You know what... I think to a lot of kids growing up in the 80's in America, this was their favourite film. It's got everything a classic wish fulfillment fantasy for children needs: Nice, charismatic good guys... Nasty, hissable bad guys... A taxing central situation that every youngster would be able to relate to (The demolishing of a local fast food restaurant to be replaced by a boring bank)... and of course a wonderful bike. This machine is actually ALIVE. It can jump higher than a kangaroo on a pogo stick, can fly through the sky as if it was operated by a certain ET (there's a reference to this in the soundtrack), and understands it's owners commands. Not to mention moving it's headlights like eyes, and using it's mudflaps to deposit any nearby bad dudes into stinking lakes. Hardehar.
But I'm making this sound like this is strictly a venture for the under 12's. It isn't at all. There's more fun to be had here than a hundred other so-called adult comedies I've seen of late, made by a director, cast and crew who are obviously having a whale of a time. As did I. True, there are some questionable elements. What's with the hero's best friend... a boy who can't be older than 11, being obsessed with bouncing bosoms and Playboy magazine? INAPPROPRIATE. And as for the most obvious stunt double EVER when the kid is doing his loop-de-loops, wheelies and other dangerous stuff... You'd have thought they'd at least get someone who's his height.
But who cares? This goes down as one of my most pleasant surprises of the year, and who knows... if I'd seen it as an impressionable child, perhaps I would have scored it even higher... 7/10
