The Thrill Is Gone?

We can no longer view the Lumieres Brothers first films with an "innocent eye." We no longer dive under our seats as we watch an oncoming train approach the screen. From our perspective of computer-generating special effects, early cinema can often appear "charming," but also primitive, naive and perhaps a bit boring. But is that true of all silent film we have seen in this class? Can early cinema having any intellectual or entertainment value for our times (beyond the historical value of trying to recapture the innocent eye)?