Top 10 Kids On Bikes Movies
“Kids On Bikes” might sound like the most nebulous of sub-genres, and yet it can immediately conjure up images and titles that fit such a moniker. The heyday was the ‘80s (or things that take place in the ‘80s, looking at you IT and Stranger Things), in which kids would basically be left alone for hours at a time and, sans cell phones, without any way of getting touch with them. But, since they were only kids, their means for transportation was limited to just the BMX and Huffy bikes that allowed them to navigate their neighborhoods and beyond.
Most of the stories were adventures or mysteries (usually within the Sci-Fi or Horror genres) as the young kids, each distinct with a specific personality type, would have to band together to face some outside threat—often times by adding new, unexpected members to their clique. In other words, their worlds would expand in terms of experience but also the size of their gang. It would also pit a group that has demonstrably less technological prowess versus a group that tends to have more options, meaning the kids are theoretically outmatched when the best they can offer are bikes and walkie talkies against cars and guns or other enhancements.
Kids On Bikes movies are still made today and there’s a good reason—it’s a pretty potent structure for conflict and change while also a resounding metaphor for the pains of maturity and the terrors of impending adulthood. Not every Kids On Bikes film is a cinematic gem—hell, even some of the titles on this list don’t come out great when judge along those merits—but there’s still plenty within them to love and to appreciate it. There’s a longer list found at my Letterboxd, but for now, here’s the top ten Kids On Bikes films of all time.
10. RUSSKIES (1987)
9. THE B.R.A.T. PATROL (1986)
8. VAMPIRES VS. THE BRONX (2020)
7. EXPLORERS (1985)
6. IT (2017)
5. THE LOST BOYS (1987)
4. ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011)
3. THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987)
2. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
THE GOONIES (1985)
