Ever since The Haimster departed this mortal coil and left Felddog behind, I’ve had a hankering to watch a couple of their classic team-ups*. Sure there were the obvious choices like Blown Away, Dream a Little Dream 2, or National Lampoon’s Last Resort, but I felt like going for one of their lesser known works: The Lost Boys.
Being a lifelong fan of 1987’s superior vampire work, Near Dark, I haven’t seen The Lost Boys in many years. It’s not like it’s a movie that requires a lot of revisiting. Despite its many faults, a lot of it is memorable enough to stick with you for a little while.
And there are many faults. That much was clear upon my recent viewing. Beyond a rushed plot filled with holes and convenience (the ending, while exciting and fun, requires some preternatural knowledge and ability on the grandfather’s part), the film is often just poorly put together. There are a several instances of scenes just ending and jumping to something else with no thought for transition. It can get really jarring. It would be like if I started talking about poor filmmaking and then just
Plus, Haim’s “Death by stereo” one-liner is just awful. Just…just bad stuff.
However, a lot of this is made up for by the film’s famed homoerotic undertones. Sam almost has a neon sign above his head that says “Closet Case” (and a neon sign really wouldn’t clash all that much with his colorful wardrobe) and nobody can forget Tim Capello’s amazing, greased-up saxophone performance.
Also fun about the film? Jason Patric’s protagonist character of Michael is kind of a douchebag. Sure, Kiefer and Bill S. Preston, Esq. try to turn him into a vampire, but the Speed 2 star kinda started it when obviously making a play for Kiefer’s girl. Dick move, Narc. Not to say I don’t get it, though. There’s some prime Gertz on display in the movie. Maybe he felt he had some sort of Solarbabies claim on it.
While I mentioned Near Dark before, I think the earlier Fright Night (another superior film) brings up a more interesting comparison. We’ve got a remake of the latter on the rise, and that seems appropriate. Fright Night was thoroughly enjoyable, but an update could be a lot of fun. The Lost Boys, however, really feels like a product of its time. Maybe it’s the fashion (Edward Hermann wears some amazing outfits in this thing), maybe it’s the Coreys, but The Lost Boys feels definitively 80s. I think this was proven pretty thoroughly by its poor direct-to-DVD sequel, The Tribe. Something tells me that movie could have been amazing and it still wouldn’t feel right.
So, The Lost Boys. Any thoughts? Anecdotes about License to Drive are also acceptable.
*Which sadly does not include the Fast Getaway series which finds Haim teaming up with none other than Cynthia Rothrock. Seriously.