Beware The Spaceman

Author: Analyst

  • Jurassic Park I appreciate you now

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Its the mid‑1990s. Another video rental from Barry. Jurassic Park was a 1993 movie, but there was that half‑year wait for rental. Then a few weeks before it hit the shelves of the local video shops—basically anyone who wasn’t called Blockbuster.

    This film came with hype. It was “the adventure 65 million years in the making.” I remember reading that this film would make you believe that living dinosaurs were real.

    This is a movie I’m split on. I know the consensus is that it’s a classic. But I think I saw this film at the wrong time. Perhaps my attention span wasn’t there yet. The first dinosaur doesn’t appear until about 20 minutes into the film.

    As an adult I know that this is because the first half of the film sets up the action. At its core it’s a character‑driven film. Today I appreciate this. The film’s narrative on the dangers of messing around with nature couldn’t be more relevant. And the effects still hold up. In so many ways this was ahead of its time.

    In the 1990s… it just took too long to get going. It was too “talkie”.

    Did this stop us collecting the toys? Nope. It didn’t stop us buying the video game or watching the sequels that followed either. But at the time I found it slow.

    A few years later the film came to BBC. It was a big premiere. I remember my grandad telling me they had “watched the dinosaurs last night and wasn’t it slow. It never seemed to get going.”

    First impressions die hard. This was a film that I was over‑hyped for but too young to appreciate.

    Next time we’re still in 1993. It’s a big family film and Robin Williams is back on our screens. You could argue it’s the biggest film of that year… But Barry is all out! See you on the next one.

  • Millie & Mollie Rewind time on the Commodore 64

    Cassette tape with title

    It turns out Max Caulfield isn’t the only video game protagonist who can rewind time. Sisters Millie and Molly can too—and they can do it on the Commodore 64.

    Released in 2020 for the Commodore 64, Millie & Molly is a pick‑up‑and‑play puzzle platformer where you clear enemies simply by walking into their side. The catch is that neither character can jump. Getting level with the enemies means pushing items into place, and one false move can snooker your progress.

    That will happen a lot, and that’s okay. Because you have the rewind button right there. You can undo the last move, retrace all your steps, or restart the entire level. There’s no time limit either, so each puzzle can be taken at your own pace.

    If you’re using a system without a save function (like if you bought the cassette and are running it on original hardware), there’s a password system too. In many ways it has a lot in common with the sort of games you might see on a mobile phone: it suits any playtime from a few minutes to a few hours. Just be prepared for it to swallow more time than you bargained for.

    The game would have been a hit in any decade, and it’s a great example of how old hardware still has plenty to offer. It’s not trying to replace your modern gaming experience—it’s part of an analogue alternative. No DRM. No DLC. There’s something forever‑80s about that.

    Millie and Mollie is available on itch.io and on modern platforms via antstream. There is also a mobile version

  • Hook (1991) – Uncomfortably Familiar

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    “Have to fly. Have to fight. Have to crow. Have to save Maggie. Have to save Jack. Hook is back.”

    Back to another 1990s video rental from Barry’s — this time, Hook. Adventure movies like this were the kind I really used to get into. This one, however, I remember confusing me back in the 90s. Hook was marketed as a sequel to Peter Pan. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, right? Right?

    Well, it’s 1991 — or to be honest, a little after that, thanks to rental delays — and I’m under ten. It concerns me that I haven’t seen Peter Pan before watching Hook. This is made worse by the way the first half of the film has so many characters urging Peter (Robin Williams, practically the face of family movies in the 90s) to remember.

    A little later I managed to track down the Disney cartoon, and it still didn’t seem like a sequel as such. It looked and sounded a lot different. Adult me knows this is because Peter Pan was a 1953 Disney cartoon, and Hook was a 1991 blockbuster released by Sony Pictures. But to a kid, it didn’t make sense. I sort of wish someone had clarified that it’s a sequel to the Peter Pan book — but honestly, I’m not sure anyone in our house knew that.

    The concept: what if Peter Pan grew up? Spielberg has mentioned the issues with the film’s second half. They’re there, definitely. They’re undeniable. There are parts where it looks like a theme park.

    But this is Retro Reaction, not a movie critic blog. It’s always been about how these movies make you feel. That first half of Hook, with its strong message about Peter forgetting what childhood is like — about him being busy with life and missing out — that’s where the story is so strong for me.

    I wonder if, for younger watchers, this falls into the same category as Home Alone. They’re treading water, waiting for Peter to remember and for Pan’s return to save the day in the final act. I don’t blame them. I was once in that category. For me now, though, it’s all about the emotional journey he takes to get there. Helped a little by the iconic John Williams soundtrack again. As an adult, it can strike an uncomfortably familiar note.

    We’re still in the 90s and still renting from Barry, so there will be more Robin Williams in the weeks to come. But next time… we’ve got some dinosaurs.

  • The Commodore 64 Never Died

    Cassette tape with title

    Those following the Retro Reaction blog will know the Commodore 64 wasn’t something I owned back in the day. I came on board with computers in the Amiga era, though through family and friends I had played a ZX Spectrum. The only time I ever saw a breadbin was in the local electronics store, Knights, and I wanted it badly. My parents deemed it too old (and by that point 16‑bit was well and truly here). It wasn’t the machine I was fascinated with particularly, but the games. The C64 in the shop window had Batman and Bart Simpson on display.

    Fast forward to modern times and the C64 Mini was released by RetroGames.biz. Better still, this version was pre‑loaded with games. I waited for a sale. Played it a bit, then read that the machine allowed new games to be loaded via USB… and the door was unlocked.

    I found that the Commodore 64 is one machine that never really died. In fact, the retro scene for this computer is absolutely thriving. These aren’t all hobbyists either — some of the modern C64 games rival the ones that came out back in the day. Some are even being released commercially for original hardware (see publisher Psytronik).

    Through further reading I learned that the C64 Mini is perhaps not the most complete way of enjoying this scene. Later, the C64 Maxi upgraded to a full‑sized keyboard, and later still Commodore were revived and released the Commodore 64 Ultimate. That one even allowed use of original hardware. Or, like me, if you’re a bit techy, there’s always the option of using a Pi 400 to unlock both the C64 homebrew scene and that of other 80s home computers.

    Whichever way you choose to open the door to this retro‑modern rabbit hole is up to you. If you like your classic gaming, though, opening it is a must. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. For these old computers, it will forever be the 80s.

    Next time: It turns out Max Caulfield isn’t the only video game protagonist who can rewind time. Sisters Millie and Molly can too — and they can do it on the Commodore 64. More on the sisters later.

  • The Day I Realised Ghostbusters Had New Owners

    Cassette tape with title

    In a time when there are literally thousands of hours of viewing choices out there, I still have a Blu‑ray player. I have a Blu‑ray player for movies like this. Ghostbusters: Afterlife belongs alongside those early films. It is, at least in my opinion, just as strong. Frozen Empire isn’t a bad piece of entertainment either.

    Spoilers approaching — but for a six‑year‑old film, I think we’re okay. The original Ghostbusters turn up for a few minutes at the end.

    If you were like me, those films were a big part of your childhood. So if you are like me, this may come as an unwelcome reminder that it wasn’t yesterday. In my mind, the Ghostbusters carried on off‑screen. They would always be as they were in 1984. So when these now‑old men turn up at the end — and knowing that Egon (Harold Ramis) isn’t with us anymore — it’s a bit of a gut punch.

    The nephews come up a lot in these blogs, something I hope they won’t resent later. But something happened while taking them to watch Frozen Empire, the sequel to Afterlife. After the intro scene finished and we got the Ray Parker Jr. theme, I saw them watching this (frankly brilliant) younger cast taking on the Ghostbusters mantle. Somewhere in the laughs and the jump scares, I understood: these aren’t my Ghostbusters anymore. It belongs to them now — the young cast on the screen and the young eyes watching. As it should be.

    Of course, I had inflicted my Blu‑ray collection on them previously. It must have had an effect. The youngest said, “Oh no, they’re in the library,” covered his eyes, then asked, “We go now, we go now, we go now.”

    The very same jump scare got me too, around 30 years earlier, on a VHS rented at Barry’s.

  • Retro Reaction 3.1 Home Alone

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Something has been happening with this film over the last few years. If you take a look at the Disney Plus posters nearing December, or even the TV guides, this 1990s film has quietly joined an elite group. A group it shares with the likes of The Wizard of Oz, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Snowman, and at least one rendition of A Christmas Carol. Home Alone has become a Christmas tradition, and my family are no different.

    So, back to the 90s. Realistically, it was probably late 1991 into 1992 before we rented this one. Back then, the waiting period from cinema to VHS was around six months. Rental stores always got the films next—but small rental stores like Barry’s? You could add a few extra weeks on again.

    Rewatching Home Alone anytime after the first viewing always has an element of waiting. You want to get to the part where the baddies fall into the traps—the twenty minutes of pure slapstick comedy at the end. As much as this film has become a tradition with the young nephews, I do catch them losing attention while waiting for that slapstick. The YouTube generation, I think.

    Watching as a, shall we say, middle‑aged adult, I notice the other parts of the film that make this an absolute classic. The iconic John Williams music. The sentiment on family. The fact the movie has heart—and is funny to go with it.

    A couple of years ago, I put this one on at my late Nan’s house. The nephews acted out the entire film. They knew every word. That is one powerful Retro Reaction.

    Next time we venture back to Barry’s, the year is 1991 and the movie… Hook.

  • Square Circles

    a spaceship above the world with title

    Before we get started, the experiences described in this column are my own. I cannot, and would not wish to, persuade or influence any of you — my few readers — from following your own paths.

    Here are just a few things I wish I could have told my younger self.

    My student loan is Plan 1. It will be with me until I retire or expire. I acquired this loan over twenty years ago by trying something at eighteen that was never going to work. I had a great Religious Studies teacher who once said that God can’t make square circles. I think this is one of the truest phrases I’ve ever come across.

    Cutting to the truth: universities, particularly ones here in the UK, don’t care about you. Universities care about your money. At the bottom of it all, they are a business.

    So if you are an unlucky one like I was this September — if you are a square circle — what is the answer?

    Walking away will get framed as a failure, when often the opposite is true. Go with your instincts. I wish I had.

    I learned more in the workplace, and now as someone self‑employed, than I ever did in an institution.

  • Retro Reaction 3.0: 90s in Film

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours


    Barry’s Video Shop

    There are ways in which the more things change, the more they stay the same. Friday nights in the 90s were often spent searching for something to watch — picking something from hundreds of titles.

    This didn’t happen on a TV screen with Netflix. It meant going into the small town centre with some change and choosing a video from Barry’s.

    We had some great rentals from Barry’s throughout the 90s, and in this set of reactions we’re going to look back on a few of them.

    Home Alone (1990)

    We go back to the 90s and rent the film that has become a Christmas tradition.

    Hook (1991)

    This one was considered a disappointment back in 1991 — but was that fair?

    Jurassic Park (1993)

    For many, this was the first time we saw CGI. The film that aimed to make you believe dinosaurs were back.

    Mrs Doubtfire (1993)

    This film dominated at Barry’s. I remember seven copies, and they were all sold out.

    Dumb and Dumber (1994)

    A film my brother still quotes. Jim Carrey was everywhere in the 1990s, and this was one of his most famous.

    Casper (1995)

    Always wondered why there were never more of these.

  • Retro Reaction 2.6 Sonic Origins

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours


    Computer and Video Games, 1995

    It’s 1995. Another one of our friends is talking games. Gone was Sonic the Comic; this friend and I swapped Computer and Video Games, the monthly magazine covering everything in gaming. I read that thing cover to cover. Demo disks weren’t really a thing yet, so the magazine was our main way of seeing what was coming and getting advice on which games were worth our time and parents money.

    On this particular day, the conversation turned to Sonic.

    My friend had Sonic & Knuckles, and when you locked on the other Sonic games, you got more Sonic. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested — of course I was — but the gaming landscape was changing, and thanks to that magazine, we both knew it.

    Console generation shifts in the 90s and early 00s weren’t small. Today, a new PlayStation or Xbox might make things look a little sharper. Back then, the changes were seismic. We were entering the 3D era.

    So, back to Sonic Origins. This was my first proper opportunity to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles — the complete Sonic 3 experience, the lock‑on cartridge my friend had talked about back then. It was also my chance to finally play Sonic CD.


    Sonic Reactions


    Retro Reaction isn’t really a review thread. It’s more about how replaying these old games made me feel. I’m sure each of these will get their own reaction blog in the future, but to sum it up:


    Sonic the Hedgehog


    Revisiting this felt like catching up with an old friend. Through muscle memory, the first two zones were easy enough. Labyrinth Zone, though, was a different story. Thankfully, modern save states help. I said I liked old games — never that I was any good at them.


    Sonic the Hedgehog 2


    I found a new appreciation for this one. I finally get what the fuss was about. I was stuck for ages in Chemical Plant where the water rises. Once again, never claimed to be a master at these.


    Sonic CD


    I liked finally being able to play this. But was it the classic people made it out to be? I found it closer to Sonic 1 than Sonic 2. Definitely one to explore in more detail another time. I did enjoy the boss race against Metal Sonic, though.


    Sonic 3 & Knuckles


    I’d played this before via a DS collection, but it ran a bit slow there. Here, all together in one package, the game is tied with Sonic 2 for me.


    Meanwhile, in 1995

    In that same magazine, I remember looking over an advert for FIFA that used photos. I wondered aloud: when would graphics get so good you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference?

    “That’s easy,” my friend replied. “When the Sega Saturn comes out.”

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

  • Retro Reaction 2.5 Sonic Obsession

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours
    Adventures of Sonic tv logo

    If you’ve stuck with this set so far, you’ll know about my winding journey to play Sonic games. But that’s only half the story. You see, as a child of the 1990s, Sonic was everywhere. No, the Jim Carrey movie was not the start of Sonic Mania. Far from it.

    Back in the 1990s my Nan allowed us one magazine each. My Dad suggested The Tree of Knowledge, and for a few years the monthly encyclopedia was what I got. But it was noticed that these magazines were mostly only skimmed. I wanted Sonic the Comic.

    This ran from 1993 to 2002. Though I only followed the earlier years, it adapted stories from the Sonic games — including the elusive Sonic CD. This is how I learned about characters like Tails, Knuckles, and Amy well before ever playing those games.

    Well, there and Channel 4. Because much like Super Mario before him (yes, I also loved The Super Mario Super Show), Sonic and Tails were granted their own TV show: The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. I didn’t like it as much as the Mario shows — that whine of “I’m waiting” was a bit much even for a kid — but I still watched it religiously.

    I still vividly remember Dr. Robotnik going into hibernation in Sonic the Comic. He was inside a big egg. The story was to be continued in the next issue… only to find that this was all a way for Sonic the Comic to adopt the same Robotnik design as the TV series. Some of the letters to the comic slated that change, but for me it was my first real experience with a cliffhanger in a comic story.

    This might all sound like I was a bit obsessed with these games. I thought I was — in only the way a child can be. Then 2022 rolled around. It was announced that the games were returning, rebuilt for modern platforms. In the form of Sonic Origins, I finally got to play those four Mega Drive greats… and Sonic CD, a game I had wanted to get my hands on for some time.

    I sidelined whatever big RPG I was playing at the time. Because I could now play some Sonic.