Critic Reviews
-
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The offbeat teen comedy gets off to a good start, but when it takes off in space the spoof becomes too alien to be anything more nourishing than junk food for the soul.
-
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
The birth of fanboy culture?
-
Teresa Talerico, Common Sense Media
Kids' sci-fi adventure never fully blasts off.
-
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
A terrific little kid flick
-
Gregory Weinkauf, New Times
The one that started it all! Started what? No idea!
-
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
A family feature on Acid. What a strange, strange film.
-
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
After so much build-up, the ending's a bit of a letdown, but as a kids flick, this is way above average.
Read all 7 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
-
An 80's kids classic that seems to have totally passed me by. Was this even released in the UK? Released in the summer of 85, it had some pretty tough competition. It starts so well, it has all the ingredients of a classic kids 80's film until it gets to the end and then it… More
An 80's kids classic that seems to have totally passed me by. Was this even released in the UK? Released in the summer of 85, it had some pretty tough competition. It starts so well, it has all the ingredients of a classic kids 80's film until it gets to the end and then it gets spectacularly bad. Reading up on the history of the project, it seems the producers got tired of it or scared and rushed it out without it being finished - which could be blamed for it being awful but it's still no excuse for those aliens. It's the only film I can think of where I loved the first half and absolutely hated the second. It's Bizarre. Maybe forgivable if I'd seen it as a child but in 1985 there where some pretty good films out, so I still think it wouldn't have been a favourite of mine then. Producers eh!
-
Another classic kids flick from a time when imagination seemed to flow like a waterfall, made a year before 'Flight of the Navigator' and along the same kind of lines but much more wild with a stronger fantasy element. The direction from Dante is spot on giving this film a… More
Another classic kids flick from a time when imagination seemed to flow like a waterfall, made a year before 'Flight of the Navigator' and along the same kind of lines but much more wild with a stronger fantasy element. The direction from Dante is spot on giving this film a pure family feel which anyone can enjoy whilst the plot is simple yet also has some thought involved with the creation of the kids homemade ship and how they get it to fly.
Visuals for the time were slick and colourful with an air of mystic as allot of the action is during the night, the classic look and feel of the 80's gives this film such a charm much like many other fantasy films of the age, 'E.T.' being a good example. These days of course the effects do look dated but they still do their job and will thrill young viewers as I'm sure the wacky, zany aliens will too. Off the wall and a mix of 'Max Headroom' with 'Pee Wee Herman' and you have the fun creations in full bodysuits that are obvious yet at the same time great fun to watch (like many 'Star Wars' creatures).
Personally I always found 'Flight of the Navigator' more enjoyable than 'Explorers' as it was alittle more sensible in general and really did make me wanna travel in space as the navigator hehe. 'Explorers' was always great fun to watch as the plot builds but I was always kinda disappointed at how the aliens were handled, nice idea to make them kids but I thought they should of been more grounded to give the ending alittle more heart perhaps.
Think 'Goonies' in space ;)
-
An extremely fun little movie, even it is hampered a bit by the knowledge of "what could have been." I personally would love to see Paramount do a branching version of the film on Blu-ray with all of the known versions of the film (US theatrical, UK theatrical, TV version,… More
An extremely fun little movie, even it is hampered a bit by the knowledge of "what could have been." I personally would love to see Paramount do a branching version of the film on Blu-ray with all of the known versions of the film (US theatrical, UK theatrical, TV version, DVD version, VHS version), but one can only dream about that I suppose. I also wouldn't mind seeing some additional material to go with it, too.
-
A kooky 80s classic about kid space exploration and aliens. Sure it makes little sense from a logistical standpoint, but it doesn't matter when it's such a great story. Both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix are unmatched when it comes to child stars in that they're just… More
A kooky 80s classic about kid space exploration and aliens. Sure it makes little sense from a logistical standpoint, but it doesn't matter when it's such a great story. Both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix are unmatched when it comes to child stars in that they're just too smart and intelligent for their own good. This had some strange effects and creatures to say the least, in many ways it is the opposite premise of ET. Instead of aliens coming to earth, humans were going to space and meeting aliens. It's sort've dark and mature for a kid's movie, but one of the best.
-
one of those classic films from my childhood that i am now excited to share with me kids. early ethan hawke, and even better, early cindy mancini, this is one of those completely unbelievable stories that isnt fleshed out well at all but you didnt care as a kid because it was so much… More
one of those classic films from my childhood that i am now excited to share with me kids. early ethan hawke, and even better, early cindy mancini, this is one of those completely unbelievable stories that isnt fleshed out well at all but you didnt care as a kid because it was so much fun. a good family classic.
-
Rather uninspired and boring to me, especially when compared to other River Phoenix films and ones in this genre from the time period.
-
An 80's kids' space odyssey. It was a sensation in it's time, but barely memorable 20 years later. The aliens are quirky and fun, but for what? Big cosmic showtune of an end theme during the credits. I always thought of this movie: "What's all the hub-bub,… More
An 80's kids' space odyssey. It was a sensation in it's time, but barely memorable 20 years later. The aliens are quirky and fun, but for what? Big cosmic showtune of an end theme during the credits. I always thought of this movie: "What's all the hub-bub, Bub?"
-
Average sci-fi fantasy film about a group of kids travelling into space with their own spaceship. There's not enough spectacle or action for the kids and not enough meat for adults.
-
Explorers has a great premise - kids messing with computers discover they can create a mysterious physics-defying bubble allowing them to build a home-brew spaceship. However, it lets itself down with a tacky sci-fi second half that even 9 year-olds find absurdly silly! Classic… More
Explorers has a great premise - kids messing with computers discover they can create a mysterious physics-defying bubble allowing them to build a home-brew spaceship. However, it lets itself down with a tacky sci-fi second half that even 9 year-olds find absurdly silly! Classic childhood roles for Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix too!
-
Fun adventure about three kids who build a spaceship.
-
When I was a kid, Explorers was one of my favorite movies. Ever since I can remember I've had a fascination with outer space and all the possibilities that are out there. That being said, Explorers was the perfect movie to me when I was a kid, but watching it again for the first… More
When I was a kid, Explorers was one of my favorite movies. Ever since I can remember I've had a fascination with outer space and all the possibilities that are out there. That being said, Explorers was the perfect movie to me when I was a kid, but watching it again for the first time in fifteen years, things have changed. The story follows three young boys who start having weird dreams. They decide to build what they see in their dreams and to their surprise they build a spaceship. The boys are pulled into outer space, where they meet a group of aliens who are obsessed with our TV broadcasts and use different characters and scenes in order to communicate. As a kid, the story was magical, but as an adult, it was very lame. The hysterical aliens were unbelievably annoying and all the 'cool, futuristic' stuff is now simple classic eighties cheese. As for the cast, they are terrific, obviously, that's why two of the three boys grew up to be stars. Explorers was a favorite of mine as a kid, but that's really who it's aimed at. I watched it again because it's streaming and I loved it then, but watching it now kind of ruined it for me. This isn't like the Goonies, which is good any time at any age. Explorers is a kids movie that doesn't grow up as you do.
-
This film is from my childhood. The first time I seen it was in grade school. Very funny.
Read all 12 featured audience ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Subscription Services