because it's "the biggest thing." We watch it because we feel satisfied watching it, popular or not.

I don’t feel guilty for not watching it when it was popular, since there’s still others watching it now. There r still people I can interact with and talking about mlp with. I can guarantee that there will always be at least someone continuing the mlp fandom in the future. That’s how much of an impact the show has made.                        Sure, if I am the last one on the Earth watching it, I would mind a bit cause I won’t have anyone to talk to it about, but I won’t feel guilt for watching something that I want to watch.                                                                                                                 And yes, I don’t give a damn about a show’s popularity. I watch things because I enjoy watching it. Sure, I have friends and family wondering why I watch mlp, but I don’t let them stop me from watching it.

[EpicEnergy 23,220]

I don't think it's ever too late to watch a movie/TV show, what matters is if you enjoy it.