MovieChat Forums > The Lost Boys (1987) Discussion > Very good

Very good

posted 6 months ago by PersistentViewer (2682)
13 replies | jump to latest

Really enjoyed this film.

The 80's were so good. Crazy hair, crazy attire and just plain good old fun. This film epitomizes the 80's in the best way.

Interesting take on vampire lore in this one. The young boys all did well. Thought Corey Feldman was hilariously awkward with his robotic/serious demeanor. However, he loosened up a bit later on in the film. Loved that the boys met in a comic book store and to see all those comics, was a real treat.

The mother was so sweet. And so innocent. Jason Patric did really well.

The vampires all looked authentic and Kiefer did well as head of the group. The twist was a bit of a surprise, sort of a letdown.

The old man was hilarious. Probably my favourite character in the film.

Definitely worth a watch.

[–] Kowalski (78914) 6 months ago

ABSOLUTELY...ONE OF THE TOP CLASSICS OF THE ERA....IT ONLY GETS BETTER WITH AGE.

[–] [deleted] 6 months ago

It's a fun movie.

It's dated now and cheesy but the cast do well and deliver the laughs whilst the production values still hold up pretty well.

One of the best horror-comedies to come from the 80s.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7370) 6 months ago

Yeah, there's a reason it became a cult classic, it very much deserves its status. Even the dog is iconic lol.

[–] Tam87 (1592) 6 months ago

This film epitomizes the 80's in the best way.

It really does. It's one of the ultimate 80s films I can think of. Everything about it stands out.

Thought Corey Feldman was hilariously awkward with his robotic/serious demeanor. However, he loosened up a bit later on in the film

Feldman was told by Joel Schumacher (director) and Richard Donner (producer) to go watch Rambo and Chuck Norris films to get into character. He's got the military attire and even the red bandana that Rambo uses. It's just a perfect performance by Feldman.

The best thing about the Lost Boys is the Frog Brothers and Sam (Haim), Grandpa, and Max and the mom (Lucy). The vampires, who get all the credit, are not as fun to watch as those characters imo. I think for the girls they get Michael and David and all them, but the Frog brothers in particular stole the whole movie and are what made it so memorable.

[–] PersistentViewer (2682) 6 months ago

Thanks for your thoughts. Interesting, especially regarding Cory Feldman's character. Did not know that.

[–] Tam87 (1592) 6 months ago

No problem. What’s funny is that Feldman’s voice and mannerisms are basically his impression of Stallone’s Rambo, which he said was his intention. It’s pretty funny to watch the movie again knowing that he’s aping sly. It makes the character even funnier and more interesting, trying to be tough etc.

They originally intended the lost boys to be a kids movie like the goonies with the full cast being a similar age to the aforementioned film. Joel Schumacher came onboard and changed it to be more of a mature teen film, but I think the frog brothers are a leftover from the kids concept, which is why they work so well as it juxtaposed the serious stuff with Michael and David.

[–] AndyKing1967 (39820) 6 months ago

I did not know this. Thanks for sharing. This is one of the reasons I love this site; the snippets of information that I can pick up - outstanding!

[–] Tam87 (1592) 6 months ago

No problem, Andy. I read the trivia on imdb and watched the dvd extras a while ago but i'm sure there's more great stories about this classic film.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8857) 6 months ago

That second paragraph explains why I find the film to be so tonally inconsistent. It often feels like two different movies, each with a very different tone from the other, combined into one film.

[–] Tam87 (1592) 6 months ago

It does jump between the two extremes. The surf punk massacre scene is jarring, and was apparently cut down significantly to get an R rating, with Kiefer Sutherland saying in a recent interview that his character bit into the bald surfer's head with gore spurting everywhere as he ripped it apart as if "it was a biting into a ripe grapefruit". It definitely could've been a straight up horror.

I sometimes wonder if the original goonie concept was better. I think the frog bros were good enough to have their own movie. Joel Schumacher gave more screentime to David and the vampires, but I think had Richard Donner not stepped aside, he would've done another goonies with the two coreys being the main focus.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8857) 6 months ago

I started another thread a couple of days ago talking about how the movie that we get in the second half doesn't really feel like the movie that is set up in the first half of the film. The first half has humor, and the Frog bros are introduced, but the focus is really on introducing David and his band of vampires and also on establishing the coolness of their world and, more broadly, the town itself. But in the second half, it feels like David and crew nearly disappear from the film until the finale and the focus shifts strongly toward the humor, and Sam's relationship with his brother, and their exploits with the Frog bros.

I will say also that some plot points seem underdeveloped because of this shift in focus. For instance, I feel like Michael's seduction, so to speak, at the hands of David happens way too fast. Michael clearly feels drawn to the allure of David and his world, but why? I think it would be good if that plot element was allowed to breathe some via some more scenes early on that help to better establish why it is that Michael falls in with them.

It would be cool to see the TWO movies that this film promises but doesn't quite deliver. One is the more serious horror film that is focused on Michael and David and the sense of cool that we see on display early on in the movie. And the other is the Goonies adventure.

[–] Tam87 (1592) 6 months ago

I feel like Michael's seduction, so to speak, at the hands of David happens way too fast. Michael clearly feels drawn to the allure of David and his world, but why?

I think that's to do with the duel horror/comedy make up of the film and how they have to kinda balance things out. Had the film been a straight up horror, then it would've been focused solely on Michael and David, as well as developing Mike being drawn into the gang.

The filmmakers obviously thought it'd be more interesting if they mix the two genres. Some audiences don't like horrors, others don't like goonies, and they thought they could attract both people to the theaters to enjoy the film. Iirc, the film opened during the summer and I think they were going for that 'fun' vibe so that played into it.

It would be cool to see the TWO movies that this film promises but doesn't quite deliver.

I think you can kind of get it even better with stuff like Fright Night, which delivers a darker vampire lore and atmosphere than Lost Boys. I would recommend that film first to horror fans. Lost Boys is closer to Gremlins than it is to Fright Night, imo.

But yeah, it's a good point, they could've made two separate films. It would've been interesting to see.

[–] AndyKing1967 (39820) 6 months ago

This is an awesome film and I will be introducing it to my 10 year old daughter very soon.