We just introduced my kids to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and as a family adventure it totally holds up.

We've got three kids younger than 10. My wife and I both loved this movie as kids in the early '90s but neither of us had watched it since then, so when the time came for a family movie night we pitched this one, and the kids agreed. They had an absolute blast with it. The thrills and jokes all worked exactly as they should have. Our daughter had legitimate tears when the ant died. And they seemed to find the kids relatable enough to share in the adventures and feel the peril with them.

My wife and I were also pleasantly surprised to see how well it stood up. It's legitimately well-made and has aged fine. The story, plot details, and callbacks fit together quite nicely, and the character arcs feel mostly organic and believable - not just for the kids and Rick Moranis' inventor dad Wayne Szalinski, but for Matt Frewer's cranky neighbor/dad. The kids gave solid performances, and of course Rick Moranis is a goddamn North American treasure. And to boot, it's legitimately funny. Favorite line: "Donald, that man over there is flying."

The two things I loved most were the production design, and the effects. The house and backyard sets looked great, and the laser beam looks very cool 30 years later. The laser and Szalinski's other inventions have a very homemade makeshift tech quality I really appreciate in '80s movies, like they could exist in the same world as the Ghostbusters' gear. There's also a ton of great practical effects work, including a big chase scene with a honeybee and a fight with a scorpion.

I also loved the soundtrack and assumed at first it was Danny Elfman. But as it turns out, it's James Horner doing his best Elfman ripoff homage.

Lastly, I didn't realize until we watched it that this was a Joe Johnston film, and his directorial debut. He'd go on to make The Rocketeer, Jumanji, and October Sky, all solid films (also Jurassic Park III, which IMHO is the best of the JP sequels).

If you're looking for a fun family movie night, the Family MacPhellimy definitely recommends this one.

• (except for my youngest who doesn't have the attention span for anything but Daniel Tiger)

Submitted October 26, 2020 at 01:15AM by ThePookaMacPhellimy https://ift.tt/3mkw3ZX