The Lost Boys (1987) starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Dianne Wiest, Alex Winter directed by Joel Schumacher Movie Review

The Lost Boys (1987)   3/53/53/53/53/5


The Lost Boys (1987) starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Dianne Wiest, Alex Winter directed by Joel Schumacher Movie Review

When you're strange ...

Is it really over 20 years since this "The Lost Boys" hit our screens, it still feels like yesterday to me. And whilst some movies from back in the 80s have become dated, "The Lost Boys" still has the same impact now as it did back then. Following the exploits of the Emerson brothers as they try and fit into a new way of life in Santa Carla, they discover the dark secrets which haunt the place, and that nearly bring their family life crashing down.

Forced to relocate to Santa Carla to live with her father, Lucy Emerson (Dianne Wiest - Footloose) and her sons Mike (Jason Patric - My Sister's Keeper) and Sam (Corey Haim)discover that the coastal town is both plagued by bikers and missing people. Whilst Sam makes friends with Edgar (Corey Feldman - Stand by Me) and Alan Frog (Jamison Newlander) who proclaim to be vampire hunters his older brother Mike becomes entrances by the beautiful Star (Jami Gertz - Crossroads) as he hangs out with her biker friends. But when Mike starts to act all vampirish, Sam is forced to call on the help of the Frog brothers to find out if he has been bitten by more than love.

The Lost Boys (1987) starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Dianne Wiest, Alex Winter directed by Joel Schumacher Movie Review

The "The Lost Boys" has two sides to it, there is a dark side which comes from the vampire story, but it also has a more light hearted, nearly comical side with the characters of Sam and the Frog brothers as well as Sam's quirky grandfather. The "The Lost Boys", although at times dark and slightly disturbing is still very enjoyable and very well acted. Although you can guess the outcome of the movie from quite early on, the way in which it gets there is quite surprising, and does finish on a decent high note to make it worth watching. What it achieves, is to take the Vampire legend, which usually revolves around adults, and puts it in the world of teenagers, and in some ways set the scene for series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" as well as the "Twilight" movies.

In the lead role of Mike is Jason Patric who at times comes over a little bit too intense, but in general puts in a very good performance. His younger brother, Sam, is played by Corey Haim, who although shows that he is an 80s fashion victim, is very funny as the comic book fanatic. As David, the leader of the gang of vampires is Kiefer Sutherland and in my opinion puts in the best performance in "The Lost Boys". All the supporting cast put in good performances and with names such as Corey Feldman, Alex Winter, Jami Gertz and Dianne Wiest making appearances, you wouldn't expect anything less.

In the directors chair is Joel Schumacher who has directed many films including the likes of "Phone Booth". Schumacher has done very well to make a film which is a great mix of horror and humour, which is still very enjoyable to watch. Of course the film is by no means perfect, but it has a lot more going right for it than there is going wrong. The soundtrack to the movie is very good, as it is a mixture of rock tunes, which are at times quite sinister, but this keeps with the mood of the film.

What this all boils down to is that after 20 years "The Lost Boys" is still as good as it was all those years ago? It hasn't become dated and it hasn't lost any of its enjoyment. Even after probably the best part of 10 viewings, "The Lost Boys" is still as enjoyable as the first time I saw it.

Tags: Vampire Movies


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