6) Barry Lyndon
What they said then:
A handful of critics embraced Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick’s country-hopping period epic, on its 1975 release (one of the best that year, said Gene Siskel). Most, however, were just bored. Contemporary film critic Tim Robey summed up the response thusly: “Critics were itching to rail against the perceived coldness of Kubrick’s style, the film’s self-conscious artistry and slow pace.”
What they say now:
Well, we know Martin Scorsese is one who’s always loved Barry Lyndon, at least; it’s just taken time for most everyone else to catch up. Roger Ebert eventually came to call it “one of the most beautiful films ever made,” Time named it one of their top 100 movies of all-time, and Sight & Sound followed suit. Supposedly critics have become more forgiving of ‘boring’ films.