Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that, overall, this movie depicts smart, curious junior high kids who stumble upon a way to make their dreams of space flight a reality. But there's a scene in which they drink beer, and they work unsupervised with a welding torch and an electric saw as they construct their spaceship. One boy mentions his dead mother; another, preparing for a trip to outer space, writes his will as a precautionary measure. Younger kids may be scared by a suspenseful scene in which a giant mechanical "spider" frisks the boys after they arrive on the alien spaceship.
Families can talk about whether movies with older special effects are still entertaining. Can you suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy the story? Families can also discuss the realities of space flight and the boys' three distinct personalities. How are imaginative "dreamer" Ben, cautious scientist Wolfgang, and practical Darren different from one another? Why do you think they become friends? Last but not least, what do you think of the fact that the aliens base their opinion of humans on television? What kind of impression would you get of people based just on TV shows?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Teresa Talerico
Released during the sci-fi/alien/outer-space craze that followed the success of movies like Star Wars and E.T., EXPLORERS is most notable as the film debut of Ethan Hawke and the late River Phoenix, who were just kids when they starred in this movie.
The film certainly has its moments -- like when the film's young adventurers achieve liftoff in their homemade spaceship, or when a clever twist is revealed after they encounter a couple of extraterrestrials. But too often the movie feels sluggish and somewhat superficial, despite the young stars' earnest, enthusiastic, and believable performances.
Hawke plays junior high science fiction junkie Ben, who awakens one night from a vivid dream in which he's envisioned what appear to be electronic blueprints. He immediately captures his dream in a sketch and gives it to best friend Wolfgang (Phoenix), a budding scientist with his own basement laboratory. Before long, Wolfgang discovers that Ben's blueprints can unlock the secret to creating a computer-controlled force-field bubble, which defies gravity and can travel as fast as 100 miles an hour.
In other words, it's perfect for outer-space travel, so the boys -- joined by tough-guy peer Darren (Jason Presson) -- eagerly construct their own homemade spaceship from scrap parts, including a car from an old Tilt-A-Whirl ride. It's in imaginative scenes like this that Explorers really soars.
Soon, the trio is in flight. (Their first voyage? Where all the kids go on the weekend: the local drive-in.) But it turns out that the spaceship isn't entirely under their control: A pirate signal takes over their force field and spirits them away to an alien ship. There they meet two friendly aliens who've learned everything about earthlings and their language from watching television.
This premise leads to a few amusing exchanges between the aliens and the wide-eyed boys. But these scenes feel too long and rather unstructured -- which is a shame, since they should be the highlight of the film. The movie also never quite resolves a subplot involving a sheriff's department helicopter pilot who's investigating the kids and their ship.
Still, the young actors turn in fine performances. Phoenix, who tragically died of a drug overdose at 23, particularly shows glimpses of the maturity and talent he would reveal in his roles in The Mosquito Coast and Running on Empty.
Families who enjoy science fiction or movies about outer space and extraterrestrials might prefer E.T., the Star Wars series, Flight of the Navigator, and The Last Starfighter.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentA boy kisses a girl. A boy fantasizes about an alien species of "Amazon women" who want to breed a new race; his friend calls him a "pervert." A boy has a crush on a girl in his junior high class. |
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ViolenceA bully punches a boy in the face; the two briefly fight in the schoolyard. Some use of dangerous tools (welding torch, electric saw) as the ship is constructed. In one scene, a giant mechanical "spider" frisks the boys. A parent's death is mentioned. |
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LanguageA few mild curse words, like "ass," "pissed," and "go to hell." |
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Social BehaviorAlthough they neglect their schoolwork (which causes their grades to suffer), the movie's young characters are depicted as smart, curious kids who team up to build and pilot their own spaceship. |
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CommercialismThe boys affix a NASA sticker to their homemade spaceship. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoThree young boys share some swigs from a bottle of beer. |
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