I’m making a list and I’m hoping you’ll check it twice. What does not belong on this list, what should be added?
Star Trek
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Theatrical)
TRON The Original Classic (1982)
Terminator (all of them)
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Honey I shrunk/blew up the kids/myself etc. series
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Have you read the breakthrough novel of the year? When you are done with that, try:
In Search of Sungudogo by Greg Laden, now in Kindle
or Paperback
*Please note:
Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
or Paperback
*Please note:
Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
See http://www.imdb.com/list/ls058691910/ I’ve never had kids so it’s hard for me to say what is kid friendly – particularly these days.
Yeah, I actually started with a similar list from Teh Wiki and eliminated the ones I knew were bad, kept the ones I knew were good, and punted on a bunch of them!
Good list. I wouldn’t include Terminator (for my kids anyway). You could add some old movies;
Forbidden Planet (to scare them)
Disney’s Black Hole
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Day the Earth Stood Still
War of the Worlds
Forbidden Planet was one of my favorite movies, and scared the crap out of me, esp. the scene where the astronaut is absorbed into the blobby thing, when I was a kid.
I haven’t seen Black Hole. Looks good. 1979. I do plan to cover other decades so that’s a good one.
Close Encounters … almost put that on the list even though it is a tad early. Def goes on the 70s list.
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a classic. I wonder if it is a bit too slow for younger kids, and being in black and white as well… but I plan on showing it to Huxley soon to find out!
I don’t remember the War of the Worlds from the 50s well enough, but is that the one where the flying saucers run into the various national monuments, knocking down the Washington Monument and such?
Ah, just watched the trailor of War of the World’s I remember it well now. Might be colorized.
“Guns, tanks, Bombs … they’re like toys against them!”
I’m amused at how many of these I haven’t seen.
* I’ve only seen the first Terminator
* Never saw D.A.R.Y.L., Explorers, Flight of the Navigator, Batteries Not Included, Bill/Ted…
You don’t have Silent Running in your list.
Oops — I know why Silent Running isn’t in there — it came out in the 70s, not the 80s.
I still recommend it.
Short Circuit
The Manhattan Project
Lost boys? Maybe not exactly sci-fi.
War Games
The sequel of Escape From Witch Moutain – Beyond Witch Mountian.
Yes, all the Witch Mountains can be n this list even if only one of them is in the decade!
Inner Space
Superman
Time bandits certainly fits the criteria.
Remembering just how big the buzz was about ET.
By golly it was huge. Im not even sure why it was so good. People REALLY liked it. I really liked it. Hard to articulate why though. Hmmmm Might have to watch it again with much older eyes.
Not sure if the outstanding Akira could be called kid friendly. Damn its a good flick though.
Just looked at the ET preview. So friggen B grade corny!
And yet, theres something really amazing about that film.
Heres the preview for those interested.
https://youtu.be/_7-2PB4jj2o
Hmmm… Greg, I think you’re misremembering Forbidden Planet — or more specifically conflating it with another movie.
Flight of the Navigator is maybe the best choice for a category like this. There’s another whose title I can’t recall in which three alien kids go skylarking off in a starship that belongs to one of their fathers and end up at Earth, where they interact with a human boy.
I’d throw in Them!, about the giant ants, and the original Invaders from Mars. I thought of The Arrival, with Charlie Sheen. But that’s got some nudity and gruesome violence in it; I’m not sure it’s kid-suitable.
Second the recommendations of Time Bandits, Close Encounters, and E.T. Also The Day the Earth Stood Still, as long as it’s the 1951 version (I think the 2008 remake is a bad film.)
That might be the Explorers (see the pic at the top of the post).
I loved “THEM!” as a kid. It is from the 50s, so I’ll include that on the 50s list.
Here are some other possibilities:
10,000 BC (Roland Emmerich, dir.)
The Abyss
Aeon Flux
The Andromeda Strain (1971 version)
Cocoon
The Day after Tomorrow
Divergent
Dune (either version, or the miniseries)
Enemy Mine
Explorers
Fantastic Voyage
Gravity
Independence Day
Interstellar
Jupiter Ascending (maybe not for younger kids, because of the opening)
Logan’s Run
The Martian
Project Almanac
The Silencer and the Sky
Stargate
Tobor the Great
Tron and Tron: Legacy
WarGames
Waterworld
Since I seconded Time Bandits, which I consider fantasy, I’ll also add:
Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves (Nuri Ergun, dir.)
The Dark Crystal
Dragonslayer
The Forbidden Kingdom
Jason and the Argonauts
Krull
Ladyhawke
Legend
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
Warm Bodies (some gruesome scenes)
Excellent suggestions. I’ll be adding several to the appropriate list!
I don’t know about Warm Bodies though…
Ah, I missed the fact that these should be 1980s films. I’ll re-post my list with year of production added.
10,000 BC (Roland Emmerich, dir., 2008)
The Abyss (1989)
Aeon Flux (2005)
The Andromeda Strain (1971 version)
Cocoon (1985)
The Day after Tomorrow (2004)
Divergent (2014)
Dune (either 1984 version, or the 2004 miniseries)
Enemy Mine (1985)
Explorers (1985)
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Gravity (2013)
Independence Day (1996)
Interstellar (2014)
Jupiter Ascending (2015 — maybe not for younger kids, because of the opening)
Logan’s Run (1976)
The Martian (2015)
Project Almanac (2015)
The Silencer and the Sky (2007)
Stargate (1994)
Tobor the Great (1954)
Tron and Tron: Legacy (1982 & 2010, respectively)
WarGames (1983)
Waterworld (1995)
Since I seconded Time Bandits, which I consider fantasy, I’ll also add:
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Nuri Ergun, dir., 1971)
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Dragonslayer (1981)
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Krull (1983)
Ladyhawke (1985)
Legend (1985)
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Warm Bodies (2013)
Willow (1988)
OK, most of the SF titles are rated PG-13. Only The Andromeda Strain is rated G. The PG rating goes to Explorers (1985), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Logan’s Run (1976), Tron (1982), Tron: Legacy (2010), & WarGames (1983). The Dune miniseries is unrated, probably the TV equivalent of PG-13.
Among fantasy films, Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Arthur Lubin, dir., 1944) are Approved. (Note that the latter has a different director; the version on my previous list is from Turkey.) The PG rating goes to The Dark Crystal (1982), Dragonslayer (1981), Krull (1983), Legend (1985), and Willow (1988). Dragonslayer has a brief nude scene, but I doubt most kids would mind it.
No, per the description of Explorers at the IMDB, it’s not the same at all.
Oh, I almost forgot. The Silencer and the Sky (2007) has no rating on the IMDB. Here’s the description given: “A lost and estranged ex-military sniper turned mercenary for an unscrupulous company finds solace, hope, and possibility in choosing to protect a deaf child during a mission to assassinate her, making him a rogue agent determined to find safety for his new counterpart, while delivering a very important invention for a friend indebted to him for protecting his family in a past war.”
That one could have some violence in it.
Test: Italics?
In The Explorers, it starts with three earth kids, one being a genius who tinkers, and they discover stuff, and eventually build a space ship that puts them in contact with three alien kids, but they don’t know they are kids … they just know they are aliens. Until the alien kids’ parents call them back in from playing! So, apparently, different, but roughly similar concept.
BOLD
Its only sort of scifi in the alternative reality sense, but the short film BabaKiueria is brilliant and should be watched by all children in Australia imo.
Shame its virtually unknown.
Actually it might interest you Greg, from an ethnographic perspective.
Its sorta similar to the great Darkest Austria film, which im guessing you have seen, given your African interest.
Lol at the adults who climb snowy mountains and slide down em over and over again like little kids on a slippery dip.
No one mentioned “Starman” with Jeff Bridges. I loved that movie and one of my kids enjoyed it as well.
Short Circuit
Space Camp
Witch Mountain
The Last Starfighter
Wargames
For fantasy you’d have to add Labrynth.
I would add a caution to Back to the Future; it’s more violent than kids are used to these days.
I was more than happy to search out this net-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this excellent learn!! I definitely having fun with each little little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you weblog post.