Millennials debate the ‘best’ mediocre VHS movie and gawk at the entries

If there is one set of initials that could describe the Millennial generation, it would be three simple letters: V-C-R. Home video tapes and movies were a primary source of entertainment throughout the youth of those years. In fact, there is a whole genre of films that could be described as “that one movie that my family had” that wasn’t necessarily great but was just a part of the household’s collection.

The list of films tended to be mid-budget movies that weren’t necessarily hits when they were released in theaters but were somehow home video hits through Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or random rentals at video stores. The folks on Reddit jumped at the chance to share their picks for this offbeat genre.

“Flight of the Navigator”

“Jungle 2 Jungle!”

“Rescuers Down Under, as a kid I would spend hours in the backyard woods recreating scenes and pretending.”

“It was Little Giants and Big Green for me. I mostly remember my grandparents' VHS collection, since they didn't have cable, haha.”

“MVP: Most Valuable Primate...haven't thought about that movie for years!”

“Angels in the Outfield at my grandparents house. It was one of the only VHS tapes they had.”

“Kindergarten Cop. I know all the dialogue and I even sometimes quote them.”

“Three Ninjas”

Many of the Redditors trashed or praised various films from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, all of which were mid-budget movies that varied in quality. Some of them are reviewed well in hindsight, but likely wouldn't be cemented in the Criterion Collection any time soon. This walk down memory lane made this aging generation reflect fondly and also just say, “Man, they just don’t make movies like they used to.” And they’re right.

Since the age of streaming has set in, movies of a certain "mediocre but beloved” quality or that have small pockets of fandom are a thing of the past compared to blockbuster films with a budget of a small country or independent features that are so small in scale that you’ve barely heard of them. There are hardly any “comedies with an animal playing a human sport” or “stand-up comedian in a weird situation” or “cheesy sci-fi” films anymore. Why is that the case?

The issue is that, during the age of VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray, films that didn’t necessarily do well financially at the movie theater could recoup some losses when released as physical media for purchase or rental. There was also the option of making TV rights deals for channels to show these less-than-popular films. However, streaming services have essentially removed that market, especially now that more of them are popping up and creating their own content while removing films from their services.

That’s not to say there isn’t a desire for “mediocre” movies to pop up anymore or that the old ones aren’t cherished. It’s just that the people bankrolling them need to know that they’ll be niche and make less money. Millennials are treating VHS and DVD formats like the previous generation did with vinyl, making tape trading and collecting a hobby. So if you still have that one tape of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze from your grandparents on a shelf somewhere, it might be a worthy collector’s item down the road.