Hiya!

I know the world is kinda crazy and a lot of stuff has been happening in other countries. There’s a big hoohah about a certain election and new gaming consoles have been released. There’s probably more stuff and situations I’m not mentioning but I’m sorry; I just don’t feel it. Maybe it’s my privilege status or something like that but I’ve just been feeling bored for the past month or so.

This is why I have been drifting back to my brother’s old movie collection and getting his recommendations of what movies he believes I might like to see. I’ve done this a good while ago and I’ve watched a few more ’80s movies since then. I’ve watched 5 more “classic” films since then to be exact. As someone who doesn’t have any history with them, here are my thoughts on them!

The Karate Kid (1984)

Hmm… maybe now I won’t be so lost when I watch Cobra Kai?

The Karate Kid franchise is surprising regarding how big it deceptively is. Not only did it get a trilogy of films, it also launched a Saturday morning cartoon series, a spin-off film starring Hillary Swank which no one remembers, a reboot starring Will Smith’s kid and Jackie Chan (and doesn’t have anything to do with karate) and, finally, a web series where the bad guy from the first Karate Kid film is the protagonist. Wow, talk about going full circle! I’m getting ahead of myself as I only watched the first movie.

I liked the movie but mostly because of Mr. Miyagi and how he trains Daniel Laruso. However, I do have some issues with Daniel being kind of a dick. I know this isn’t a new observation but, yeah. He kinda is. Also, I was confused why Mr. Miyagi would call his student, Daniel-san. Why the honorific when he’s the elder and the master? I guess this was because no one in the film’s production really knew anything about Japanese culture? I was actually amazed how, despite the fights not being all the engaging, I got drawn into the story. It was more about Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s relationship that made the Karate Kid a good watch.

Clue (1985)

People found it silly when they made the board game Battleship into a movie. That wouldn’t have happened during the ’80s when people were smar… waitaminute.

I have played the board game before but I honestly never knew they made a full-length theatrical film based on it! It’s weird but making a movie based on Clue just makes a whole lot of sense after seeing it. For one thing, I do enjoy a good murder mystery or, more to the point, I love the general atmosphere of a traditional whodunnit. I don’t think you’ll really be able to solve the murder… murders? Anyway, Clue sadly doesn’t really bother with sprinkling hints at who actually did it. I’m not sure if the writers knew themselves as evident by the several possible endings I saw! I still think the third ending was the best and most satisfying one, though.

Even without the actual satisfying murder mystery, Clue is still a super fun film! It’s mostly thanks to the superb cast here. I know Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd and Martin Mull but I didn’t know the rest of the cast. Well, I know Michael McKean but I didn’t recognize him as Mr. Green! There are just so many funny moments throughout and I really laughed out loud several times. Sometimes, I didn’t really understand why it was funny… but it just was!

I had a blast with Clue. Not enough to play the board game again because I suck at it. However, I’m not above watching the movie again! I know it didn’t make a ton of money when it was released but, after watching it, it makes me wish Hollywood would stop making remakes of films which don’t deserve it and remake Clue with modern sensibilities. Get a talented comedic cast and allow them to adlib and I’m sure it’ll be gold!

Tron (1982)

A video game movie but it’s not based on a video game? Weird.

I know Tron is a cult classic and beloved by a lot of geeks all around the world… but I’m sorry. I just didn’t like Tron. I love the concept and I’m sure the special effects were mind-blowing at the time. However, since I watched it with modern sensibilities, Tron just doesn’t hold up. The light cycle action scene felt oddly slow, despite it supposed to be a heart pumping adrenaline rush of speed. Even the story just seems to plod along at a snail’s pace. It was just too slow for my taste.

I will say I was very impressed with the special effects. I know digital effects weren’t big and computers weren’t super powerful at the time so I can’t imagine how much painstaking work had to be done to code the computer graphics necessary. It’s not visually impressive now but I can appreciate all the trouble they went to. In fact, the rather stiff graphics makes the movie look like an old video game, which works out well. Still, Tron was too boring for my taste.

First Blood (1982)

Technically, shouldn’t this movie be called Rambo: The Prequel?

I have watched the other movies featuring John Rambo, especially the ones set during the ’80s but I never did watch First Blood because my stupid brain didn’t put two and two together and realize it was the first film! Even so, my experience with the Rambo films led me to believe First Blood was just going to be Rambo mowing down soldiers and the like. Imagine my surprise to find out First Blood was all about Rambo killing a bunch of small town cops who abuse their power!

I have somewhat mixed feelings about First Blood. I enjoyed it well enough. The story is actually pretty good and the acting is more than passable. It has a good message about taking care of war veterans who sacrificed both their mind and body and it’s not our turn to take care of them. The thing is, First Blood wasn’t what I expected. This was a gritty and realistic movie… for the most part, which is far and away what I didn’t expect. I say give it a watch as it does hold up because of its engaging story and characters.

Weird Science (1985)

Catchy tune! Must be from the ’80s!

Okay, I get the ’80s was a strange and materialistic time when popularity was priority numero uno for teenagers. I also know, if you’re a character in a movie, being smart and nerdy automatically makes you a loser but the main protagonist. I also know it was totally within the realm of believability to create a woman with superpowers by connecting wires to a Barbie doll and zapping it with lightning. Still, Weird Science was… weird.

This is also going to be a weird reaction as, while I did find Weird Science an enjoyable watch, it never reached a level of fun for me to actually recommend it. Besides the song, the story is very forgettable and, forgive me if I’m wrong, but did the main characters actually learn anything by the end? They mostly relied on their magical girl to do all the heavy lifting! By the end, I don’t thing there were any lessons learned or actual character growth from either of them! I know it’s supposed to by a teen wish-fulfillment dream experience but there’s just no meat to it. Oh, it’s a fun romp but the conclusion failed to impress.

Byee!

Have other ’80s movie ideas I possibly haven’t watched yet? Let me know what they are in the comments section below!