Movies of your youth that have aged poorly

Y'all are nuts...TRANSFORMERS is still a great 70 minute avalanche of violence- mercy killings, execution-style murders, beloved characters dropping like flies, "You Got the Touch"...come on man, Optimus riding out to (spoiler)
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.
(spoiler) is one of the classic moments in 1980s kid cinema. Sure, they were just wiping the slate clean for a new line of toys, but at least they did it in robot blood.

And EXCALIBUR is awesome. I think that film was the first time I ever saw a naked girl. My parents took me to see it when I was six. "It is the sword of powa!"

Yeah, the cynicism that infects us all as we grow older does ruin Transformers a bit.

When you're a kid, you're shocked at all the violence and the death of your favorite characters.

When you're older, you see, "Ah, sweeping aside the old for a new line of toys that they won't have to pay royalties on (due to using molds/likenesses from other toy lines)."


I still like the movie, though. Got my old trusty VHS if I ever need to revisit.


Did you guys know that Orson Welles didn't even know the name of the movie he'd done the voice work for? He was quoted as saying something like he had done voice work for "this awful movie where these robots did awful things to each other" or something like that.

I recently saw one of my all time favourites - TOP SECRET - again. It slow, a lot of the jokes are absolutely lame (I know a little German - he's sitting right there), and frankly it wasn't very funny. But I know for sure I'll still have lots of fun retelling a lot of the jokes to people who've also seen it.

Oh man, here's a good one. CLOAK AND DAGGER. I can't believe I ever thought Dabney Coleman was "cool". I actually had the board game too.

Flash Gordon. Always got a kick out of that movie. Maybe the charm has worn off because I'm sober.

daveroswell wrote:

Flash Gordon. Always got a kick out of that movie. Maybe the charm has worn off because I'm sober.

Flash Gordon (not to be confused with Flesh Gordon) was what happens when the producers tried to mesh 30's era matinee features with 70's era disco and funk excesses. If they had actually not tried to be 70's camp it would have been a classic film.

That said, Queen's soundtrack is the best part of the film.

I think that film was the first time I ever saw a naked girl. My parents took me to see it when I was six.

Your parents let you see it when you were 6? Holy crap. My first R flick with nudity was probably Fame or S.O.B. on cable. I'd seen History of the World Part I first, but it didn't have nudity.

You've sold me on Goonies, I am finally willing to give it a try. But I hated Roger Rabbit so badly. And I'm a big fan of Warners Brothers cartoons. But Roger Rabbit was lame and super-annoying. P-p-p-pluh-leeze!

You watched it for the Rabbit? No wonder you hated it. Roger Rabbit came out when I was in college; some buddies and I went to go see it on a Friday night. Halfway during the film, one of my friends turned to me and said, "Do you realize that there are probably a lot of 12 year olds whose first wet dream will be of Jessica Rabbit?" There was nothing that I could say after that line.

--Mike L.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

The Goonies doesn't hold up? What the hell?

WHERE IS THE THUMBS UP BUTTON?

FLASH?! What are you talking about? He's a miracle! He'll save every one of us!

I actually like the picture a lot...it's definitely in the tradition of BARBARELLA, and I'm pretty sure that was what the filmmakers were going for. Unfortunately, in 1981 that level or type of kitsch wasn't really in vogue. It's totally stupid, no doubt.

ET didn't age well for me...when I saw it as a kid, I wept because ET died. Now I realize that it's just the Christ story with a Reeses Pieces shilling alien. Who, incidentally, was designed by Carlo Rambaldi, who did all this unbelievably hideous and gruesome effects work in Italian horror pictures in the 1970s before he went "soft".

Michael Barnes wrote:

[ET], incidentally, was designed by Carlo Rambaldi, who did all this unbelievably hideous and gruesome effects work in Italian horror pictures in the 1970s before he went "soft".

Hmmm. You mentioned Rambaldi--disparagingly--and failed to point out that he did the effects for Lynch's Dune. Two years later, no less. Say what you will about that film--the effects and look were goddamned awesome.

The only film I'm agreeing witrh so far is transformers - what a stupid cartoon. All the 'deaths' happened in the first 15 minutes in like 2 seconds.
I still have the DVD though. But there is no way it's quality.

If flash didn't have the camp it wouldn't be the classic it is today. "I never knew what kind of man my father was until he unleased the bore worms on me."

Roger Rabbit (the character) was supposed to be annoying - that's a major plot point. WFRR is the greatest love letter to the old 'more adult' style of comedy cartoons that we will never see again.

Huh? Disparagingly? Rambaldi was a GENIUS, his stuff is amazing...including ET. The Italian stuff he did was incredible...DUNE as well!

Flash Gordon is the best. That has totally aged fine, and I rank it as an 80s classic, one third of the perfect De Laurentiis Trinity, Conan, Dune and Flash. The Queen soundtrack, the glorious theatrical bellowing of Brian Blessed, Max von Sydow and "Topol". And Munson! That was my younger brothers nickname from the age of 1 to the age of 3. That movie is officially a timeless classic to me, and not just because I watched it once a week growing up.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

The Goonies doesn't hold up? What the hell?
When compared to the PC shit that passes for kids films these days it's better than ever!

Totally agree with you and all your points. I saw it recently and had a blast. Kid movies like that just don't get made anymore... I did like Stand by me, but I don't think it reaches the level of The Goonies.

As for some of the other films mentioned, I'd say ET is still great, although that nonesense of replacing the guns with walkie-talkies was pretty stupid... I also love Flash Gordon, although there are other sci-fi films from that time I like more...

-Jorge

Mallrats. Thought it was a witty riot when I was 16. Alas, time has been unkind to this classic of witty nerds chatting. It just seems dumb now.

Clerks only holds up marginally better.

I was really disappointed to realise exactly how shallow Akira turned out to be without the help of hallucinagens and and some good pot.