Beware The Spaceman

Tag: vhs

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.