Space Raiders(1983)

Wow, do you ever go back and revisit a movie that you loved as kid, and it doesn't quite hold up to your lofty remembrances? It happens to me quite a lot, and sometimes I could just kick myself for tainting those glorious childhood memories. Movies are always better in memories or retrospect, and that is exactly what happened when I revisited Space Raiders. I was eleven years old when this film came out. I remember my Dad and myself going to see it, and loving the hell out of it. My Dad went because Vince Edwards was in it, and he was a character actor that had many war movies and westerns under his belt, and the old man loved "shoot em' up" pictures as he called them. The following summer Space Raiders was all over HBO, and I watched it every time it came on. The mixture of aliens, action, and space bugs were enough to warrant repeat viewings from me. Well, watching it as a cynical, seen it all 37 year old, had me fidgeting to stay in my seat, when I wasn't busting a gut at how bad it was. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fun watch, and I am sure if Warners get of their ass and release it on DVD, i'd still buy it. But only for collector nostalgia-geek purposes. But unless David(Over The Top) Mendenhall makes a comeback, I don't see them releasing this obscurity. So next time you are pining to watch that "great" childhood film, maybe you should just let it go, and hold on to those memories.