Star Wars would still be good because it’s a good story, with timeless themes. Young Guns doesn’t hold up because it no longer jibes with history. Tombstone still gets most of its broad strokes pretty accurate. Young Guns doesn’t give two shits for the story or the history, and was a blatant “Look at the new young stars! Remember The Breakfast Club? This is like that, only guns and horses and outlaws! Woo!” It was cashing in on the cool factor, and the music makes Silverado’s music sound like Aaron Copland. Hell, Blazing Saddles is a better Western.
Not all have suffered. I recently saw InnerSpace with Dennis Quaid & Martin Short. It's not a flawless movie but it still remains refreshingly strange in it's comedy.
I’ve been wracking my brain while reading this, and I honestly don’t think I’ve seen either of these (other than clips that might’ve been in the “Blaze of Glory” video).
I loved these movies as a kid. Watched them again later in college with my buddies and laughed more than we should have. Dirty Steve became a meme before memes were a thing. Estevez as Billy was threat level zero. Doc was way more fun as Jack Bauer or David in Lost Boys. It was all too laughable to take them seriously.
This does make me want to rewatch it with a more discerning eye. Maybe they were simply a product of their time. Never intended to be anything more than modern popcorn Westerns. They were never in the same league as classic Westerns my father watched, Ford, Leone or Dances with Wolves or Unforgiven were shortly after. Genre was all they had in common. It was pure late 80s entertainment. Maybe that’s how adults saw them when they came out.
We love ŧhe movies that define an era in our lives.
My MIL, who was Sicilian, worked for the mafia's "legal" business. We got expensive baby gifts from the "family" when our son was born. Godfather 1 &2 will forever be my favorites.
Seeing them again is like settling back into the life I had and who I knew.
I was in college when Young Guns came out, and we enthusiastically embraced it. In all probability, I skipped the sequel. Either that, or I've scrubbed it from my memory. I've attempted to watch the first one again at some point in the last decade but couldn't get past the first few minutes.
“I’ll make ya famous.” Cum’on they were fun westerns just like Tombstone. I have a few problems with it also but in the end they are fun! Gun fights, horses, women, cold beer, range buddies, etc.
Where did you grow up in Detroit? My hometown is Inkster. Spent a lot of time in Dearborn, Detroit, Hamtramck.
I feel this pain. In an effort to reclaim the positive memories of my childhood, I went back and watched and read relics of the era. I tried the Hardy Boys books. Big mistake. They are… not good. The G.I. Joe cartoon? Even worse.
I have the same experience with pretty much all 80’s action we grew up with. Rambo, chuck norris, et al (even Kostner). They’re full of simple ideas, simple characters, with little subtext. Fun for kids the way the hardy boys books are, but I wouldn’t say they suck too hard.
Interesting that I had the same reaction rewatching 3:10 to Yuma which I first saw as a young adult. 15 years later it looked corny as hell.
What's interesting is the 80s action movies that do hold up--Predator, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, for example. In fact, I appreciate them more as time goes by.
I’ve never seen the Young Guns movies, I’m not into Westerns (or romanticizing sociopaths😆)
But there have been a couple of other ‘80s films I loved as a kid that I now find shockingly bad. Namely comedies that don’t hold up for me 3-4 decades later. Off the top of my head: Fletch, Spies Like Us, and The Toy were surprisingly unfunny.
Let me know what you think if you do. I rewatched it because I remembered a hilarious scene in particular, but I was shocked to learn it was the only funny scene!
IMO, what passed for humor too often (but not always) back then was mostly slapstick without wit. A lot of movies labeled “Comedy” were really just amusing stories that didn’t fit into any other genre. Movies have come a long way since then so when I watch certain older films they feel like those 1980s made-for-TV movies 😆
Was it the operation scene? That's the one that stuck in my head. I'll definitely write about it when I watch it. 😁
You're absolutely right about slapstick. It's not any different from the 3 Stooges (which I never really loved either). That said--last year I rewatched We're the Millers for the first time since it came out and I was shocked that it wasn't that funny. Same thing happened with Bridesmaids. So maybe a short lifespan is endemic to the genre.
80s made for TV movies are a special brand of terrible 🤣. Almost synonymous with after school specials.
Eh, I’m pretty sure I didn’t see #2 because as a horsewoman #1 ticked me off. Let’s just say that besides the view of Daniel Craig climbing the alien tower in Cowboys and Aliens, the part of that movie that stood out to me was the correct setup of spade bit and bosalito on Harrison Ford’s horse. Matched what the character would ride. Silverado was another Western that ticked me off because they completely lost continuity during a chase scene and it was pretty blatant—horse ridden by one actor had lots of chrome (white markings) in one frame, the next…nope.
But that’s just a horsewoman’s gripe about a lot of recent westerns. I’m pretty fond of reading ‘em, though.
So you continue to love them, and learn to live with the fact that you can love things which are not objectively good. This is a great and freeing realisation!
I had the same experience when I showed my then 15-year-old daughter 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' which I saw at the same age and which I remembered to be absolutely terrifying.
It is not. We were both underwhelmed to the point of amusement. By god is it a dreadful film. I remain perplexed as to how something so wooden could have so thoroughly scared the willies out of me and all my friends.
Star Wars would still be good because it’s a good story, with timeless themes. Young Guns doesn’t hold up because it no longer jibes with history. Tombstone still gets most of its broad strokes pretty accurate. Young Guns doesn’t give two shits for the story or the history, and was a blatant “Look at the new young stars! Remember The Breakfast Club? This is like that, only guns and horses and outlaws! Woo!” It was cashing in on the cool factor, and the music makes Silverado’s music sound like Aaron Copland. Hell, Blazing Saddles is a better Western.
Not all have suffered. I recently saw InnerSpace with Dennis Quaid & Martin Short. It's not a flawless movie but it still remains refreshingly strange in it's comedy.
I’ve been wracking my brain while reading this, and I honestly don’t think I’ve seen either of these (other than clips that might’ve been in the “Blaze of Glory” video).
Sometimes I feel like we grew up in entirely different eras 🤣
😂😂😂
I loved these movies as a kid. Watched them again later in college with my buddies and laughed more than we should have. Dirty Steve became a meme before memes were a thing. Estevez as Billy was threat level zero. Doc was way more fun as Jack Bauer or David in Lost Boys. It was all too laughable to take them seriously.
This does make me want to rewatch it with a more discerning eye. Maybe they were simply a product of their time. Never intended to be anything more than modern popcorn Westerns. They were never in the same league as classic Westerns my father watched, Ford, Leone or Dances with Wolves or Unforgiven were shortly after. Genre was all they had in common. It was pure late 80s entertainment. Maybe that’s how adults saw them when they came out.
We love ŧhe movies that define an era in our lives.
My MIL, who was Sicilian, worked for the mafia's "legal" business. We got expensive baby gifts from the "family" when our son was born. Godfather 1 &2 will forever be my favorites.
Seeing them again is like settling back into the life I had and who I knew.
I was in college when Young Guns came out, and we enthusiastically embraced it. In all probability, I skipped the sequel. Either that, or I've scrubbed it from my memory. I've attempted to watch the first one again at some point in the last decade but couldn't get past the first few minutes.
“I’ll make ya famous.” Cum’on they were fun westerns just like Tombstone. I have a few problems with it also but in the end they are fun! Gun fights, horses, women, cold beer, range buddies, etc.
Where did you grow up in Detroit? My hometown is Inkster. Spent a lot of time in Dearborn, Detroit, Hamtramck.
I enjoyed the first Young Guns but it wasn't the amazing movie I remembered. The second was just bad.
Lived all over Metro Detroit before my mom moved us up north. Lincoln Park, Romulus, Taylor, plus a stint in Monroe.
I feel this pain. In an effort to reclaim the positive memories of my childhood, I went back and watched and read relics of the era. I tried the Hardy Boys books. Big mistake. They are… not good. The G.I. Joe cartoon? Even worse.
I'm actually rewatching the GI Joe cartoon right now and am kinda enjoying it. It's not great storytelling but the nostalgia factor is very high.
I understand, and that’s fair.
I have the same experience with pretty much all 80’s action we grew up with. Rambo, chuck norris, et al (even Kostner). They’re full of simple ideas, simple characters, with little subtext. Fun for kids the way the hardy boys books are, but I wouldn’t say they suck too hard.
Interesting that I had the same reaction rewatching 3:10 to Yuma which I first saw as a young adult. 15 years later it looked corny as hell.
What's interesting is the 80s action movies that do hold up--Predator, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, for example. In fact, I appreciate them more as time goes by.
perhaps it’s a simple as entertainment vs film?
I am here for zombie Young Guns!
I’ve never seen the Young Guns movies, I’m not into Westerns (or romanticizing sociopaths😆)
But there have been a couple of other ‘80s films I loved as a kid that I now find shockingly bad. Namely comedies that don’t hold up for me 3-4 decades later. Off the top of my head: Fletch, Spies Like Us, and The Toy were surprisingly unfunny.
Comedies definitely age quickly in most cases. It's crazy to think we ever found it funny.
I've been wanting to rewatch Spies Like Us for a while. Now I'm nervous lol
Let me know what you think if you do. I rewatched it because I remembered a hilarious scene in particular, but I was shocked to learn it was the only funny scene!
IMO, what passed for humor too often (but not always) back then was mostly slapstick without wit. A lot of movies labeled “Comedy” were really just amusing stories that didn’t fit into any other genre. Movies have come a long way since then so when I watch certain older films they feel like those 1980s made-for-TV movies 😆
Was it the operation scene? That's the one that stuck in my head. I'll definitely write about it when I watch it. 😁
You're absolutely right about slapstick. It's not any different from the 3 Stooges (which I never really loved either). That said--last year I rewatched We're the Millers for the first time since it came out and I was shocked that it wasn't that funny. Same thing happened with Bridesmaids. So maybe a short lifespan is endemic to the genre.
80s made for TV movies are a special brand of terrible 🤣. Almost synonymous with after school specials.
"Yeah, he’s quick with the steel, but he also a chaotic cyclone of sociopathic energy."
In real life, he killed a double digit number of men before he himself was killed. That is the mark of a true sociopath.
Today he would just be an employee of the president.
Eh, I’m pretty sure I didn’t see #2 because as a horsewoman #1 ticked me off. Let’s just say that besides the view of Daniel Craig climbing the alien tower in Cowboys and Aliens, the part of that movie that stood out to me was the correct setup of spade bit and bosalito on Harrison Ford’s horse. Matched what the character would ride. Silverado was another Western that ticked me off because they completely lost continuity during a chase scene and it was pretty blatant—horse ridden by one actor had lots of chrome (white markings) in one frame, the next…nope.
But that’s just a horsewoman’s gripe about a lot of recent westerns. I’m pretty fond of reading ‘em, though.
So you continue to love them, and learn to live with the fact that you can love things which are not objectively good. This is a great and freeing realisation!
The 80’s western i hope isn’t merely nostalgia is Silverado.
I had the same experience when I showed my then 15-year-old daughter 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' which I saw at the same age and which I remembered to be absolutely terrifying.
It is not. We were both underwhelmed to the point of amusement. By god is it a dreadful film. I remain perplexed as to how something so wooden could have so thoroughly scared the willies out of me and all my friends.