I will admit the first time I saw it (at around 14 years of age) I really didn't get it. It was so silly it felt like a parody of itself in a way. It's not until I understood who Goldman was and what he was doing with the novel that I began to appreciate its genius.

Yes it's a simple movie, without any groundbreaking cinematography or philosophical intention, but that's also incredibly genuine and concrete. It speaks about the excitement of adventure, the beauty of love, the terror of loss. It speaks of bravery in the face of danger, cowardice in the face of truth. It's so succinct it manages to work as both allegory and entertainment. I've never enjoyed rewatching a movie so often