h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Prompted by a comment by FerretBadger in the "what film" thread, here's a request for recommendations for recent (preferably) live-action family films.

He mentioned Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Princess Bride.

I came up with a couple - but surely there are more?

Stardust was mentioned. What about things like the Narnia films, The Thief Lord (totally totally brilliant), Inkheart, Enchanted, Bridge to Terebithia, Because of Winn-Dixie, Night at the Museum, Mystery Men... Harry Potter? The Golden Compass? Eragon?

Here in Germany we've had a set of 5 which are aimed more at boys: Die Wilden Kerle (the wild boys) and a set of 3 which are more for girls: Die Wilden Hühner (the wild chicks). There have been others too, Red Zora, Die Vorstadt Krokodile (the suburban crocodiles - a young kids gang thing), Sommer (teen love), Gangs (teen love/gangs)

any more?

I actually quite liked the Sky High movie, it´s about a superhero high school. Good clean fun.

I can't recommend Stardust enough: it's absolutely magical and darn close to the perfect family film. Enchanted is a lot of fun too.

What about musicals? The recent remake of Hairspray was very good and family friendly without being as saccharine as the High School Musicals.

There's that series of films about stretching exercises in the western Atlantic:

Pilates of the Caribbean

RF

forgot about those
And yes, we all liked Sky High too.

Recently watched and enjoyed Cheaper by the Dozen 1 + 2 here.
The Narnia films are great.
Princess Diaries are good girly films.
A film called Uptown Girls is another girly one
Billy Elliot

Eragon and The Golden Compass are too far removed from the books to have any appeal for me.

mini

I enjoy the Narnia films having never read the books

Others that spring to mind, The Last Mimzy, Nim's Island, the new Journey to the Centre of the Earth

I haven't read Eragon so I don't really care - the film was ok and the Gruesomes and I could all enjoy it which is always a bonus.

The Golden Compass makes me spit really, but the look and feel of it outweigh the way they changed the story around. Lee Scoresby in particular in the film is almost exactly how I had imagined him in the film (Lord Asriel, however, was totally wrong - on the other hand, when can Daniel Craig ever be wrong? )

Spy Kids is pretty good fun for old and young alike.
A bit less recent, but what about Time Bandits?

Time Bandits, The Goonies, Free Willy (I did a sponsored ice-skate to raise money to save the Orca I was such a sweet child).

Never Ending Story

Labrynth

Can you tell what sort of films I tended to enjoy?

well, if we're going back that far there is Krull and Willow (which I watched recently with the Gruesomes and they loved it)

Ooh, not Krull. It's just a dirt-cheap Star Wars knock-off with the sci-fi trappings clumsily shorn away.
Best go for the real Star Wars trilogy... and I don't mean the new ones. No such movies exist, I tell you!

I watched Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief recently, teenage Greek god action, I thought it was fun.

Plus Sean Bean as randy old Zeus


Deb

Time Bandits, The Goonies, Never Ending Story, Labrynth, Krull, Willow etc,

Stop that, you're showing my age.

Shame you're after live action only, or I'd suggest The Dark Crystal too.

Isn't that live action? Just not people!? (I've not watched it. I know. <schockhorror&gt

Willow used to be one of my favourites.

I think more scaryish fun fantasy films should be made. Willow used to terrify me but not in a bad way!

Mee-Shee The Water Giant, Whale Rider, Mission Without Permission, RV all have been enjoyed by us here.

Princess Bride, Finding Neverland, all the Back to the Futures.

Steady on with the Musical thing - presumably Dads are involved in families too - don't want them being ill having to watch these things



Good set of films so far. Glad to see Sky High included. I caught this recently when off work ill and thought it was going to be cheap afternoon, enjoyable tat. Turned out to be superb!

Are the Lord of the Rings films considered too scary then?

>The Golden Compass makes me spit really, but the look and feel of it outweigh the way they changed the story around.<

I must have missed something. Myself and my mother agreed after watching this that it was about as close to the book as we'd ever seen a film (although I might agree about Asriel being different).

What did they change then?

A few of the ones mentioned might be good kid´s movies, but won´t have mch appeal to the daddies. If we´re going back a bit anyway, how about the first Brendan Fraser Mummy movie.