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Three junior-high students interpret cryptic messages from outer space to build a ship and make first contact with extra-terrestrials in Explorers. Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) launched the notable careers of young co-stars Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and River Phoenix (Stand By Me), who play the dreamer and the scientist of the trio. Jason Presson plays the third boy, a loner with problems at home. The boys are eager to take flight and meet their alien hosts, but are their expectations too high? Will the aliens disappoint them? More importantly, will they disappoint the audience?
The characters and performances in Explorers are good and the first half of the film builds nicely, incorporating warm humor and a healthy sense of wonder. But the tricky final third of the story will leave many viewers underwhelmed, as the aliens turn out to be more cartoonish than believable. The creature effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing) are top-notch and Jerry Goldsmith’s soaring score ranks among the composer’s finest efforts, but Explorers is ultimately a film that needed a little more time to cook. Eric Luke’s script contains interesting messages about empathy and compassion that get muddled or lost along the film’s way to a hurried ending. Even in its compromised state, Explorers captures the ebullient spirit of ’80s fantasy films, while simultaneously giving a nostalgic nod to ’50s sci-fi.
With Dick Miller, Amanda Peterson, Meshach Taylor, James Cromwell, and Robert Picardo.