2009/11 is 1980s Kids Dream or a nightmare?

There’s no point of hiding it, I’m 34 next month and what they used to call, “Thatchers children”; a kid during the 1980’s when Margaret Thatcher dictatorship was a reign of terror over the British population. She openly admitted she would press the button and blow us all up with a nuke bomb, if Russia or any of its allies remotely pissed her off. Mass unemployment, closing many of the country’s core industries, it was a scary and depressing  era to live in. But, I always remembered  the magical (and some times awful) kids television programmes and films.

There’s many programmes and cartoons of an era long gone; The cartoons I remember are: Danger Mouse and his faithful assistant, as they fought the evil Baron Greenback and the voices where all done by David Jason (who brought us the classic Delboy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses)

Dogtanian, “One for all and all for one, muskahounds always ready…..”!!!  A classic Spanish/Japanese cartoon, canine version, of the 3 musketeers, there was also Dungeons and Dragons, Rod Hull and Emu, Knightmare (the interactive Dungeons and dragon style game), He Man and the Masters of the Universe and some of my favorites Spiderman and his amazing friends, incredible Hulk and my all time favourite Ulysses 31, the Greek mythological inspired sci-fi anime.

What I remember of the 1980’s is that it introduced me to a lot of things, that I didn’t realise. I was exposed to a love of punk music as in American Hardcore punk (I just found that I own a Gorilla Biscuits Vinyl LP). Mids 80’s, whilst on summer holiday from school, I woke up late one day and started watching an unusual but amazing animation; I was to later learn it was Laputa: Castle in the sky, my first full Japanese anime. This was the decade that brought such classics as Ghostbusters, Clash of the Titans (the first ever movie I can remember  going to see as a child), The Never Ending Story, Golden Child, Terminator, Tron, Untouchables, 2 Star Wars movies, Indiana Jones, The Goonies.. I could  go on forever. Let’s just say there was more cheese on the TV and the big screen than there was on a slice of toast.

As I’ve said many times on this blog, since my time in Manchester, my love for movies has become stronger year by year and the last few years right up until now. But, I’m a little concerned, also over the moon, that many iconic films are being remade or they’ll be another installment.  The talk at the moment is the third installment of Ghostbusters, reuniting Murray and Akroyd to take on the ghosts again in 2011ish, 25 years after the last movie. Will the marshmallow man return? Recently we have seen Indiana Jones and Rambo return. Sly has planned to give John Rambo another crack at killing some bad guys, but I have to say that this one has gone on too far; Even though it wasn’t a great movie, by the way No 4  finished you’d assumed that it was giving the franchise some closure, well we’re mistaken. Just recently Terminator returned to a very mixed reception, it had great SFX but a poor script. We will have a fifth movie as well in 2011, here’s hoping that whoever the director is, it will return some pride back into the franchise. Another version of Superman will also be returning in 2001, I’ve never been a fan of the movies plus I never got a chance to see the 2006 version but it will get another revamp.

The one unusual return to the big screen sometime in 2010 will be Tron or Tr2n, with Jeff Bridges and Bruce Loxentier reviving their roles. I never watched Tron from the start to finish, but in terms of computer CGI, it was miles ahead of everyone else; So it will be interesting to see just how it pans out. The music will be produced by French robo-electronic band Daft Punk. Some things though are best left where we left them like the 1980’s!  Upon hearing that The Goonies, an amazing kids movie, would be greenlit for a sequel, I find myself thinking. “Please don’t! You’re treading on sacred ground and will ruin the original!” How many of the original line up can actually still act? Most of them are either over-weight or recovering (or still) junkies / alcoholics, I suppose Sean Astin is the only safe bet.

Eddie Murphy is desperate to get some of the popularity back that he had in the 1980’s, by making Another Beverly Hills cop. Axel Foley was a bit funny in first 2, but..well.. Eddie needs the cash. Others set to return are Universal Soldier; with Dolph ready to reprise his role. (With the exception of the first, it was a poor franchise) Robocop ( please, please, please why?! This would have to be a revamp rather than another installment) and Untouchables (a fantastic film, but how many of the orginal cast will return and it would have to be a prequel, sorry don’t ruin a movie classic please!)

The tv programmes of the 1980’s are also getting the big screen treatment, one such programme is Fame; those cheesy kids?! How many of the old cast will be there? This had the 7pm BBC 1 slot, but I dont think personally this would have been made if a certain Disney’s High School musical was created and became so successful. Fame inspired High School Msuical and would naturally be the next step up, as the students got older and moved into university. But  there has been one programmes from the 1980’s that deserved a shot at the big screen “YOU CRAZY FOOLS!!”, The A-Team. “I dont want none of your Jibba-Jabba you crazy fools!!!” Im so envious of who will be playing the A-Team. Here’s hoping that the films shows some respect their TV counterparts, my Saturday night wouldnt have been the same without the A-Team, you crazy foool!!

I’ve just scraped the barrel on what we have to look forward too or cringe at, like any decade it has its great moments and its bad moments and of course some should stay in that decade. Yes this is like a dream come true for many 30 something year olds like myself, a chance to see their childhoods on the big screen. This can be seen as a mark of respect on just how strong TV & film was in this decade, or just simply the writers ideas have dried up that much! Is the noughties so bad when it comes to new original film content? Or has modern technology developed to the point where we can pay proper homage to the source material? Sometimes, even if the techonolgy was limited the type of film suited that style, rather than be modernised; plus some franchises have been going on forever! Isn’t it about time they stopped before they ruin the greatness that was there when they started out? Only time will tell if this is a 1980’s kids dream or a living nightmare for us all.