For those of you who don’t know, a guilty pleasure is a piece of media that you consider bad (or very flawed), but you still enjoy on some level. By definition, it’s subjective. I’ve seen one person on the internet claim that guilty pleasures don’t exist; if you enjoy a piece of media, it means it did its job right. I see where they’re coming from, but I also believe that art is more complicated than that. I’ll get my point across the best by talking about my guilty pleasure movies.
Just a disclamer, I didn’t rewatch any of these movies for the sake of this post; I’m going from memory. This isn’t meant to be an in-depth analysis. I’m not a movie critic, I’m just a guy who occasionally watches movies. Let’s start with the oldest one.
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
The problems of this movie are visible from the poster. The Cat’s design falls straight into the uncanny valley and the fish looks like it’s going to suck your soul out. The effects in the rest of the movie aren’t any better. Whether they’re physical or CGI, they just look wrong. A lot of the jokes are either disgusting or not appropriate for children. The movie was such a poor adaptation of Dr Seuss’ work that his widow prohibited any more live action adaptations for as long as she lives. That’s a whole new level of failure.
It’s a failure that I do enjoy, however. I saw the movie as a kid without any knowledge of Dr Seuss and his works. I couldn’t compare it to the books and cartoons that inspired it, so I judged it as its own thing. Despite my complaints about the comedy, I found a lot of the jokes funny: cupcakes made out of anything, three people driving the car at the same time, Thing 1 and Thing 2 pretending to be cops, etc. I never said I had a refined sense of humor.
The two kids aren’t particularly interesting, but they’re likable enough. Their reactions to the Cat’s shenanigans are always enjoyable. It was also nice to see them develop throughout the movie. I especially liked seeing the boy become more responsible and selfless. I was a huge troublemaker when I was a kid, but I turned out fine. Hopefully, at least one parent watched this movie and realized that their child isn’t a lost cause. I watched the movie again as an adult; I did notice more flaws, but I still enjoyed the movie. Nostalgia’s a powerful thing.
Pixels (2015)
Welp, I can’t use the “I saw it as a kid” excuse anymore, the movie’s year of release is up there for everyone to see. This movie was a huge blunder, especially after Wreck-It Ralph. None of the characters are interesting and the plot makes no sense. The movie doesn’t need to be a one to one recreation of reality, but can it at least follow its own rules? Why is cheathing wrong in Pac Man, but not in Donkey Kong? Why does every video game character look pixelated, but not Lady Lisa? Why does Q*bert transform into Lady Lisa and how do they have children with a human man? Then again, maybe I don’t want an answer to that last question.
Okay, I’m done with the negatives. A lot of film critics complain that Adam Sandler makes the same movie every time, but I didn’t watch a lot of his movies, so his style of comedy was still fresh for me. That’s one of the biggest differences between critics and average movie watchers; the former watch a lot more movies than the latter, so they have a lot less tolerance for cliches. Aside from Lady Lisa, I also enjoyed the video game characters. I like how they translated 8-bit characters into real life; it’s such a unique look. Fittingly enough, the pixels from the movie “Pixels” were the best part. Lastly, the “We Will Rock You” remix from the beginning and the ending of the movie is amazing. I could watch paint dry and the song would make it intense.
Ready Player One (2018)
Can you tell I like video games? While it’s not as bad as Pixels, this movie still has a problem with bland characters and a nonsensical plot. The writers who created this virtual world have no idea how MMOs work and how gamers act. To list just one example, why does it take five years to beat the first challenge when the solution is so simple? Are you really telling me not a single person tried going backwards? Gamers are going to try every tool, go to every location and tear the code apart, just to find the easter eggs. At least with Pixels, you can say it’s just a comedy. “Ready Player One” wants you to take it seriously.
One of the funniest failures is the love interest complaing about how ugly she is in real life, but when we finally see her, she just has barely noticeable birth mark on her face. Half the time, I forget it’s even there. I know girls get judged for their appearance more strictly than boys, but this is pushing it. If she’s supposed to be seen as ugly, give her a scar over her face or a missing eye. It would be more believable.
As for the things I enjoy, the premise is one of the best parts. Reality is so dystopian and hard to live in, everyone is using virtual reality to escape it. It’s only a slight exaggeration of our own world. I also find it funny how the main villain is a businessman who wants to fill OASIS with as many ads as possible. The only thing holding him back is the fact that gamers would get seizures from too many ads. Again, not much of an exaggeration. You wouldn’t believe the shit video game companies are doing to squeeze money out of us.
Just like with Pixels, there’s a lot of references that I enjoy. I like how we can see both older and newer characters and franchises; it really sells the idea that people of all generations are playing this game. The effects are also well done. Everything looks a little fake, but not in the way that causes the uncanny valley. It’s a video game world, it’s not supposed to look too real.
My favorite parts of the movie are near the end. I don’t know if spoiling this movie is acceptable, but I’m giving you a warning just in case. The final challenge involves playing the Atari game “Adventure”. It’s the first video game with an easter egg; I didn’t know that before I watched the movie. The main character talks about it and it’s a interesting story. I also like the conversation he has with the creator of the game. It’s kept ambiguous whether he’s talking to the actual person or just a simulation. The creator leaves the room by thanking the protagonist for playing his game. Remember to always do that when you make a video game.
And that’s all I have to say about these movies. What do you think about them? Do you have your own guilty pleasures? Do you think there is such a thing as a guilty pleasure? Am I asking too many questions?