We all know that nostalgia puts a shiny, happy filter on the past, making it difficult to find fault in the things we love. As geeks, we know this all too well as the games, comics and movies of our youths are a beacon of what made us who we are. I was reminded of this over the weekend when I watched a movie I hadn’t seen in a very long time: Krull.  

Krull is perhaps the epitome of bad 80s fantasy films – it has an unoriginal “save the princess, save the kingdom” plot, a mix of odd creatures (including a cyclops), special effects that were perhaps ahead of their time (but did not age well), over-the-top costuming and some of the most unconvincingly emotional acting ever. And yet, when I was a kid in the 80s, I loved the movie. So much so that I even had the novelization of it (which I still have, btw). It was a dark movie, full of action and adventure, and fit right in with my love of Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Legend, Dark Crystal… even Ice Pirates!

Going back and watching it more than 30 years after its release was fun. I knew it wasn’t going to be the great fantasy/sci-fi epic I remembered, but that was ok. It was great to watch something requiring such little thought, to have that bit of an escape where the greatest concerns involved hairy chests and the complete lack of plot twists. Oh, and realizing Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane were in the movie!

What it comes down to is this: if you’re into nostalgia value, maybe forego watching that movie you loved but haven’t seen in a decade or two, or don’t look up that celebrity you had a crush on, or don’t go back and play that screen-scroller game. But if you can accept that things change and improve, including your taste in things, check out your past loves for some fun without worrying about good or bad. I bet you’ll enjoy yourself more than you thought.