Explorers

The first two acts of this movie are awesome, but the third act pisses it all away. It still angers me that such a fantastic buildup was wasted on the idiotic reveal they served up. In dire need of a remake that gets it right.

The first 2/3 succeeds at emulating Spielberg's formula and should appeal both to kids and adults on 80's nostalgia trip (computers, walkmans, fashion). But, then comes the last 1/3 with bizarre alien slapstick which almost ruins the whole movie. It's not a surprise that a.) this wasn't the next Star Wars and b.) the film had a troubled production.

The beach in Shawshank, the demon in Night/Curse of the Demon, and the entire final half hour of this film. I'm actually fine with all three but this one is the most egregious. Green Frank Caliendo is still better than the cover of Ooh La La in Back to the Future 2 though, right Netflix?

Explorers is caught awkwardly between a sub-Spielbergian awe fest and the film Dante actually wanted to make, which was perhaps slightly more subversive. The much criticised third act where the kids finally make contact with aliens is problematic, but it has a certain gonzo charm that's hard to dismiss. As Rosenbaum has rightly noted, the fact that the aliens are more childish and stupid than the young earthlings makes a mockery of their quest, but the sluggish pace does it no favours.

It might be looked down as another 80s kids' fantasy, but Explorers, in its beautiful naiveness, also reveals Dante's subversive filmmaking. The only possible kind of astronaut in the Reagan era are curious kids -- not some angry agents with military intentions. When they get there, they meet their alien versions -- kids with daddy issues, addicted to TV, cartoons and terrified by sci-fi films. Their connection had to be with their human versions as well. A disenchanted but heartwarming fantasy.

When it's a slightly off-beat movie about childhood dreams it's rather enjoyable as all three leads give good performances. But the final act is really bad and kind of undermines the spirit of the rest of the film.

Loved this movie as a kid, and it still holds a little of the magic but really goes awry once they make contact.

I'll echo what others have said in that the first two acts are great. Joe Dante channels his best Spielberg and gives a pretty great science fiction tale wrapped in childhood wonder. Then, the Dante who is REALLY nostalgic for 40s and 50s pop culture, comes in. It is all perfectly fine, but the plot comes to sudden stop as we watch a "performance" that really has few laughs.

So the movie didn't age all that well, but damn, it sure got the 80s nostalgia fired up. Somewhat bittersweet though as seeing Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix that young made me feel super old. Not so fun fact: 2 of these kids (Phoenix and Amanda Peterson) died of drug overdoses. Enjoy the movie!

I loved this movie as a kid and I'm still very nostalgic for it. Still, it doesn't hold up very well over time. Kind of like the intellivision.

I like the movie because every kid wishes they can build a spaceship, but man how tacky were those aliens?

I couldn't remember if I saw this as a kid -- I would have been close to the perfect target audience. I almost wish I hadn't checked it out. The first part of the movie goes almost agonizingly slow; Hawke looks like he's the only one enjoying the movie throughout much of it. And then we meet the aliens -- they're a bit comical as I watch as an adult, but their conversations would have made no sense to me as a pre-teen. Bits are fine, but it hasn't really aged well.

I think if I would have seen this at the time I would have probably enjoyed it more than at 35. I loved a lot about this movie. The story of three boys who use computers to make a spaceship is fun and interesting. The acting is great. The story has adventure, romance, and a lot of kids just being kids that I think would speak to a lot of people. The aliens, which I'm sure at the time were amazing, do not hold up. The whole movie fell apart when they came on screen.

Close Encounters of the Third Grade Kind.

It starts well, even too good for the kids' movie. I was enjoying myself, making up jokes about Wolfgang not being so smart after all and.. you know, overdosing on drugs (??how's that funny, me!?), and then those idiotic aliens... Just ruined the movie.

Starts as a fun little adventure then the aliens ruin it. They're wacky to the point of deranged, nowhere near likeable enough to pull this off.

Man, how i loved this back then...but if your twisted, sarcastic, barren of all that is hope and joy todays self watches it...no chance, man.

They don't make live action kids movies this awesome anymore.

Starts off well with a great cast, but half way through it get boring to the end.

Absolutely enjoyed the film until the last third, which pretty much ruined the whole movie.

Very promising at first but later in, it dissolves into utter nonsense, sadly. Showed real potential and could have been a far better movie, imo.

Home Video cut. Expectation: Stranger Things/Spielberg with kids building their own spaceship with a heavy dose of '80s. Reality: kind of a boring build-up, quite juvenile reaction to their discoveries (and troubling '80s peeping), and then a wtf ending. I'm not sure if it's intentionally cheesy, they switched writers/director, or someone just took a ton of drugs. Probably some from each category. In any case, this was a huge disappointment. Fav scene: quick cat dodges sphere.

Viewed September 14, 2020.

Explorers might be a cult classic to some, but remains a forgettable film with its inconsistent tone, middling performances and intrusive 80's-synth soundtrack. It's still watchable (just about), but there's not much more to say about it.

Beginning is good but the alien scenes need to be edited down.

An interesting start and an awful conclusion.

69.500

Loved this movie as a kid. Original and inspirational.

okay movie

Cute

Enjoyable and fun. It loses a little focus toward the end, however, as the studio decided to rush the director's rough cut to print.

Great family movie of the 80s!

Underrated. The cast alone should make people take a look.

Been a while, but I remember being enthralled by this movie.

Intensely irritating, unappealing and stupid. Notable only because almost everyone who sees it forgets the title.

Moderately decent kiddie sf picture. Joe Dante treats us to all his standard in-jokes

Not bad.