What makes it so great? For one the emphasis on story, it’s all to common a phenomenon that the cinematic method of story telling is doomed to crazy films who at their heart is some kind of bizarre message about the torment of life and the importance of embracing death. Film is, after all, escapism. The reason people show up in drones at the cinema box-office is to forget these unfortunate realities and see what kind of sticky situation Indiana Jones might get into.
Art films were out and fantastical stories of whimsy and adventure were in. There was a clear sense of experimentation and risk, children could swear and talk about girls and the CCM’s (Crazy Christian Mothers) of the world hadn’t sunken their teeth into pure entertainment.
The kind of things todays society would be in uproar over were done with utter relaxedness in those days. Barely a passing thought was given to the so called ‘vulgarities’ and people had a willingness to go for it.
Still, as with just about any form of expression, people can’t wait to stamp unjust censorship all over it and before you know it the party is over, with only a brief capsule in time to remember it by.
Now, onto the films:
1.The Goonies.
What could be better, to any child of the 80s, than a gang of friends chasing down lucrative treasure? As these four fearless explorers face danger and demise at every turn, they think nothing of it. I guarantee you that kids only wish they could be so brave.
The Goonies got us out of the same old boring routine and into real exploration and adventure, if only for an hour or two.
2.Heathers.
Where has the black comedy gone? You can imagine the stir a film like this would cause today.
A pair of high school students killing several of their fellow students, before the age of the school shooting this was an acceptable subject to tackle, but now people would lose it over how it inspires violence and each and every crazy person who goes too far with a gun is not to blame, it’s the film, its always the film.
We are lucky, as students of pop culture, that the brave souls who made this were able to do it before too many stupid, anguished high school students went on killing sprees.
3.The Lost Boys.
This one doesn’t quite fit into the same risky niche as the previous two, but it deserves a spot on the list simply because it couldn’t exist anywhere but the 80s. A family relocates to a town infested by teen vampires, wherein the oldest brother himself becomes a vampire and the younger brother teams with two crazed comic shop owners and novice vampire hunters to kill the head vampire and free the clans souls.
Of course there are twists and turns and a whole host of booming high fashion moments; such as Timmy Capello gyrating in skin tight pants with a greased up, muscular torso and a saxophone (an image, a friend and I decided was amongst the out and out coolest of the 20th century).
The other crowning achievement of this film is its success in the comedy-horror genre, a style that could only truly shine bright in the 80s.
A far cry from the wank-fest that would be Twilight in later years.
This man is much cooler than you.
4 Back to the Future.
A friend once told me the time-travel theme hadn’t been done enough, and if it had it hadn’t been done well enough.
This is true, but this future truly grasped the realities of it all. It is logical and you don’t find yourself struggling with the choices they make.
Above all though, it is fun. Marty and Doc against it all, seemingly opposite they’re the only ones who can properly understand it all.
With generations of enemies to the McFly clan, Marty has a chance to meet most of them and is understandably horrified when one of them is married to his mother.
This fun franchise also gave us real hope for the future, who amongst you isn’t wanting their hover-board or self-fitting, self-drying jacket right now?
5. The Karate Kid.
What wannabe red blooded male child didn’t want to be Daniel-Son? To be trained by the wise and reliable Mr. Myagi in the ways of kicking ass, but with a strict sense of morals and proper judgment.
It’s almost like a buddy cop film. To seemingly polar opposite individuals (in race, economic status and age) can gain a mutual respect and understanding when pitted against a common enemy.
The lessons to be gained from this film are both timeless and priceless. It filled Karate classes over the western world, each student with a sense that to become a good man, one must have the skills while also having the restraint and wisdom to know the apt situations in which to use them.
Of course there are many more, it would be too long a blog to list all of them. These are the starting points, in a wide variety of genres.
The themes are diverse and always have some big meaning to them, but they are enjoyed best as fun stories. Where anything can happen and usually does.
So consider that next time you go to rent a film about deep-seeded civil unrest or a story of love and loss and walking around isolated lands thinking about the meaning of life. Have some fun with it, after all that’s where the real joy is.
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