He was the adorable grandson inThe Princess Bride.
He was Kevin onThe Wonder Years.
He was also a geek icon almost from the very start.
How much of a mark did Fred Savage make on the realm of 80s geekdom?
Lets take his genre work one by one in order of release.
Oh yeah, and girl is also pretty sure boy can fly.
Fred Savage plays the girls younger brother, Louis.
But he isnt just some kid brother.
Hes got problems of his own.
Yeah, this was some tough stuff.
And Savage gets to do some genuine acting.
Seriously, theres a scene with Louiss G.I.
Joes in the rain that Im still not over.
Like many a low-budget fantasy film of the 80s, the special effects look silly as hell.
But as a fantasy family-drama, its got a lot going for it.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
The Princess Bride (1987)
Whats there to say?
Seriously, even the final song is perfect.
Its set in a storybook.
Theres a giant, a pirate, a torture machine, and a six-fingered man.
Its basically a fairy tale on funny pills.
While Savages character isnt part of the fantasy world, he does represent our window into it.
He even gets the morals of the story.
One books dont suck.
Two love looks a lot like a grandfather who comes to read to you when youre sick.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
The movie has a dreamy unreality about it thats seldom been matched.
Vice Versa (1988)
Another movie that wont be appearing on any best of lists.
And it really has no qualifications.
The mid-to-late 80s saw a slew of body swap fare, most of which wasnt particularly good.
In this one, father and son swap bodies during an argument.
They walk in each others shoes, improve each others lives, grow closer, yada yada yada.
Of the body swap films, this actually is one of the better ones, though.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Did I mention body swap?
Little Monsters (1989)
Think the monsters under your bed arent real?
Fred Savage plays that kid.
This film wasnt made for adults.
It unapologetically aims at the pre-teen set.
There are plenty of pranks and gross-out jokes in the first half.
Then, somewhere around the midway point, the plot takes a creepy, almost sinister turn.
The movies common labeling as a family fantasy comedy doesnt do justice to that twist.
Its definitely a gateway horror movie by its second half, edging up to films likeLabyrinthandThe Monster Squad.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
Theres an entire world of monsters.
And it really shows.
The movie is basically one long product placement.
Its also a quasi-documentary.
While Fred Savage doesnt play the wizard, he does play the wizards brother.
And since the wizard doesnt do a lot of talking, Savage does most of the heavy lifting.
What qualifies it as sci-fi/fantasy?
But its a movie about video games, produced by Nintendo, so it gets an honorary sci-fi pass.
And it definitely had an impact on geek culture.
