I was a latchkey kid. My mum gave me the house key when I was 8 and told me not to open the door to anyone. After school from 4 to 7 o’clock on school days and all day on school holidays I was in control of what I watched. And what did I watch? Films I had no business watching. In this Underage Cinema series of posts, I talk about the films that I loved as a child that were definitely not for little girls with too much autonomy over the images she was able to consume.
I’ve recently forgiven Will Smith for that accent in Concussion but I will never (ever) forgive him for not being in Independence Day: Resurgence. When I moved back to Britain from Zimbabwe, the only people I knew and trusted were my mum and Will Smith. Ok? The idea of him, a strong, intelligent, charming black man has and will always mean the world to me.
I’m not sure if the image of Vivica Fox dancing on that stage is the reason I tip so well when I frequent strip clubs but I’d be remiss to not acknowledge it was important to me. Yes, there were problematic elements to Independence Day but I was 7 years old - all I cared about or knew was I wanted to be just like Jasmine in that film; a stripper who saved people’s lives in a big red truck, got married to Will Smith and stood in close proximity to Jeff Goldblum while watching the destruction of an aggressive alien race.
Look, Suicide Squad better be worth it (Will Smith's commitments to the film meant he wasn't available to star in ID2). I have waited 20 years for a sequel to this film and to find out that Will Smith isn’t even going to be in it? My childhood fantasies are well and truly shattered. Both Captain Steve Hillard and Vivica Fox’s original nose will be absent from this film- yes we have Jeff Goldblum (God knows I’m thankful for that at least) but as an awkward, lonely only child, Will Smith was a friend to me, a big brother. Independence Day 2 is going to be amazing, Roland Emmerich, one of my favourite directors of all time, will make sure of it but something is missing already. Who’s going to punch the aliens in the face and say iconic lines like “Now you got me dragging you across the dessert with your dreadlocks sticking out my parachute and what the hell is that smell?” *wipes tears * I know this film word for word because it was perfection and also; 7 year olds are easily brainwashed.
Next time on Underage Cinema ; Interview With A Vampire and how no vampire on celluloid will ever match Tom Cruise’s sublime turn as Lestat.
What do you think? What films did you watch when you were too young?
Jump in the comments below.
Like this post.
Follow me on Twitter @danielledash