The Expectation Lens

The expectation lens is a phenomenon that modifies how one perceives a movie. Like myopia and presbyopia it can go two ways:

1. You expect a movie to be horrible, so it ends up appearing better than it actually was.
2. You expect a movie to be excellent, so it ends up appearing worse than it actually was.

Two extremes of this phenomenon are old classics you happen to catch on TV, and big-name movies you see in the theater.

Random TV movies make use of the LEL (Low Expectation Lens) and yield more satisfaction, while big-screen blockbusters employ the HEL (High Expectation Lens) and tend to disappoint.: