Childhood movie milestones (1 Viewer)

[EdR]

I apologize if there's a thread about this topic already, but it's a difficult thing to search for.

I'm curious what movies really affected other HTFers as kids (preferably seen in theaters and not on TV). I'm specifically not asking about movies that have stood the test of time (although they may have), but movies that you remember as being incredible experiences when you saw them as a kid, let's say 17 or younger.

I'm 34, so I need to go back 17 years. In no particular order:

Aliens - Left me absolutely breathless, a smart action film with a strong female lead. I can still remember the sense of forlorn dread when the 'rescue' ship crashed, the gut wrenching thrill of the queen alien scenes...and the incredibly well-timed humor of the line: "get away from her you B*****!"

Tron - I was a Tron freak, I saw it somewhere around 10-15 times. I'll never forget the first time I saw the solar sailer "rez-up" in the hangar. And of course who could forget the amazing light cycle scene. I still love the design of the movie, which stands out even now. And don't get me started on Recognizers, they even sounded cool!

Raiders of the Lost Ark - I was completely sucked in by this ride of a movie.

Wargames - I adored this movie probably because I could identify with matthew Broderick's character. No, I wasn't a hacker (although a friend and I did dial-up defense dept. computers once, but they were not classified or restricted). I loved all the stuff about artificial intelligence. And I loved the scene where he sneaks out of the infirmary in NORAD.

Earthquake - At 7 years old, I was so scared seeing this that I asked my mom if I could leave the theater. We had just moved to California and I was petrified of earthquakes. I left and never saw the end in the theater (I did see on TV years later, and wondered why I was so scared).

Star Wars & Empire Strikes Back - I don't need to add anything here.

E.T. - I was deeply affected by this movie as a 13 year old.

Those are the one's that come to mind, maybe some of you will remind me of more.

 

[ThomasC]

I know you wanted just theater experiences, but I couldn't leave this out: I watched The Sound of Music countless times on VHS when I was a kid (around 15 years ago). I didn't understand the plot back then, the songs were what pulled me in.

I can still the remember the relative location of where I was sitting in the theater when I saw Jurassic Park, and I think that theater (one of the Century theaters in San Jose) had the biggest screen I've ever seen a movie on, with the possible exception of IMAX.

Crimson Tide: Great movie, but that's not what got me at the time. I had never heard so many swear words in that amount of time before.

 

[Christopher P]

I am 27, and my earliest theater memory is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. When the music played and the credits rolled, I stood up feeling like I hadn't moved in 2 whole hours (as I probably didn't). It hardly even seemed as if the time passed I was so engrossed. That one stands out the most for me.

Chris

 

[Robbie_P]

Probably one I remember was when a group of us (10 yr old's) went to see superman (don't know which one), but it had finished it's run and Platoon was on in its place - we'd no idea what it was, nor what to expect butI remember my jaw hitting the floor on more than a few occasions...

Another film I remember - the Clint/Chas Rookie movie. Probably the first film that I sat through and realised how crap some movies could really be

 

[Alex Spindler]

I recall the following:
Conan the Barbarian (1982) - This is the first R-Rated film I remember seeing. I enjoyed the action, but I think I enjoyed the idea of seeing an "adult" movie even more.

Die Hard (1988) - I think this was the first time I realized how great a movie could be. Perhaps it was the time, but I can't recall anything matching the awe I had for this movie. Everything from the sound design (which I didn't even know how to look for at the time), music, action, dialog, effects, and resolution hit a nerve. Not even Indiana Jones or Star Wars sequels made as much of an impact.

The Goonies (1985) - Absolutely the ultimate adventure in my young eyes. With crass heroes, funny bad guys, great adventure, traps, Sloth, and Mouth's translation, I was in heaven.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - The first film I recall that truly scared me. I don't think a similar effect happened until Candyman. I saw this on video at a relative's home and I have the most minute details of that house burned into memory because of this movie.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - I think this was the first film that I unintentionally memorized dialog for. Goonies followed soon after.


Man, am I ever a child of the eighties.

 

[Simon Massey]

Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi double bill : I was too young to see the first two in the cinema but when Jedi came out, they ran a double of both films in the cinema. The one cinema experience by which all others are measured. I was transfixed for 4 hours, and could have sat through it all again straight away. I was 7 years old. Vader scared the life out of me in ESB, especially in the Dagobah cave and when he jumps out at Luke in the last part of the lightsabre fight. And I loved the Ewoks!!

E.T : I cried and cried.....and then cried some more....and then Elliot met ET.....

Jaws : saw this on TV, but it had an extremely strong effect on me, and I have never been comfortable swimming in the sea since.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom : I had seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, so I was really looking forward to this. I begged my Mum to take me for weeks, and I was really enjoying the film.....and then the sacrifice of the man in the lava pit scared the life out of me. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards, dreaming that my bedroom floor was opening up and I was going to drop in some lava pit.

Basic Instinct - the first 18 certificate film (UK rating) that I got in to see at the cinema. And of course I thought it was the greatest film ever at the time.....:b

Batman - I really loved this film, and thought Batman was great, with all his gadgets, especially when he pulls the guy to him at the beginning and says "I'm Batman." I also loved his car and plane and was disappointed when they changed the car in Batman Forever. In fact, I really hated the entire change of tone from Returns to Forever, and don't get me started on Batman and Robin.
The Lion King : when I realised that liking a Disney film didn't mean you were being babyish

 

[Dan Rudolph]

The Goonies: slick shoes. I really wanted a pair of those, but I don't think they actually exist.

 

[Matt Stone]

Jaws - My parents rented it, and I watched it with them. It didn't scare me as much as I thought, but I loved it! For years my buddies and I played Jaws at the pool. (IE, one of us pretends to maul everyone else )

The Goonies - Watched it constantly on tape. I was told that I saw it at the theater, but I had to be like 3, so I don't remember.

Robocop - Another movie that I first watched on tape for the first time. I still cannot believe my Mom let me watch this at such a young age...but I loved it (which explains why I'm so screwed up now ). From my first viewing, I wish I could store a gun in my leg

Oddly enough, I can't remember too many that I saw at the theater. I can definitely remember seeing a lot of films there, but I can't remember any special moments.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi - I think I wore out my VHS copy of SW. Hell, it was such a horrible copy I didn't see the opening text crawl until I was well into junior high school. Yep, I've got the toys and everything. According to family lore, I watched ROTJ six times in theaters. I can only remember one time.

Back to the Future - It was the first movie where it left me hanging so bad with that "to be continued" mark.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - It gave me all the fodder I needed to give my Indian friends hell in high school.

 

[Adam_S]

Return of the Jedi - first memory I have of a movie is Jabba's palace, Jabba being so terrifying and scary that I jumped behind the couch whenever he came on screen (saw this on taped off HBO first ROTJ then ESB after it on the same tape). Jabba, not Greedo, is the reason I want the originals on dvd.

The Land Before Time - my first memory of watching a film in a theater, I later memorized the script from watching our Pizza Hut vhs so much.

Spaceballs - saw it and thought it was hysterical, starting on my eighth or ninth birthday I insisted on renting this every year to watch it at my party, every one of my friends thought it was great, it became a tradition that lasted until I was fourteen.

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - I watched this almost as much as Land Before Time, I themed my ninth Birthday as a robin Hood birthday, just a wonderful movie that I loved to death.

Hook - I got this as a ninth birthday present, soon became one of my all time, my neighbor and I could trade the entire pre foodfight insult war back and forth verbatim, with either one of us doing either part--we watched it that much.

I think those were the most significant, the movies that at one time or another were my all time favorites.

 

[Peter Mazur]

One of my earliest memories is seeing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I was probably 4 and we went to the drive-in. That movie scared me silly and I cried almost the whole time. The scene where the fat kid got stuck in the pipe especially freaked me out.

Another early memory is seeing Disney's Robin Hood. That movie I loved.

I will never forget the first time I saw Star Wars. It was a summer night in 1977 and we waited in line for a long time. Inside it was so crowded that my family couldn't sit together. I sat with my dad and the thing that I remember is when Luke got sucked under in the compactor scene, I must have looked scared because my dad leaned over and said, "He won't die, he's the main character".

When Superman came out we saw that on New Years Day 1979. I remember it well because the dog we had since I was born died that day. Every-time I watch that film I think about him. Plus the scene where Krypton exploded was very intense. Especially the scene where you see all the people falling into infinity.

The next film and the one that leaves the greatest impact on me is The Empire Strikes Back. I will never ever forget the feeling I got the first time I saw the walkers appear and open fire on the base. That for me was a true "Hollywood Magic" scene. I had never seen anything like it before.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was of course great. I never liked ET. And the first and only time I saw Jedi in the theater, I was so disappointed and extremely bored by it. I was in my teens at that time though and some of the magic was gone.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Trying to hold very strongly to the 'seen in cinema' rule:

Return Of The Jedi - First film I remember seeing. Back when I was so young I never really understood about special effects, and so I thought you could really get those cool 'laser swords'.

ET the Extra-Terrestrial - Never saw it on its first run, but I saw it when it was rereleased around 1985. By then I had read the picture storybook, so I knew what was going to happen, but I still loved the film.
My main memory of seeing ET wasn't as a child, but last year when they had the 20th Anniversary version. My grandmother had died that morning, and so I had taken the week off work. But I couldn't drive back home until next day. So, trying to find something to do to take my mind of it, I decided to go to my usual security blanket - the cinema. ET is a bad film to see if you're trying not to think about people dying.

Jurassic Park on opening weekend was a pretty incredible experience. The gasps of delight and amazement were cool.

Peter Pan - I remember my grandfather taking me to see a rerelease, and I remember being quite sad when I was told that Disney was no longer with us.

Back To The Future - I remember thinking 'wow' after seeing that film. The whole disappearing thing was kinda freaky. Then there was BTTF Part 2 which is my favorite of the three - I remember loving the film, especially the whole replay of scenes from the first film. And what kid didn't want hoverboards, and believed that rumour that they really existed. I'm not a big fan of BTTF Part 3, although now I like some of the ideas of going back to the start of Hill Valley, when I was younger it seemed too much of a departure from the earlier films. But I did like them all.

Back to the Future - It was the first movie where it left me hanging so bad with that "to be continued" mark.

You do know that the "To Be Continued" was added on video, don't you? That's why the DVD doesn't have it.

And while I thought the link to the Urban Legends website is interesting for a discussion of the rumour, I completely disagree with the assessment of the film.

 

[OcieB]

i cant believe nobody has said The Sandlot. "Yeah? Well, you play ball like a GIIIIRRRRRRRL!"

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I used to constantly watch the Goonies and Spaceballs on tape. My mom got sick of it and taped over them.

 

[Jason Walstrom]

The Road Warrior I remember my Mom would not let me see this movie as she dubbed it some bad, violent, cheap, italian looking movie.(huh?) And then I went to visit my dad in california for the summer and I got to see it in one of the giant theaters in Westwood, And my life was changed forever, including not being able to stand local small mall cineplexes anymore.

 

[EdHoch]

First movie seen in a theater : The Disney version of Robin Hood.

First big time Wow! moment...age 9...seeing the trailer for Superman: The Movie before seeing Star Wars in 1977. This was the one with just the names flying by through clouds and the voice over "you will believe a man can fly..."
I was a Spider man fan thanks to Electric Company, but Superman was a close second, so I was jazzed to see that movie...

That trailer was quickly topped by, of course, Star Wars, which has stayed with me to this day.

Close Encounters - Everybody talks about the mother ship over Devil's tower, which was awesome...but the moment that sticks with me is when Roy Neary is stopped at the train tracks...he waves the first car around, and gets yelled at..he waves the next "car" around and it goes UP!...big time WOW moment for me at the movies

Superman 1978...age 10...when Supes looks into the camera and smiles at the end...just too cool...

Empire - "I am your Father!" ...age 12...floored, did not see that coming... It is too bad that with the internet, etc, keeping something like that a secret will probably NEVER happen again. The whole crowd gasped.

Raiders - ...age 13...faces melting at the end...my parents didn't like it...too over the top...I of course thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.

Star Trek II - ...age 14...Spock's death...had heard rumors, great misdirection with the opening...main characters weren't supposed to die...but it was so noble...so perfect to give the story some depth... and then of course, some hope at the end...

Those were the big ones...

 

[Tim Glover]

Being 39, movies seen at 17 and younger rules out alot of great movie experiences but this is a good thread specifying childhood movie milestones.

1. Star Wars, 1977. Still remember where I saw this. We were with my aunt in Jonesboro, Arkansas visiting. She wanted to take my mom, 2 sisters, and myself to see A Bridge Too Far . Thank God, my mom stood her ground and took us to see Star Wars. Changed my movie going life forever.

2. You will laugh at this because it's pretty cheezy. I think it was in 1973 or 74, Disney's The World's Greatest Athlete . I loved this movie as a young kid.

3. The Love Bug. Good, cheezeball Disney fun. Still holds up.

4. Meatballs with Bill Murray. My first Murray movie experience and in the 8th grade loved this movie. I think I was the only one though.

5. Grease. I'll admit to knowing EVERY line of dialogue and song. Favorite scene is still "Beauty School Dropout". However, back then I was a little more naive and didn't catch all the smutty words in some of those tunes!

6. Jaws. I'm one of 6 kids. My dad took my older 2 brothers to the midnight Friday show. The next day, my mom was going to take me and my older sister. At lunch though, my dad was telling us a little about Jaws, and said..."It was scary, but the scariest part was when they brought the live shark on stage". My sister and I believed him until after the show. Remembering spilling my popcorn when Brody says, "we're going to need a bigger boat!"

7. The Empire Strikes Back. This was the movie I saw more than any other at the theater until Jedi came out. I had only been driving for a couple of years when this hit the screens so I was able to go with friends and alone when I wanted to...which was a lot.

8. Superman, The Movie. Great fun and still the best comic book to movie there is.

 

[Jack Briggs]

The Great Train Robbery.

 

[Greg_S_H]

The first movie I remember seeing in the theater was Star Wars. I was four years old. I couldn't follow it completely, but I was terrified of Vader and did NOT want to go to the "dark side of the forest," wherever that was. I dozed off the first time, but I loved the movie and I'm sure we went back a few times. The end of the '70s are a blur of Star Wars toys and days pretending to be Luke Skywalker.

I was older at the time, but I remember going to see C.H.U.D. at the theater only because it had the guy from Blue Thunder (Daniel Stern). Who goes to see a movie just for Daniel Stern? I did.

E.T. was pretty big. It was one of the only movies I saw twice in one day (maybe THE only). I saw it during the day and insisted that my mother, sister and grandmother see it later that night.

And, Terminator. I thought it was about the coolest thing I ever saw. The twist at the end took my breath away. I saw it with my dad, and tried to go back with a friend. They wouldn't let us in.

Finally, I was also drawn in by Wargames. Outside of the Star Wars films, that was one of the few I went to see multiple times. I still watch it any time I see it on.

 

[Matthew_Millheiser]

I grew up with movies all around me, but only four really stand out as milestones:

1. Star Wars - it's a bit cliche, isn't it? But I was six years old in 1977. I went with my mom, my uncle, and my sister to a small local theater that is now an Evinrude retailer. I didn't even understand everything that happened in the movie at the time, but I was enthralled beyond words. Over the next 2 years I would return to see this at least two dozen times. And, in a nice turn of events, I now live about a thirty second walk from the theater/Evinrude retailer.

2. Superman - 1978. As I've said many times on this forum, this was the only film that made me forget Star Wars. I was a huge Superman and comic book geek, with a ton of exposure to Golden Age and Silver Age Superman tales. I couldn't wait for the film, and when I finally saw it I almost exploded with delight. There was nothing about it I didn't love. Twenty-five years later, I feel exactly the same way. (OK, the "Can You Read My Mind" bit is cheesy, corny, and unnecessary. But I wouldn't get rid of it for the world.)

3. Seven Samurai - 1983. My Dad took me to a local arthouse theater to see Kurosawa's masterpiece. I was 12, rather surly, and didn't want to sit through three hours of an old black-and-white movie, especially one with subtitles. What a jackass I was. Needless to say, I was floored from frame one. It not only opened up the world of Kurosawa to me, but that of foreign film in general.

4. Die Hard/A Fish Called Wanda -- 1988. Saw both of them for the first time on the same day. My greatest day of movies -- ever.

These four events stand out more than any others in terms of milestones. There have been others, but these four just make me kvell like nobody's business.