Classic Scifi Repeated Space Ship Fly Over Scene So Amny Times Its Funny
I liked it better than E.T.
This film really has nothing to do with E.T...people seem to think it was a 'reaction' to it...I say that maybe it made a wonderful film gem like this, a sci-fi for and starring kids, possible.
Funny and inspiring. Probably the first film I ever saw with both of these qualities. I was 6 when it came out, and though it stars 3 boys, the tomboy in me came out...even as an adult (I watched it recently again) I become awed by the scenes of the boys constructing the 'scapeship'. The writer and Dante were good about packing in little extra details, like the "talking" mouse, Wolfgang's strange family, the kids using walkie-talkies, the dog who chews gum, the drive-in movie, Ben writing a will, one of the kids living in a trailer, etc. Without being hokey, these tidbits add more depth and charm to a story that could've been called a Mickey Mouse approach to E.T. These kids are older than Elliott and smarter and the film doesn't go for tearjerking scenes; EVER. Some of the direction reminds me of Spielberg, **however... instead of this film being a kid's approach to space-travel, it's a space-travel approach to a kid's film.
Then there are the aliens. Well, we feel the way the kids do about them; disappointed. But that is the point. What would you expect to see? It is kind of like the mataphorical satire of the grass being greener on the other side.
I tried not to get too emotional when reading the viewer comments on this film. I do not consider myself a Yank-I like to use the term American-but being 1st generation -born here, I still consider myself part-European, and the fact that the film did better in Europe than in the States, and from what I hear- Joe Dante's apology for the film- makes me sad. This film started my fascination toward the unknown and the general sciences. I happen to be one "Yank" who really enjoyed this movie!
54 out of 65 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Classic kids' adventure, hugely underrated
All kids should watch this - between the ages of 6 and 13. I saw this when it came out on video - I was 8 - don't know how I missed it at the cinema - it couldn't have had a big release in the UK. I loved the detail and imagination within this movie - like the one dream that the three boys all share, the sphere they create from their computer, the guard dog they give bubble gum to, the amusement ride seat they turn into their spaceship, with windows made from the fronts of washing-machines and TVs. And our three heroes make a great team. They are all very different in character, yet share that same dream of escape and adventure. Ethan Hawke is the main hero - the one that most viewers will relate to - the average 80's kid hooked on television, daydreaming during school lessons and a huge crush on the girl next door. River Phoenix is his nerdy computer-whiz friend with an Einstein-like crazy father (played by James Cromwell) and Jason Presson is the mature, yet weird kid with a troubled home-life. The magic of this movie is in its innocence and the dreams that the kids are able to turn into reality. The first half is pure 80's kids' adventure movie. The second half becomes pure "Dante", as it dives into 50's-style B-movie sci-fi - exactly what Dante is referencing and sending up, yet paying homage to at the same time. What our heroes find out in space is certainly not what they expect or what we expect. They feel let down by their discovery and in some way, we do too. But there are so many great scenes in this film - the chemistry between the 3 main actors is great - they really bond well together and we get drawn into the film because of Dante's attention to detail in these characters. It's a funny combination of child adventure and B-movie sci-fi but kids will love it, and as you grow up, you learn to see (like many great kids' films) many new details that pass you by as a kid but keep you entertained all over again from a different perspective. A highly overlooked 80's adventure movie, almost as good as The Goonies, but far less commercial, due to Dante's unique approach. Go and see it now, or see it again or watch it with your kids - you will all love it.
57 out of 68 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Fantastic, imaginative, entertaining--halfway through.
Watching Explorers as a kid, sparked all the things I loved about freedom, and adventure. I was always into space, sci-fi, computers, and aliens even at a young age, and this film does a great job geeking any kid out when it comes to science, space, and adventure. I love how one of the kids had a dream about designing a circuit board, and after creating it realizes it creates a spherical force field that has virtually no speed limit, and is impossible to slow down (blasting through an entire stack of books with ease, leaving a perfect hole).
Although, once the kids get through the testing phase of the force field, and build the ship from old carnival rides (tea-cup thingie)--the movie takes another turn. Although still fun, the writer and/or director seem to lose track of the original flare, and the movie begins to wander off into a more childish, meaningless Hollywood push-out.
Over all, the film is very entertaining. I just Netflixed it so that my girlfriend could see it, and I could reminisce. It is one of my favorite childhood movies (along side the original Neverending Story).
--MR
64 out of 72 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Fun, imaginative romp
This is a fun little story about a group of kids who are inspired by alien transmissions to build a spaceship from old junk parts. It features some of the early performances by Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, back when they were young and enthusiastic performers. I'm actually totally green with envy at River Phoenix's role; it's the sort I always imagined playing as a kid.
The climax is very similar to a classic Star Trek episode called 'The Squire of Gothos', and the effects and showmanship of this story is very cool. A great piece of entertainment.
31 out of 39 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Seriously flawed, but still good
Warning: Spoilers
I have a soft spot in my heart for this underrated Joe Dante pic, though I'm the first to admit it has more than a few problems.
It starts out with a great concept. An outer space-obsessed kid (Ethan Hawke) starts having weird dreams which seem to be some sort of message from aliens. He confides in his computer geek friend (River Phoenix) who happens to be working on a concentrated force field that defies gravity and can move at incredible speeds. They talk about the possibility of actually being inside one of these force fields, thus giving them the ability to fly and travel incredible distances at amazing speeds.
Meanwhile, Hawke has struck up a friendship with school bad kid Jason Presson, and lets him in on Phoenix's new technology. They figure out how to control the field and decide that they should build a vehicle in which they can all fit. They find an old amusement park ride, and customize it into a spaceship they christen the Thunder Road. After a reckless test drive, the ship is taken over by aliens who bring it to their mother ship. It's here that the movie jumps its track.
The aliens turn out to be cartoonish buffoons that communicate by quoting old TV shows, due to the fact that they've learned English by watching TV signals picked up in space. Hawke is disheartened by their incoherence, but realizes that they're so confusing because human life makes no sense to them (e.g. war, violence, Hollywood's malignation of extraterrestrials).
The kids narrowly escape the ship when the aliens' Dad (!) returns, and rips them all a new one (the alien kids stole the Dad's "car"). Hawke, Phoenix and Presson return to Earth, but land in the lake and watch sadly as their ship sinks to the bottom. For some reason, the girl Hawke likes (Amanda Peterson) has some sort of psychic link to the guys and looks on as they walk away from their doomed spaceship. The next day, they all (including Peterson) have a shared dream of signals from the aliens, thus ending the movie on a resoundingly positive note.
Overall, Explorers is immensely entertaining, but also wildly uneven. There's an overwhelming sense of child-like wonder during the first half (and again at the finale), but the scenes in the alien ship are dreadfully out of place and hinder the movie's power. The alien sequence itself is often very funny (Dante regular Robert Picardo is terrific as the "brother" alien), but does not belong in this movie. It never quite regains its footing after that, though the final dream sequence is nicely uplifting.
Another problem is a subplot about a helicopter pilot (Dick Miller) who has always dreamed of going to outer space and discovering life. The movie goes to some trouble to set this up, then proceeds to do nothing with the character, who manages to find out what the kids are up to, and simply watches as they fly away to meet the aliens.
This movie has so much going for it--terrific performances, great special effects, wonderful music by Jerry Goldsmith--that it really is a shame when it falls apart. This could have been one of the great science fiction movies of the 80's; instead it's become little more than a curiosity (the movie flopped upon its initial release), showing up on cable TV here and there.
But I urge those who insist on defending other "bombs" like 1941 and ISHTAR to give this one another chance, if only to see future indie-grunge thespians Hawke and Phoenix as geeky junior high students. B-movie fans will get a kick out of the phony sci-fi movie playing at the drive-in, complete with bad dubbing and string-propelled spaceships.
16 out of 19 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
quite a movie to explore
The '80s yielded a number of movies about kids going on adventures, but "Explorers" was something else. On the surface, it seems like any other movie, but the aliens aren't what anyone is expecting. Mostly, the movie is about Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke), Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix) and Darren Woods (Jason Presson), and their fantasies.
And then there are director Joe Dante's touches. Dick Miller - whom Dante always casts - plays a cop who discovers the boys' spaceship. Robert Picardo (another frequent Dante player) voices one of the aliens. And of course Dante has many allusions to '50s B-movies. Maybe "Explorers" isn't anything special, but it's still pretty fascinating.
19 out of 28 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Amazing in childhood, and amazing still now.
wow. i love this film. i saw it when i was pretty young and absolutely loved it, as i do much of Dante's flicks from this time - The Burbs, Gremlins, InnerSpace - and i still love it to this very day. in fact, i understand the ending a little better now. i remember the ending being quite disappointing in some senses - the aliens just dont live up to the majesty that proceeds them - but this is exactly how the main character played by Ethan Hawke feels. So in some senses this could be seen as truly amazing film-making. But maybe i am being a little silly through my love of the film, which also i must add, has one of the best themes. A theme which only arrives half way through the film, when their craft is almost finished in its building. I love this film, but i can understand that some people may not enjoy it or even find it to be that good a film. I of course dont agree with this in any way - and less than 6/10? Outrageous. it deserves at least 7 anyway. But nevertheless, people have their opinions, and in mine i shall give it 8.5/10.
27 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Classic 80's Flick
A great movie, the sci-fi Goonies, if you will. Maybe it's because "Explorers" only sports three main characters, and "The Goonies" has seven (plus Sloth) ... but I'd hold this movie up with that one any day.
The humor comes from strange places, and truly lands in bizarro world during the last act, but it captured my imagination seamlessly when I first saw it at the age of eleven. I'm older now, so maybe it's just nostalgia, but if you're into the whole 1980's retro thing, this belongs in your collection with the rest of the Disney-ish buddy movies. Clever idea, and one of the last good movies Joe Dante made. Having a cast like that, though, sure doesn't hurt.
19 out of 26 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The biggest letdown in movie history
Warning: Spoilers
I seriously have to wonder about this movie. It had elements of genius in it before they met the aliens. I especially liked River Phoenix's (I didn't know who he was back then, and to this day it's s surprise he played the super dork scientist) German family of scientists who had the little kid who always showed up at the breakfast table wearing Halloween masks, despite it being nowhere near Halloween. There were some odd, quirky but fantastic minds behind that movie.
So why, oh why did they wreck it? I was 10 years old when that movie was released, and even at that early age I knew something was terribly wrong. Wait, What? All this build up so we can learn that the aliens are moronic kids who are obsessed with American Earth TV? At the start, this is an intelligent, wonderful film about a group of misfit kids, drawn together by a shared dream, who pull their talents and resources together to build a spaceship because they were contacted by some advanced alien intelligence. Inherent in the film was the idea of idealistic innocence culminating in the desire to explore, to discover and to see what was out there. All addressed in a mature, even thought provoking way. A rare feat even among the excess of quality kid's movies made in '85.
And then, KABLAMO! All that is thrown away. Even at 10 years old I personally felt my intelligence insulted. You're telling me that after all this build up, the first contact with Aliens these kids have is some big goofy looking Muppet that says "Hello, I'm Mr. Ed!??!?" "It's not fair!" I thought to myself. "How do they expect me to believe that these mentally challenged alien children were able to send interstellar messages containing highly technical schematics for building an airtight force field which could be piloted in any direction, even outer space? And for what? So they could impress the kids with their stupid imitations of American television pop-culture? NO. I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS." At least The Goonies made 1985 worthwhile.
47 out of 64 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
80% a great movie
I remember seeing this movie as a kid. It was great from the start, and I just _drank_ the whole movie in. It kept being great great great great - until they reached the spaceship. Leonard Maltin's description of this as "a disastrous wrong turn in space" is putting this mildly. I HATED this part of a movie, even as a kid.
Probably still worth watching - that is, if you prepare yourself for a climax that really sucks!
10 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Great sci-fi for the family.
I had the pleasure of seeing this movie with my parents when I was ten and I really enjoyed it. In fact, whenever I see it on now I still enjoy it. This movie is a movie the whole family can get behind. This one is not about some obnoxious little brats outsmarting their parents or some other adults at every turn ala "Home Alone", this one is about kids doing something that all kids really enjoy exploring. Though they do their exploring at a very extreme level. It starts with a series of dreams that one friend tells another and pretty soon they make the device that was seen in the dreams. It apparently makes some strange spherical airtight shield. They decide to make a ship to put the device around and they put in some air tanks so they can breath. They then take their device for a rather humorous test drive, but near the end of their first run something seems to take control of their ship...they avoid disaster and then another dream shows them how to make a device that seems to provide air. The next time they try the ship they let the force take them to a spaceship far away. In it they meet up with some aliens. The movie goes at a rather good pace and is very funny. I really enjoyed it at the theater and so did my parents at the time. A few surprises are also included as well in this one.
10 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
80's hollywood fantasy at best
i watched this movie yesterday because i'm a good fan of Joe Dante and i had not seen this flick yet, and i loved it. it projects the same feelings that E.T. and The Goonies gave me, that's one thing i love about 80's movies they use to have new and exciting stories of materials used or nor used before with a unique style, the kids were wonderful in the movie and special effects very good for the time it was made, i love how River Phoenix refers to Poltergeist when he imitates the little girl by saying.."They're Here"...just rent it and you'll see for yourself what i mean when i say 80's hollywood fantasy at best!.
26 out of 34 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A great movie... until the aliens show up to ruin it
Warning: Spoilers
It's really a shame that such a well conceived and thought movie ends like this. The first 2/3 is great, aside some minor details. During the 2/3, it is original, fresh, imaginative, creative, clever, very enjoyable and timeless. But once the aliens show up, it goes down the drain. Literally. If only the aliens were well made and likable, but they aren't. First, the aliens are green and look absolutely grotesque. Second, they are incredibly annoying, so annoying that you'd wish to squeeze their necks.
Before that, however, the movie is generally likable. It has that unique 80's atmosphere and environment, notorious even in slighest details. The special effects are great for a family-oriented sci-fi movie. It tells the interesting story of 3 friends (Ben, Wolfgang and Darren) with different interests but a dream in common. Ben is fascinated about space and often dreams he's flying in space. Wolfgang is a scientist, therefore the intellectual of the group. Darren is more reluctant and practical, he is the type of guy who prefers to "play it safe" but he still joins his friends in their adventure. The three build a homemade spacecraft with room for three and embark on their secret adventure to space.
The 3 friends are portrayed with excellency by the young actors: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson. In fact, this was the acting debut for Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix.
River Phoenix is unfortunately long gone, but he always proved to be a gifted actor.
Ethan Hawke... it's a surprise to see him so young. He looked cute here, he had that floppy 80's hair, a childish face and still possessed the voice of an early adolescent. Today he looks very slim, awfully tired and very old for his age.
As for Jason Presson, he never had the fame of Ethan and River, but that's not to say he was any inferior to them, he wasn't. He also didn't have a career as big, but he starred in the drama "The Stone Boy" before this.
This movie is considered unfinished even by its director, Joe Dante. Apparently he had a deadline and was pressed by the studios to launch it as fast as possible and leave it as it was, not giving him enough time to finish it properly. The result of this is quite clear: that ending is a disaster.
Even Ethan Hawke didn't look happy with that ending. He tried to hide that with cheerful smiles, but I can tell that he looked sad in the aliens's part and that he was nowhere near as bright as he was until the aliens showed up. I can't blame him, that ending was a mess. Even the other 2 boys were probably disappointed with it, although they don't show that as much as Ethan.
James Cromwell has a small role as Wolfgang's father. It's a surprise to see him younger. He looked so different than in "Babe".
This film didn't do very well at the box office back in 1985 and that also upset Ethan, so much that he didn't recommend anyone at that age to act and didn't return to acting until 4 years later in "Dead Poets Society".
But, back to the other subject, I think they shouldn't press directors like that. They should let them do the movies the way they want and give them time. When pressed like that, final results can't be good. Look at "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", for instance. Steven Spielberg wasn't entirely satisfied with it and asked some more time to finish it, but they wouldn't listen to him. Later, he finished it the way he wanted - as a result, it improved considerably. Nobody is gonna die just because a movie takes a little longer to arrive. And not only nobody is gonna die, but that can very well compensate and be worth the wait.
Still, since Joe Dante was pressed of time, he could have done like Spielberg: finish the movie later as he wanted. That could have improved the movie a lot. Maybe there still exists some footage from the movie that wasn't included and could be restored and put in the movie and relaunch it in a special-edition DVD or something.
That ending is really the only I'd change. I wouldn't change much from the rest of it. It's only that ending that desperately cries to be remade. If I was involved in the movie's production, I wouldn't have allowed that ending, I would have told them to do it all again, from scratch.
10 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A decent movie about the Sci-fi adventures of three boys.
This Sci-fi adventure movie has a strikingly similar plot and theme to a movie which came out the same year, The Goonies. But Explorers lacks The Goonies popularity. Explorers is about a group of three misfit boys who build a homemade spaceship and travel into space. Although very far-fetched, the movie does bring out the sense of childhood adventure. This can best be seen when the main character (Played by Ethan Hawk) tries to persuade his two friends to explore the unknown. Sci-fi buffs should be sure to take note of the various scenes in which footage from the 1953 Science Fiction Classic, the War Of The Worlds, is shown. I think anyone who loves The Goonies will like this movie.
31 out of 40 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Delightful 80's teen movie
The idea of watching this movie came after seeing "Stand By Me" and learning more about River Phoenix' accomplishments.
Being born in the 80's myself and interested in the teen/adventure movies like "Stand By Me" and "The Goonies", I learned about "Explorers" which also featured the late River Phoenix. So last night I eventually got to watch "Explorers".
The movies introduces the three main characters very well; each having their own background with their own unique capabilities. Wolfgang Müller (River Phoenix) is the intelligent creator of complex things, Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) is the dreamer but his intelligence is not to be underestimated and Darren Woods (Jason Presson) is a normal, but a bit lonely, kid who happened to stumble into Ben's life and sees the opportunity to 'escape' from or rather to forget his problems at home for a while.
As the movie continues, the plot evolves very well. The switching between excitement and adventure leaves the watcher wanting for more. Up until 20 minutes or so before the end I thought the movie was 'perfect'.
The part following in which the aliens are introduced did not contribute much. I think this is mainly because the movie ended right after that part. If the writers had wrote a better ending, giving a meaning to the whole scene of meeting the aliens, then I think the movie would have lasted for about 10-15 more minutes.
But then again, the movie is about 3 teenagers having their dreams come true and not so much about meeting aliens.
For me it was the first time I saw Ethan Hawke play as young as that age (15). He was fairly easy to recognize and despite his age he did a very good performance. The same goes for Jason Presson and the late River Phoenix, who was barely recognizable. His character was something totally different than he would play in future films.
Also barely recognizable was Robert Picardo as Wak, Wak's Father and Starkiller. Knowing him mostly from his role in "Star Trek: Voyager" (bald) and (his voice) from "Totall Recall" I had difficulties actually recognizing him.
To conclude: "Explorers" is a delightful, heartwarming teen/adventure film about 3 teenagers having their dreams come true. All of the 3 main actors, and all supporting actors, did a superb job. I think this movie is highly underrated and that not many people know it exists.
I hope to see more films like this in the future. But nowadays, teen/adventure movies are either complete nonsense or Disney movies for children. Oh well, I think times just have changed... a lot.
My score is 7 out of 10 for great acting, a good story but a bit of a let down ending.
11 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Wasted potential
The first half of this movie was really, really good. A kid obsessed with all things alien starts receiving mysterious dreams - and then his friends start sharing his dream! Using the circuit design shown in the dream, they are lead to build a small spaceship - where they are pulled into space. Unfortunately, from here the movie fell apart. The "climax" is too long and rather uncomfortable (and hardly a climax). You come out of it feeling you could have found a better way to spend your time.
9 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
RIP Dick Miller
Kind of a ... simple movie in a lot of ways - a kid dreams (hallucinates?) a spaceship, he teams up with a kid who sort of saves him from bullies and his science whiz-kid friend (the Quintessential "Hey, why don't you sell one of your inventions you seemed to make offhandedly and make millions but you wont cause Movie" kid character) and they... Build it, and fly around, and then go off to another world.
This is a perk because it allows Dante's fun to come out (and that Jerry Goldsmith score, goodness gracious), but I also could have used more... Personality from these kids, past their single defining traits (which they play fine, but it's not anything past that). And while I don't see in the storytelling per-say, as far as story construction, that Dante didn't get to finish his cut (not that it was tampered with, it just got released before tweaks were done), there is a "and then..and then...and then" quality that makes it basic on the level of a children's book, and I do see it in some of the VFX in places.
(In the interest of full disclosure, this wasn't a movie I saw as a kid and kept inside of me all my life like the Gremlins movies, I'm seeing it now as a grown man so what interests me more is the largely background familial stuff, how the kids are from varying households, and the occasional satirical touch from Dante, so take that as a grain of salt - albeit I think this probably holds up better than The Goonies which is from the same year and the same ballpark of Kid Wonderment fantasy).
It certainly has its sweet charms, I think Ethan Hawke right away had an engaging screen presence (as far as untrained child actors go). and as I said Dick Miller is perfect in every second of his allotted screen time. And the more it sinks in, I enjoy the message more about why the aliens are how they are; come to think of it, it has more in common with The Twilight Zone than your typical 80s coming of age saga. So in other good news, it starts as a kids fantasy sci-fi, and in the last third becomes a weird subversion of alien encounter stories.
Speaking of which, this is also one of those times I wish the credits had been at the end and not the beginning as I had no idea Rob Bottin was the effects artist until the opening credits... And made me just itching in anticipation for when they'd show up. Luckily, they didn't disappoint.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
If this is all a dream, what's gonna happen when we wake up?
Explorers is directed by Joe Dante and written by Eric Luke. It stars Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson and Amanda Peterson. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by John Hora.
It's the family friendly sci-fi that Joe Dante did after he made Gremlins, and it's a film of much fun and childish splendour that is only done down by getting away from itself in the last quarter.
Plot basically sees three young lads (Hawke, Phoenix and Presson) with different talents and ideals who come together to fashion a spacecraft as they deal with the perils of school (bullies, puppy love, scholastic pressure). Taking off, the boys eventually go into space and encounter an alien race who have an interesting view on the human race...
Dante had studio interference to contend with and he eventually re-edited the film for home format release. The film does feel compromised and rushed towards the end, but the story holds up real well and the young actors (Dante's excellent direction of youngsters is often forgotten) engage and entertain for all the right reasons. It's a bit derivative and it does at times feel like Dante is just making a movie so he can bathe in homage nostalgia, but there is intelligence in the sci-fi factors before it gets confused as to its messages and the aliens we finally meet annoy and disappoint.
Weird and wondrous, fun and fragile, Explorers is a mixed bag for sure. 7/10
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Good But Could Have Been One of the Greats
Three kids (River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke, Jason Presson) build a spaceship from designs they get in their dreams. Then they launch it into space and meet some bizarre aliens. Like many other reviewers, I have mixed feelings about Explorers. Everything up to when the kids meet the aliens is excellent. Well-written, imaginative, exciting, beautiful film that could stand on par with anything Spielberg has done. Then the aliens. What's there to say? I've read a lot of breakdowns of it where people try to explain what Dante was "trying to say" and such. But, at the end of the day, these feel like excuses for why a great movie turns into a big joke. Still, the ending is nice and ultimately it's an uplifting, fun movie. Even the alien parts are watchable. Though admittedly more watchable for me after repeated viewings than the first. Give it a shot and judge for yourself.
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
To boldly go where no kid has gone before
Warning: Spoilers
Explorers is yet another gem from the criminally underrated Joe Dante. After Dante struck box office gold with Gremlins, nothing else he has done since has achieved the same level of success. Explorers was the first film he made after Gremlins, but it failed to strike a chord with audiences. A shame really because I think it's one of Dante's best films. Slightly flawed perhaps, but it's a fairly intelligent kids film, not to mention quite charming.
Explorers was one of a series of films that followed in the wake of ET. But I've never really been much of a fan of ET. It seemed a little too calculated to me, too geared to be a crowd-pleaser, and too mired in Spielberg's preoccupation with friendly aliens to work as a coherent story. I've always found Joe Dante to be a refreshing alternative to Spielberg because of his sly, irreverent style of storytelling. He brings a healthy dose of pessimism to Explorers but balances it with the right amount of child-like wonder, that in Spielberg's hands would have become excessively mawkish.
The film begins inside a surreal dream sequence, where a young boy Ben Crandell (Ethan Hawke's film debut) is flying above a circuit-board that is a dizzying array of colours, electrical flashes and breakers. Ben has no idea what the dream means, but he feels compelled to draw a diagram of the circuit-board. He shares this with his best friend Wolfgang Muller (the late River Phoenix) a young scientist.
After hooking up with another lad, Darren Woods, the three are all sharing similar dreams. Each dream they have seems to convey more information to them, eventually coming to the conclusion that it is scientific data. It allows them to construct a perfect sphere of self-sustaining energy. They decide that this sphere could be used to travel through space, theorising that may have been the purpose of their dreams. They build a spaceship out of a Tilt-A-Whirl and use it to encase the sphere. And take off on an incredible adventure.
Explorers really is a quite charming film. The first half dwells on the three lads gradually coming together, and combining their skills for the common goal of exploring space. Dante directs these scenes very well, the dream sequences have a surreal, engaging beauty, and there is a refreshing lack of over-sentiment in the dialogue exchanged by our heroes.
There is something so appealing to me about the premise of three children building a spaceship. The fact that the ThunderRoad, as they name it, is constructed from a fairground ride with TV screens and washing machine doors for windows seems to add to it's charm. And the science is surprisingly intelligent for a kids film. The scenes where they create the ball of energy lead up to some marvellous special effects sequences.
Two scenes that spring to mind are the ball flying out of control. Once in Wolfgang's laboratory where it ricochets off the walls, and another where Wolfgang is inside the sphere and it takes him on a journey overground, and under!
Some of the special effects are really magical, which is all the more impressive considering Explorers was made over 20 years ago. The sight of the ThunderRoad flying over the American continent is exhilarating, especially when they crash into a drive-in, and are intercepted by a police helicopter, ironically being mistaken for a UFO.
But when the ThunderRoad goes into orbit, the story takes an odd turn. They are captured by an alien ship, which shows off some pretty impressive set designs. The alien ship has a vastness in scale that quite takes one aback, with a very weird scene with a mechanical spider thing that checks out Ben and Wolfgang.
Then we meet the aliens. But they're not what we're expecting. They're bizarre in the extreme. Bright green, antennas. That in itself is not so unexpected, but when we have aliens performing stand-up routines and quoting Bugs Bunny, it's hard not to think the film's gone off course.
Explorers was an unfinished film, because the studio moved up the deadline, so it's not too surprising the ending feels a bit chaotic. In fact it's quite a hodgepodge of clashing styles. Bits of comedy mixed with serious points. These aliens have picked up TV broadcasts from Earth, and are familiar with lots of different SF/horror films. Especially the ones where humans attack aliens. They didn't visit Earth because they're afraid humans are really like that, and believe we will annihilate ourselves unless we change our ways. Which is why they communicated through dreams to the boys, to get to know a human, up close and personal.
There is a nice message buried under all the chaos and Little Richard numbers at the end if you look hard enough. With the amount of film references, this is where Dante's trademark in-jokes come to the fore. It's nice to see it taking on a different form this time rather than just playing in the background. It's allowed to take centre stage.
I was a bit disappointed by the sudden manic change in direction but a bit amused to discover the two aliens were teenagers who took their Dad's spaceship for a joyride. Robert Picardo, who voices one of the aliens, Wak, makes him into one of Joe Dante's most memorable creations.
Explorers may have an odd ending, but I still feel it's a high point in Dante's career, and it's refreshing to see a kids film with a modicum of intelligence. Which is a rare thing these days. Great theme from the late Jerry Goldsmith too.
5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Three misfit little boys make a working spacecraft from a junkyard and set off for outer space
This adventurous space tale stars River Phoenix as Ben whose dreams become a reality when along with two friends , River Phoenix , Jason Presson , create an interplanetary spacecraft in their makeshift laboratory to travel for other worlds . Ben Crandall is a young visionary who dreams of space travel while watching late-night B Sci-Fi movies , pouring over comic books, and playing computers games in the confines of his bedroom . Meantime, at college takes place the usual student problems , Bulies versus Neds and antics for the eggheads . The big time comes when they actually succeed in making a working spacecraft and set off for other planets .
Amusing family fare about three young boys who use a contraption from their homemade laboratory undergoing several adventures and it turns out to be a crossover between Sci-Fi adventure and a teenager angst movie . This entertaining film displays emotion , sense of irony , ordinary schoolroom antics , parental troubles , puppy love , rip-roaring adventure and results to be pretty funny . Good trio formed by young stars as Ethan Hawke , River Phoenix and Presson as misfit best friends . The likable trio of suburban kids seeking alien life , they have fun as the teenage astronauts . Nicely main cast and agreeable supporting cast with Dana Ivey , James Cromwell , Mary Kay Place , Danny Nucci , Robert Picardo and Dick Miller, a secondary actor usual of Roger Corman and Joe Dante, among others. Effects are top-notch, the puppets Aliens are well brought to life, they're made by I.L. M. , George Lucas' Industrial Light Magic and magnificent make-up by expert Rob Bottin . Primitive visual effects by means of ancient computer generators .Colorful and brilliant cinematography by John Hora . Special mention to musical score by great Jerry Goldsmith .
The motion picture was well told and imaginatively realized by director Joe Dante ; displaying his characteristic surreal wit and sense of amusement . Dante's most hits took place when found himself working alongside Steven Spielberg, John Landis and Australian director George Miller for the anthology movie ¨The Twilight Zone, The Movie¨ (1983) in which Dante directed the third segment .Steven Spielberg then hired him to work as director for ¨Gremlins¨ (1984) which was another box-office success. He directed some episodes for the Sci-Fi series "Amazing Stories" before directing his next Science Fiction feature which was ¨Innerspace¨ (1987) which, whilst critically well reviewed, was another box office failure. After directing five episodes of "Eerie, Indiana", Dante returned to the big-screen with the well-received ¨Matinee¨ (1993), an affectionate period satire set in 1962 against the background of the Cold War. Dante spent the next several years working for television and directed a satire on politics with ¨The Second Civil War¨ (1997). Dante's next two films, ¨Small Soldiers¨ (1998), and ¨Looney Toons: Back in Action¨ (2004) garnered good reviews but were not commercial hits. He was recruited by Mick Garris to direct two episodes of the anthology series "Masters of Horror" (2005 and 2006): "Homecoming" a biting political satire and the first American film to deal with the Iraq War.
4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Good-natured kid's flick
I'm a big fan of Joe Dante's oeuvre, although I'm more disposed towards his adult audience films (like PIRANHA and THE HOWLING) over his out-and-out kid's flicks. Saying that, EXPLORERS is still a decent kid's movie that manages to successfully capture that magical feel of danger and exploration of the best genre films. In many ways it's similar in feel to THE GOONIES, made on a lower budget perhaps but without the cloying sentimentality that Spielberg brought to GOONIES.
There's plenty to like in EXPLORERS, not least the spirit of inventiveness and invention that allows the kids to build their own spaceship using trash and one of the most dated computers you'll see on screen (128k of memory? Wow!). Dante did well to cast Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in the main roles, as both show off the talent that would make them successful later on in their careers. Plus there's a decent-sized cameo from Dick Miller and James Cromwell cast against type as a mad inventor.
Although I never watched this film all the way through as a kid, I remember being put off by what I saw of the rubbery aliens. Even now they disappoint, although I understand that they're included as a sort of satire of American TV and culture, but they take the film towards GREMLINS territory rather than a kid's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Sadly, it's the budget deficit that prevents EXPLORERS from being a true genre classic, but you can still rely on Dante to deliver an entertaining movie for the most part.
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Classic Music
For all the other commentary, from the great acting ensemble to the sheer joy of the story, my favorite part is the music. The haunting mix of orchestra and synthesizer which is Jerry Goldsmith's trademark abounds in the eerie and the uplifting strains from the first dream to the final credits. From the adventurous thrum to the absurd march, this is one disc you'll want for your collection (Varese Sarabande-VSD-5261)
4 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Where no kid has gone before?
Even though as I have learned that Explorers was released unfinished as per the page here there's enough of it to show the imagination of its creators in showing the wonder of exploration for kids.
Young Ethan Hawke really loves old science fiction from the 50s and he has some recurring dreams where he's designing space craft. I guess if he builds it he can fly. But he will need help.
Help comes in the form of scientific genius River Phoenix who comes from a family of geniuses who are eccentric. Add a third friend Jason Presson along for the ride and you have a neat kid's adventure tale with some very adult messaging.
They do build a contraption that possibly Rube Goldberg perfected decades before. And the thing actually works. They do meet some aliens and both have information to exchange.
Once broadcast and once into cyberspace things never really die. It's a theme used before in science fiction. Beings from beyond our solar system are monitoring. The two aliens encountered know all about us because nothing tells it better than what we like to entertain ourselves with.
The same concept was used as the frame of the Tim Allen comedy Galaxy Quest.
Studio budget considerations and all we never get to see the total vision that went into this work. But enough to show what fine entertainment Explorers is.
2 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Essence Of All Exploration Is Imagination.
Warning: Spoilers
"can't you feel it calling you?" says one bored tweener to another on a lazy afternoon while looking at the sky. bored, bullied and sexually frustrated, while his intellectual curiosity is lived vicariously through his science nerd best friend Wolfgang, Ethan Hawke's tween-geek character finds himself bored with the predictability of life on our planet and longs for adventure in a vastly larger universe. that's probably how most explorers get motivated, by a calling. probably, also by a certain amount of dissatisfied boredom with their current surroundings.
a explorer also should come with a imagination to accept the conundrums of existence and possibly in the universe. if anything exist there. it is awfully vast and seemingly empty. would you be prepared for a situation where whatever you were speculating and was curious about was speculating and curious about you as well?
conundrums are fascinating and often what prompts us philosophically and inquisitively. many viewers of 'Explorers' miss the whole point of the ending to this film. many are disappointed by what they perceive as a cosmic "joke's on you" approach to mystery. well the joke is on you stupid. and that's good for you. lighten up and accept your own folly here. you'll learn something that is beyond your answers and explanations and can free your mind and open it to even newer and improved intellectualism's. 'Explorers' doesn't attempt to solve or answer any questions about the universe or the meaning of things, but it does help you to find the key to unlocking them. 'Explorers' helps us to understand the answers lie with ourselves, understand that fully and you'll understand the conundrum this film presents to you and why the ending sequences of this film are some of the most brilliant ideas sci fi Hollywood has ever presented us.
Joe Dante's 'Explorers' is pure Hollywood genius from the 1980's. it's even better kids sci fi than Disney's terrific kiddie sci fi 'Flight of the Navigator'. for one thing, 'Explorers' is not as relentlessly cute as the Disney film, and even though 'Explorers' is basically for kids, it's anything but Disney (note charles m jones middle school).
'Explorers' answers everything and nothing at all. that is your adventure little ones, no matter what your age, and that is your conundrum. God bless. sweet dreams. and don't judge your mommies and daddies too hard. no matter what your age. you are loved.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
rodriguezwairespleet.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089114/reviews
0 Response to "Classic Scifi Repeated Space Ship Fly Over Scene So Amny Times Its Funny"
إرسال تعليق