The Ghost Effect: Eight Films That Have Aged TERRIBLY

Most films, whether we like it or not, have a shelf life.

It's the good ones that stand the test of time and become classics. You can still enjoy Jaws now with its ropey rubber shark and dated costumes because it has the basis of a good story to begin with and doesn't rest on then-current pop culture references.

However, as the years have progressed, films seem to have a much shorter half-life than those gone by. It may be because people are more responsive to prescient themes than ever before, it could be even just people want some relevant and up-to-date.

Whatever it is, there's now a LOT of films that have aged really, really badly.

8. I AM LEGEND (2007)

Terrible CGI aside, I Am Legend's premise has now been done far better thanks to The Walking Dead. At the time, sure, it was a bit different and edgy, but even then you could tell it wasn't being done as good as it could be. Not only that, we really do have a hard time believing that Will Smith would be able to survive on his own in New York for however long he was there and NEVER find another person? Come off it.

7. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)

Had Kingdom of the Crystal Skull not been made, Temple of Doom would have been the weakest of Indiana Jones' adventures. It's not just the crappy plot, mind, it's the hugely racist way it deals with Indian culture. When the filming authorities in India read the script during production, they refused to let them film. Years later, Spielberg said that he wasn't happy at all with Temple of Doom, saying that the only good thing he got out of it was marrying Kate Capshaw.

6. GHOST (1990)

It's legitimately hard to believe that Ghost was nominated for Best Picture. Again, terrible special effects aside, the film is so syrupy and emotionally exploitative, it's difficult to take it seriously. Not only that, Whoopi Goldberg was awful in it. AND SHE WON AN OSCAR FOR IT. And what was up with the ending? Did he become an angel? Honestly, like.

5. FLASH GORDON (1980)

Yes, we get it. It's being played up for parody's sake, the acting was all overblown for the sake of pulp poetry, it's meant to be taken as campy and kitsch. It's still pretty hard to watch now and all that gold and glitter makes it look like outtakes from RuPaul's Drag Race. Not that that's a bad thing, either. Decent soundtrack, though.

4. THE NET (1995)

While the premise of The Net is quite relevant today - identity theft - it's the really hammy way Sandra Bullock talks about and uses computers that makes it horribly cringey to look out. For one thing, websites didn't look like that in 1995. Websites don't even look like that now. Plus, the constant zoom / flash to computer screens and that cheesy typing sound just makes it all the more dated. Looks like we need a GUI interface with C++ to track the IP.

https://youtu.be/dtFUGr1d5Tc

3. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961)

Sure, it's effortlessly cool and Audrey Hepburn's sense of style and fashion is still copied to this day, but Breakfast at Tiffany's was also horribly, horribly racist due to its portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, a character from the novel. It's often cited as one of the most egregious examples of offensive stereotyping, so much so that director Blake Edwards has publicly apologised for doing it. "Looking back, I wish I had never done it... and I would give anything to be able to recast it, but it's there, and onward and upward."

2. JUNO (2007)

Looking back on the wordy, literate dialogue of Juno, it's painful to watch and listen to. Sure, back in 2007, we all thought it was cute and funny - but now, it's just cringey as shit. Ellen Page sounds like a first year Arts student who purposefully carries around a copy of The Fountainhead and wears a "Debate Me - I'm An Atheist" t-shirt. You know the sort. That's what Juno is now.

1. DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002)

Pierce Brosnan deserved far better than what he got for Bond. GoldenEye proved he was an effective iteration; deftly mixing that Connery ruthlessness with Moore's effortless charisma. With Tomorrow Never Dies, it got worse. Jonathan Pryce was a terrible villain and the whole Rupert Murdoch-as-Bond villain wasn't handle well at all. The World Is Not Enough, nobody's sure what happened there. The final, Die Another Day, was terrible for so many reasons. Madonna's piss-poor theme song aside, the film's plot didn't make a lick of sense and you had AN ASTON MARTIN WITH A CLOAKING DEVICE. You also had Bond surfing down an ice cap and using a parachute to wind-surf. Don't believe us? Look at this. LOOK AT IT.

If you've any others to add to the list or what to debate them like an Atheist, we'd love to hear from you.