Having just re watched Gremlins with teenage children (for their first time), there is definitely something about that era of movies.

Dodgy animatronics were first scoffed at, and then forgotten pretty quickly as everyone just got into the pure enjoyment of that movie.

This is a nigh on 40 year old film, with a lot of target references, yet it still hits the mark..

That said, rewatched transformers too, purely for the joy of the initial transformation (childhood toys coming to life..), and thoroughly enjoyed it (though it's already feeling a bit dated).