GoldenJCJ

I'll agree with you on JP, T2, and The Matrix, but IMO The Mask hasn't aged well at all. I guess the special effects have held up alright but the whole swing dance fad of the mid '90s totally date this movie.

wm lopez

I saw BLADE RUNNER on dvd the other day and was surprised on how fresh it seemed to me. The FX were better than most of today's c.g.i.

wm lopez

Network

Yeti4623

Yeah, I think I'm talking about, more the flim stock/cinematography/whatever of movies. For example, Rambo III and Die Hard came out in 1988, but Rambo III looks 10x better. I don't think it's just the super big budget of Rambo III, because I've seen even super low budget movies, from the 80's, look less dated than Die Hard.

That being said, Die Hard is 10x the movie the movie Rambo III is.

orderandlaw

I meant in terms of the CGI I agree, the style and content of the film hasn't aged brilliantly, though I still love it.

clckworang

This was the first film I thought of as well.

People already mentioned Robocop, but I would also throw out Starship Troopers. I think the humor of the piece plays a lot better now. I remember when it was first released in theaters many people obviously didn't get the joke (or weren't aware that there was even a joke in it).

And just to open up a little more conversation/discussion with the OP, I wanted to say a couple of things. I totally understand the point of this thread and that some films age much better than others, but to the extent that you seem to want to take it for a film to feel timeless just seems extreme.

ALL films are a product of their times, even if they don't play as well in them. They are all limited to what is possible for that time. I mean much of the talk about the specific technology used in each film dating the film just isn't entirely fair, although I understand that it becomes a bigger issue the more importance said technology plays in a movie (War Games is a good example that was brought up earlier).

But looking at many of the films listed here, many older films still play incredibly well, even though we don't used phones like they do in Casablanca. By your argument, BTTF is dated because it has such a dependence on the contemporary time it was in. But if you really want to take that argument far, shouldn't 2001 be almost impossible to watch now? I mean, its title is a reference to a year that has already passed and much of the technology in the film has not come to pass. Plus, the view of the Earth from space that is shown is extremely inaccurate based on what we now know. But is that really a problem? Judging by responses here, obviously not. It's a timeless film.

In 25 years, I'll bet there will be a lot about the Matrix movies that will likely seem incredibly dated, some things already are (long black coats and black sunglasses, anyone?). It's just that it's not that far yet. The fact is movies are made for the contemporary audience of the time, which means technology, clothing, products from that time will obviously be a part of it. How could it not? Obviously some movies seem to improve with age while others lose relevancy, but what it comes down to, what makes a movie timeless has relatively little to do with many of the nit-picky things that have been brought up and more to do with the strength of the story and how it's told.

Casablanca: Classic story; great acting, storytelling = Timeless

I could say more, but I'm sure many of you are probably thinking that I've already said too much. Just thought I would keep some of the discussion going.

fujishig

I agree with clckworang. I think we view the movies of the recent past as being dated, but we wouldn't say the same thing about period pieces that exactly replicate the environments and society of times long past. Plus I think we cringe when we're reminded of the terrible fashion trends and fads that we actually participated in.

Maybe we should make a list of things that make movies feel dated:
Pop culture and/or political humor
Outdated special effects

orderandlaw

Clothing of the time
Now outdated commonly held notions and ideas (e.g. the way that the original series of Star Trek - while not a film - predominantly showcases the contemporary ideas of what 'the future' would be like)

Rockmjd23

Anything with grunge music.

Dr Mabuse

75 years???

i refuse to believe that...

tommyp007

Strong agreement on Casablanca and Die Hard.

mikelowry

Seven
Taxi Driver
Jackie Brown
Die Hard

wm lopez

One thing about 90% of 80's movies is they have a chime music sound in their soundtrack. I know this was to take advange of stereo in all movie theaters and on t.v.

NoirFan

Hard to believe that after eleven long years, these antique, quaint films from Hollywood's yesteryear wouldn't seem laughably dated to today's audiences.

Cardiac161

I think a lot of old Japanese "samurai" films done by the masters still hold up pretty well today:
Seven Samurai (1954) - Kurosawa's masterpiece of an action film that also has humor, drama, tragedy & romance.

Harakiri (1962) - incredible tale of vengeance by Kobayashi. The suicide scene in this film still haunts a lot of people to this day

Samurai Rebellion (1967) - another Kobayashi masterpiece which is primarily an "anti-samurai" film and a statement of the hypocrisy of the social caste system

I wish to add a French film made back in 1969 titled "Army of Shadows" which is about a French resistance group during WWII and the moral complexities of its members where everything is in doubt, victories are short-lived and their souls are as ugly as the enemy.

Yeti4623

White Water Summer, from 1987, is another. There's actually a lot. Too many to name.

DJariya

Superman (1978) has aged really well and is beautiful to watch on DVD.

For a movie that is 30 years old, I think it's quite timeless. When I watched it recently, I never for one second thought I was watching a 70's movie.

cranberries fan

And even with The Dark Knight out right now Superman The Movie (1978) is still bench-mark in the genre and it still after 30 years my all-time-fav movie.

The Cow

Mister Roberts

I can still watch that one anytime.

Troy Stiffler

I caught Charlie Varrick on TCM (or one of those stations) last year. I just happened to start watching it. It's from 1973. It definately holds up. It plays out in a calm, cool, collective, fun, suspensful way - kind of like Jackie Brown. I'd could and would recommend it to anyone who's up for a great little crime flick.

grem458

I just watched Charley Varrick for the first time and I agree completely. Also rewatched Coma not long ago and thought it was still excellent.

BigPete

12 Angry Men

HealthiestHeart

Godfather. It's still #1.

orderandlaw

Dune!!

RichC2

Superman is a well structured film but I have to disagree. I think it has aged horribly. The acting comes off as stiff, the pacing is quite slow (not a bad thing, but the movie does drag) and the film looks awful thanks in large part to the way it was shot (it's impossible to ignore the hideous blooming effect on all the light).

Of course, everybody is entitled their opinion.. this is mine