By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
The 80s was a Golden Age for kids sci-fi. It’s the decade that brought us E.T., Flight of the Navigator, and also The Explorers. Released in 1985, The Explorers was Joe Dante’s follow up to Gremlins, but unlike the dark comedy of the critters run amok, it was a straight up family-friendly sci-fi adventure. It also overcame a poor box office reception to become an enduring cult classic and for an entire generation, it was one of their first experiences with science fiction.
The Explorers Is All About The Joy Of Discovery
The Explorers is the first film for two stars you may have heard of, Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. Hawke plays Ben, a young boy who gets dreams of flying over a city that transformers into a computer circuit. At 3 AM, he radios his buddy Wolfgang, played by Phoenix, a genius who takes Ben’s drawings and turns them into technology the likes of which none of them seen before. Working together with the downtrodden Darren, they combine the elaborate tech with spare parts from the junkyard to create a space ship, Thunder Road.
After breaking free of Earth and entering space, Thunder Road is picked up by a pair of aliens, Wak (Robert Picardo, proving again he’ll be in anything sci-fi and give it his all) and Neek (Leslie Rickert). The two aliens know all about Earth thanks to television reruns beamed into deep space. That gag from Futurama about Single Female Lawyer? It’s from Explorers.
Wak and Neek are only the first aliens that the boys come across. The Explorers may include humanity making first contact with aliens, but it keeps the stakes low throughout. Instead, it focuses on the fun and joy of exploration, wonder, and youthful amazement at seeing the wider world for the first time.
It’s Family Friendly But It’s Still Joe Dante
Joe Dante opened up over the years about the extensive amount of footage that was cut from the film to make Paramount’s tight release date. A subplot focusing on the Crandall family, and another touching on the Worldmind theory were cut. Even without those scenes, The Explorers was a staple on cable and a popular VHS rental for years.
The Explorers is filled with sly sci-fi humor, such as the drive-in movie the boys fly by featuring a hero named “Starkiller” (also played by Robert Picardo), and the aliens receiving Earth broadcast gag pays off in an unexpected way. There’s also a reference to Forbidden Planet from the sci-fi obsessed Ben. It’s an odd fit in between Gremlins and Innerspace, until you watch it, and you realize that Joe Dane will always be Joe Dante.
The Type Of Pre-Teen Adventure It’s Hard To Find Today
The jump from children’s movies to teen movies has always been a little awkward. The Explorers and its sci-fi contemporary, Flight of the Navigator, are the perfect type of movie to bridge that gap. Lighthearted, low-stakes, fun films suitable for the entire family used to be the bread and butter of video rental shops. Now, most of them go directly to streaming where they get ignored in favor of a new Skibidi Toilet episode or a new Roblox update.
The Explorers is available for free on YouTube, so you can relieve those movie nights of your youth, and rediscover the sense of fun that modern social media has squashed.
