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starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Bobby Fite, Bradley Gregg, Georg Oldendirected by: Joe Dante
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0097360167634
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Release Date: July 08, 1997
Running Time: 109 minutes
Sales Rank: 7782
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: July 12, 1985
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
It's only in retrospect that one can see that Joe Dante's Explorers is an awful lot like Robert Zemeckis's Contact. An alien race, determined to make contact with earthlings, feeds some unsuspecting individuals the blueprints for space travel. Instead of the big gyroscope that Jodie Foster was strapped into in Contact, the three kids in Explorers make their intergalactic trip in crystalline blue Flubber. River Phoenix looks shockingly prepubescent (which he was) as Wolfgang, the brains of the trio, while Ethan Hawke looks like a young lady-killer as Ben. Fitting into the 'whatever happened to?' category is Jason Presson as Darren, an outcast who joins the two eggheads. Joe Dante's career, cruising after Gremlins was a smash, faced a serious 'hitch in the giddyup' when this film sputtered through the 1985 summer season without much of an impact. The effects still hold up nicely, as does Dante's incessant need to pay homage to other, older sci-fi films. The whole thing seems like a lot of trouble for some smackingly bland and silly results, but it's a harmless, initially involving diversion. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Explorers a real treat
Remembering this movie is from the mid eighties, you'll be quite impressed with the special effects, and the lighthearted story is entertaining. I got a real kick out of the terrible alien creatures but it was sad to see the acting talent of a very young River Phoenix and know it would be cut short. All in all, not the amazing movie you might remember if you haven't watched it since you were a kid - but definitely worth watching if you've got kids of your own or if you like to reminisce.
Rating:  - Explore the fun
We saw this in the 80's when it 1st came out. Now, it's just as entertaining. A different slant on alien contact, after all if they do exist, they must have teenagers, too. And it appears an older gent also had been contacted sometime in the past. Very good when they begin to get the picture this is an invitation and actually build their travel craft. Highly recommend this. Fun for all ages...maybe a bit scary for the very young ones when the heroes 1st make alien contact. Don't miss this ... Read More
Rating: - EXPLORERS - Good family movie (for a sci-fi Dad)
EXPLORERS - was a very good family movie (four stars) that I first saw with my very young boys in the year it was made. As a family movie it was great and my boys were not disappointed with the (weak) ending. Of course, these kids spoke up in defense of MAGIC FLUTE when I quietly complained to my wife at the breakfast table about having to sit through that one.
This film had a good plot with lots of development, decent special effects, fine young actors (including young River Phoenix) ... Read More
Rating: - great 80's Sci Fi movie, great kids movie also
The 80's was a good time to be a kid as far as movies went.
Speilberg's influence was big at that time, mainly due to "E.T.", a movie that had a big sense of innnocence and childlike wonderment. ET had a big influence on a lot of the other sci fi and fantasy movies that came out after it, for a number of years, including this film.
It was directed by Speilberg collaborator Joe Dante, & is for sure similar in many ways to "ET", but with a 50/50 blend of Spielbergian wonder ... Read More
Rating: - Explorers
I give this a 4 instead of a five, because it did not hold the children's attention the way I like to see of a movie.
And my son said to me, "Mom what are you watching? It looks wierd."
4 is a good number, though, because it is cute with good messages woven in for the younger set.
There is a point in the movie when it seems that the writers don't know where to go with the story. That's when the costumes come in and are really extreme and distracting, from my point of view, but
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