Special Features Presents: Childhood Movies

I don’t know if it’s because the end of the year is nearing, or maybe because of the terrific anime Erased I recently watched, but I have been thinking a lot of the past lately. Sometimes going back as far as my childhood. Don’t worry, I am not going to turn this into some kind of weird post, with mushy and heartbreaking tales of sadness. What I do want to talk about is one of my favorite subjects: movies! Even as a child I already liked them, and it probably won’t be much of a surprise that most of the movies I liked back then, had some kind of fantasy element in them. So I thought I would share a few of these movies with you as kind of a trip down memorylane. All of these are from the roaring 80’s, a time in which so many great films were made. So let’s head back down to those days, and see if you remember some of them.(Note: there might be a few very minor spoilers ahead, so you have been warned!).

E.T. (1982)

What can I say about this one? A classic, in every sense of the word. A young boy called Elliot becomes friends with an alien from outer space. It is not long before government forces are on the hunt for the creature, and Elliot and his friends try to protect him, risking their very lives. This movie is in my opinion one of the greatest films ever made, and even though it is now more than 30 years old, it still hasn’t lost it’s power in any way. A touching film, and the only movie I watched in the cinema as a child, that left me in tears afterwards (don’t laugh).

The Karate Kid part 1 and 2 (1984,1986)

Wax on, Wax off. It is a quote I still use sometimes at work, when things are stressful. Another great feel good movie in which the young boy Daniel, who is bullied at school, gets help from an old Martial Arts teacher. Eventually he learns the ways of Karate and takes revenge. The second part, which moves the action to Japan, I liked even more. It was pretty much my first introduction to this wonderful country and some of the customs and traditions from there. Both these movies are an absolute blast, and if you have a bit of a somber mood, I pretty much guarantee it will turn bright again after seeing these.

Labyrinth (1986)

Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, and the late David Bowie, this movie is a fantastic adventure for all ages. It tells the tale of the young Sarah who has to babysit her baby brother Toby, a job she doesn’t really like, to say the least. The fantasy book Labyrinth is her life, and one day she calls upon the Goblin King from that book, to take Toby away. Pretty much to her surprise it happens for real, and she has to travel to a magic Labyrinth to get her brother back. With a wonderful cast of creatures from the Jim Henson studios, there is so much to enjoy in this film. It features great music from Bowie, very impressive special effects, and is also one of those excellent feel good movies. Now 30 years old, it has withstood the test of time very well, and is still every bit as fun to watch, as when this movie was first released.

Transformers: the movie (1986)

Ahh, Transformers. That was the toy from my childhood, and ofcourse the best cartoon ever made (well at least to my 10 year old mind). Featuring robots that could transform into cars, planes, weapons etc. (Hence the name duh), it was one if the hottest things from the 80’s. The heroic Autobots fought against the evil Decepticons to protect the Earth and it’s inhabitants. This movie turned things pretty dark however as my childhood hero, the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, was killed off. I was absolutely stunned at the time, and remember staring at the screen in total shock and disbelief when that happened. Ofcourse now we have Michael Bay’s version of this classic animation series. Even though I quite enjoy those big budget blockbuster movies, the original is still the best and will never be surpassed. Roll out!

The Neverending Story (1984)

With a themesong that was stuck in your mind for the rest of the day when you heard it, the Neverending Story is also a wonderful fantasy movie for all ages. The young boy Bastian, who has a lot of trouble at school and home, one day comes across a mysterious book. The title of the book: the Neverending Story. When Bastian begins reading the book, he is transported to a magical land, which is about to be consumed by a great evil. It is up to the young boy to save the land from impending doom, and in the end he ends up saving himself as well. Featuring a whole bunch of fantastical creatures, a great story and some fantastic music, it really is highly recommended to everyone who likes fantasy. Simply put, movies like this are just not made anymore these days.

The Goonies (1985)

The last, but certainly not the least, movie of this post is the Goonies. A group of youngsters are about to lose their home. When cleaning up they come across a treasure map, which supposedly leads to the long lost riches of a pirate captain. Travelling down a tunnelsystem full of traps, and pursued by a bunch of criminals, the Goonies risk everything to find the treasure. This is, if I were to make a comparison, pretty much Indiana Jones for kids. But it is hard not to like this movie, even when your older, as it features a lot of great humor, great setpieces and is an absolute joy to watch.

Final thoughts

Well, and that just about brings me to the end of this post. At times it is just nice to look back on things and revisit some of the movies that made an impact on you. Even though I was still very young at the time that these movies were made, they had a lasting impression on my mind. Strange really, as all of them are 30 years old, or even older. Memory can be a weird thing at times. However, even though old, all of these movies are still highly enjoyable to watch, and if you have never seen them before, it is worth it to track them down.

So how about you? Do you have any favorite movies that you remember from your childhood? Are maybe a few of the movies above on your list? Let me know in the comments section below.

As always, thank you for reading, and see you at the next post!