easy Riders

East Rider

Billy the Kid and Captain America have become cultural icons , and yet they can never be invoked without some element of Hopper and Ford in the DNA. I’ve not seen Easy Rider since I was a proper teenager. I can’t even ride a bicycle let alone drive or a hog. I’M an urban rat. And there was always something a bit , I can see now being that saviour element in the film that kept me a step off. I think not being cool helped too.

It is a film that has more going for it than against it in 2025. The vistas and the music in a big cinema definitely ramped and amped it in a way that made me more invested. I think from the outset. It is a pilgrimage trip of America’s great wilderness. While at first hopper is the over babbler of insecurity I do think Fondas Wyatt just gets away with being really really tall. There’s no conversation that won’t look cool if you keep your mouth shut and are really really handsome. 

It’s not without its own reality though, it’s not all metaphor and nonchalance. The commune sticks out as being openly pretentious. The idealism is interspaced with acknowledging these are city kids. The hopefulness that they are going to make it. Doesn’t really work when we can see how hopeless they are. It’s also got the honest grot to it that frankly made me think more of the Mansons than anything else.

Jacknnicholson is a blessed relief with hopper though. If only because you need some interplay at this point. Wyatt was genuinely getting on my tits.

I do feel it has longueurs. And while it’s great to chew the scenery, there is also a lot of cabbage that doesn’t endear. I felt it was more so you could have a piss more than anything else. This is a rocky horror of its time, to experience rather than follow.

The ending though left me disappointed. I found the lsd grim gothique trip and panic attacks hard to watch, the man is something more out of the heart of darkness than any yellow submarine. 

So I think it was a good journey to go on as a lesson in film. But frankly. It’s not a repeat next summer. 

Put your thumb up for it.East Rider: Cultural Icons and a 2025 Revisit

Billy the Kid and Captain America? Iconic, sure, but you can’t separate them from Hopper and Fonda. It’s been ages since I last watched Easy Rider, back when I was a teenager. And, well, let’s just say I wasn’t exactly the target audience then or now—total urbanite here. There was always something about the film that kept me at arm’s length, maybe my own lack of “coolness” played a part.

Revisiting it in 2025, it’s got more positives than negatives. Seeing it on a big screen with the music cranked up? That definitely made a difference. It’s a definite road trip through America’s wilderness. Hopper’s initially a bit of an over-talker, masking some insecurity, while Fonda’s Wyatt just coasts on being tall and handsome. Silence is golden, especially when you look like that.

It’s not all metaphors and vibes, though. The commune scene feels a bit pretentious, and while there’s an attempt at idealism, you can see these are city kids out of their element. The hopefulness feels forced, considering how out of place they seem. There’s also a grittiness that reminds me more of the Manson family than anything else.

Nicholson’s arrival is a breath of fresh air compared to Hopper. Frankly, Wyatt was starting to grate on me a bit. The film does have its slow parts, and while the scenery is great, there’s a lot of filler that doesn’t really add much. Feels like those scenes are more for bathroom breaks than anything else. It’s a cultural experience of its time, rather than a gripping story.

The ending was disappointing. The LSD trip and panic attacks were hard to watch, feeling more like Heart of Darkness than some psychedelic adventure. It was an interesting film studies exercise, but I won’t be rushing to rewatch it anytime soon. Thumbs up for the effort, though.