Let's Finally Watch This

It’s time to wrap up our fourth season of Let’s Finally Watch This. Looking back at our season of heavy-hitters (and a few oddballs), we consider some of the unexpected themes and this season's emphasis on directors. Then we dive into the heart of the episode–our Ranking of Essentialness for this season’s movies! We also share our personal favorites from the season.

Thanks for joining us again for this exciting journey through the decades of film!

It's 2015. Franchises rule the box office. Disney, a powerhouse studio for decades, is in the middle of its current run of live-action remakes. This year's movie, Cinderella, is directed by Kenneth Branagh, known for his Shakespearean adaptations and portrayal of Hercule Poirot. The story itself is nothing new, but Branagh presents it with lavishly and directly, making it one of the best-reviewed of the modern remakes.

What Cinderella offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: gorgeous costumes and sets; solid, traditional storytelling; a sincere, admirable heroine; and, arguably, everything one wants, and nothing one doesn't, in a Cinderella movie.

It's 2005. Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, follows that triumph by remaking one of his favorite movies--King Kong. By taking the original, iconic 1933 film and expanding it with his own knack for special effects and epic-length storytelling, Jackson creates a version that, as critic Roger Ebert says, "is like the flowering of all the possibilities in the original classic film.”

What King Kong offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: more of everything the original film contained; three tonally distinct stories (drama, action, and disaster); a timeless 1930s setup; and one intense giant-ape-vs-three-T-rexes battle scene.

It's 1995. Combining the blockbuster era with CGI creates the opportunity for all sorts of movies--including ones with jungle creatures rampaging through city streets. Director Joe Johnston, who started his Hollywood career designing spaceships for Star Wars, utilizes computer and practical effects to bring a malevolent board game to life in Jumanji, starring Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, and a young Kirsten Dunst.

What Jumanji offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: the more sobering origin of the newer Jumanji movies; Robin Williams playing his patented boy-in-a-man's-body role; a largely effective blend of horror and action; and badly aged monkey CGI.

It's 1985. The culture is saturated with youth-targeted science fiction and fantasy films. And then there's Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, a quirky movie featuring three elderly men as protagonists. Aliens disguised as humans are recovering cocoons from the ocean and storing them in the pool of a rented house when the old men discover that the water of the pool rejuvenates them. It's a fountain of youth, but will they share it? And will the aliens let them continue using it?

What Cocoon offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: an exploration of life, death, and aging; a gentler, more compassionate portrayal of aliens; a plot that's not quite conventional; and lots of old people.