ENTER! SF&F Avatar Contest: First Time at the Movies!

[Kai "the spy"]

Hi folks,

inspired by the previous contest theme, I thought I'd ask you to enter the first SF/F movie you saw at a cinema (as best as you remember, of course). I thought we could apply the same rules as in the previous contest, if your first SF/F movie has already been entered, you may go your second SF/F movie, and so on.

Also, the usual rules apply as to size and content of your entries. Planning to get the voting thread started on tuesday.

Here's mine, to kick this off:

Asterix and the Big Fight from 1989.

So, let's have some nostalgia.

 

[Taylirious]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

I think.

 

[BigJake]

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I was six.

 

[auntiehill]

I was 4 or 5, I think. I don't remember much, except that the witch scared me silly.

 

[Avro Arrow]

OMG, I have no idea!

I'll try to remember, but I may just have to make something up!

 

[kirk55555]

A quick question. Does Lion King count as fantasy? It has animals talking and singing, but I don't know if it counts as Fantasy or if Disney is its own thing.

 

[Saga]

 

[Kai "the spy"]

OMG, I have no idea!

I'll try to remember, but I may just have to make something up!

Well, as best you remember.

A quick question. Does Lion King count as fantasy? It has animals talking and singing, but I don't know if it counts as Fantasy or if Disney is its own thing.

Sorry, but no, The Lion King does not qualify. If the animals talked with humans, that would be another story.

 

[Klaus]

One of the advantages of being old... I was 13...

 

[Nerys Myk]

 

[kirk55555]

A quick question. Does Lion King count as fantasy? It has animals talking and singing, but I don't know if it counts as Fantasy or if Disney is its own thing.

Sorry, but no, The Lion King does not qualify. If the animals talked with humans, that would be another story.

Yeah, I figured. I still have an entry, though I saw it at age 7 (so I had probably seen something earlier), making this the earliest obviously Sci Fi movie I can remember seeing in theaters

 

[od0_ital]

Lookin' over the list of movies released in 1985, '86, '87 & '88, this was the first I saw in theaters that could qualify as "fantasy".

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Ok, I had to double check if it is at all possible, but I think it was E.T. when I was around 6 or 7 years old.

The original release date in '82 does not fit that but apparently there was a re-release in Germany in 1986 which is the right time frame, so I hope my memory is accurate on this.

 

[Klaus]

Yeah I had to reconstruct the years myself lol... my first thought was Logan's Run but upon further reflection that was 3rd after Young Frankenstein and Holy Grail.

ETA: Hmmm. Upon further further reflection, I guess it depends on the definition. I saw 2001 in a college theater, not a regular commercial release, in the summer of '72. Since that wasn't a regular release but just a college showing, I'm not sure if it should it count instead. So Kai, what do you think?

 

[BigJake]

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I was six.

Although I think I like this moment better:

 

[Kai "the spy"]

ETA: Hmmm. Upon further further reflection, I guess it depends on the definition. I saw 2001 in a college theater, not a regular commercial release, in the summer of '72. Since that wasn't a regular release but just a college showing, I'm not sure if it should it count instead. So Kai, what do you think?

Hm. That's tough. I thought about allowing "big screen", but that's debatable and would open the door for Super8.

But I said "in a cinema" in the opening post, so I'd say any public screening on the silver screen is allowed, so yes, I'll allow it.

I'm really long-winded, am I not.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I was six.

Although I think I like this moment better:

Yes, it is better, and makes the movie more recognizable. That first one could also have been JEDI.

 

[Klaus]

Well my only regret is that I really like the Young Frankenstein av, but in the interest of fairness I need to go with the one that really was first.

And there's nothing wrong with this, of course:

...and the theater is an awesome old-style one that's still open, so it definitely counts. http://www.cinestudio.org/about

It was quite a summer, between 5th and 6th grade -- I read LotR for the first time and then saw 2001. Never been the same since.

 

[kitik]

That is almost certainly from Jedi, not Empire.

 

[BigJake]

That is almost certainly from Jedi, not Empire.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe so.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

So far ...

Last call! Poll goes up tomorrow at this time (give or take).