FILM: Ghostbusters

Teenage Kicks

I did something today that I haven't done since I was 14. No, not that. I do that a lot. Today's adolescent joy came from going to see Ghost Busters. In the cinema. On a massive screen.

This is my most quoted film (hell, it's the most quoted movie in an office full of sci-fi geeks by a long way) and for that reason alone it ranks in my top 10. If I had a definitive top 10, that is.

Anyway, that level of fandom prompted a load of us from the office to bundle along to see it at the National Film Theatre. Rich used to work at the NFT and promised us they'd got hold of a better print of the film and we weren't disappointed. The place was packed out by fanboys and girls, which meant the laughter was sometimes coming before the jokes, but that was a small price to pay.

I have to admit I had one of those shudders of pleasure as the movie started - you know what I mean, the ones that send a tingle through your whole body. And by the time it finished and the theatre applauded I'd had at least two more moments like that. Even without my youthful remembrances - I recall after an hour of adverts, trailers and general stalling at my teenage viewing, the whole cinema started stamping its feet in time and shouting "We want Ghost Busters!" - that level of joy was worth the price of the ticket alone.

It's a shame there are so few experiences from your childhood that can create the same elation in you today. It's certainly true that the more "classic" TV I see from my youth the more I wonder why the hell I spent all that time watching it. So where's my next teenage kick coming from? Well, would you believe I've never seen The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen. If only Lucas' films had managed to get a cult following instead of disappearing into the ether - maybe I'd still have a chance :)