Going Back To "Back To The Future" (& Other Geek "Re-experiences")

Last night my youngest, Titus, watched Back To The Future for the first time in my office with me. I was surprised to find that he was riveted from beginning to end and is chomping at the bit to see the second one (which I hope to make time for with him tonight). He was old enough (9) to appreciate and laugh at the awkwardness, and I informed him of what things like "Tab" and "Pepsi Free" were so he was at least in the loop on those jokes.

What most took me by surprise was how I felt about the movie. I've always personally connected with George McFly, but Crispen Glover's performance was still so fresh and wonderful that it engaged me all over again. And the last time I watched this movie was early in marriage. 18+ years and two kids later, it meant so much more to me to see the insecure nerd find life-long love, and to become the strong person he never knew he could be. There was such satisfaction AND longing as I watched him. Satisfaction in relating to the happiness he found, and longing in still wanting myself to become the confident and bold man that George became. It taps into that deep desire in me for resurrection and completeness. Really powerful.

Meanwhile I'm trying to hold back the tears so my son doesn't get pulled out of his laughter and delight, as he enjoys it all for the first time from his own perspective. (Boy, that climax is a real nail-biter as I watch it again! So much comes together at the last moment!)

Any of you folks have a dramatically different or deeper experience with a piece of geek entertainment after returning to it in a different stage of life?

This is kind of how I felt coming back to Superman in my mid twenties. I'd been completely obsessed as a child, but drifted away from the charcter in my late teens. Afterall, Superman was for kids, right? And I was nearing obsessive levels of Star Trek fandom. I came back to the character as an adult, and realised, there's a lot still to like here. I came to see Superman as a science fiction story, not just a superhero story.

Not quite as deep as your newfound emotional connection with Back To The Future, though.

AdamCollings wrote: I came to see Superman as a science fiction story, not just a superhero story.

Absolutely! Snyder and company must have felt the same way, because I remember when watching Man Of Steel I was like "This is an awesome science fiction movie!".