By 
When we think about timeless movies, we all have that one specific example in our minds, movies that have aged like fine wine and get better with every rewatch. Immediately after that, we often think about the ones that aged like warm milk, and that ends up being up to how much technology and social sensitivities have changed.
Is it possible that the people of the future find our timeless classics as spoiled milk? Perhaps, but we don’t live there. That’s why we bring you five timeless films, or at least ones that remain timeless to us, and five that have run past their expiration date.
IMDb
Aged Well: Casablanca Is a Timeless Classic
The 1942 classic about love and sacrifice won Best Picture for a reason. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s chemistry is timeless, and its themes of doing the right thing in a crazy world still hit home today.
IMDb
Aged Poorly: American Beauty’s Uncomfortable Predatory Plot
This one’s tough to rewatch. The story centers on a man’s lecherous obsession with his daughter’s teenage friend, a theme that feels more uncomfortable and trivial than profound today, especially in light of off-screen allegations against its star.
IMDb
Aged Well: 2001 Still Looks Like the Future
Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi epic is still mind-bending. The pioneering special effects, which earned Kubrick his only Oscar, look so good that you forget this movie was made before we even landed on the moon.
IMDb
Aged Poorly: Swing Time’s Jarring Blackface Tribute Number
While Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were magic, this 1936 musical still has a major problem. The “Bojangles of Harlem” number, where Astaire performs in blackface, is a jarring and painful moment that’s impossible to ignore today.
IMDb
Aged Well: The Godfather Remains a Masterpiece
Released in 1972, this masterpiece feels like it could have been made yesterday. Set in the 1940s with timeless themes of family and power, Gordon Willis’s shadowy cinematography gives it an elegant, classic quality that never gets old.
IMDb
Aged Poorly: The Lawnmower Man’s Primitive CGI Spectacle
Remember when this movie’s CGI looked like the future? What was groundbreaking in the early ’90s now just looks incredibly dated. The primitive graphics and ‘virtual reality’ spectacle are more likely to make you laugh than gasp.
IMDb
Aged Well: Singin’ in the Rain Is Pure Joy
It doesn’t get more joyful than this 1952 musical. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor are perfect in this lighthearted story about Hollywood’s switch from silent films to ‘talkies’. It’s pure, timeless entertainment.
IMDb
Aged Poorly: Tron’s Once-Futuristic Effects
As one of the first films to use extensive CGI, 1982’s Tron blew minds with its visuals. Today, those same groundbreaking effects look more like a vintage video game, which is charming but definitely shows its age.
IMDb
Aged Well: 12 Angry Men’s Tension Endures
Sidney Lumet’s 1957 directorial debut is just twelve guys in a room, and it’s more gripping than most action movies. The tension, moral questions, and brilliant performances feel as relevant and powerful now as they did then.
IMDb
Aged Poorly: The Original Dr. Dolittle’s Undertones
The 1967 original starring Rex Harrison has some troubling elements inherited from the books it’s based on. One infamous plot point involves an African prince who asks the good doctor to make his skin white, something in poor taste no matter how you look at it.
The post 5 Classic Movies That Aged Well, and 5 That Didn’t appeared first on Den of Geek.
