EXPLORERS (1985) MOVIE REACTION - FIRST TIME WATCHING! OMG! 

We hope you enjoy this Reaction Video. We really enjoyed it. It managed to really surprise us with the ending! It's quite an unusual film. Thank you so much for the suggestion. We hope you enjoy our reactions. Just looking on youtube, and there doesn't seem to be any other reaction videos to this film, so it's a first! Did anyone pick up on the drive-in scene and the reactions of the 'actors' of the on screen film when the craft crashed into the diner? And what do you think about the adult who sees them take-off ? We also have a theory that this script was inspired by Carl Sagan's Contact.

I would recommend ‘Cloak & Dagger’ (1984). one of my favorites.

Anyone remember Flight of the navigator 🛸

Loved the juxtaposition of how much the dad was really into the first half of the film, and then how the kid is more into the silly, goofy second half while the dad is totally perplexed, 😂. One of my favorite movies growing up - had a HUGE impact on me as a kid

A horse is a horse of course of course I believe comes from the old tv series Mr. Ed in which a horse is the main character. Very cute.

Awesome! The unfortunate thing about this film is that it was rushed to finish before an ending was really written out. That’s why the ending is kind of slapped together. So many great 80’s nuggets though!

This movie and "Flight of the Navigator" were the reason i was obsessed with astrophysics as a kid.

It's so beautiful. The Alien pretending like we scared him.

Another great Ethan Hawke movie is White Fang based off the Jack London novel.

I saw this in the theater, cool movie..

This is tops in my list of "Spielberg Movies not Directed or Produced by Spielberg". There is probably a Mandela Effect for those films from the 80s that everyone just assumes he had a hand in the making of them. Other films of this sub-genre I would include would be LAST STARFIGHTER, NEVERENDING STORY, MONSTER SQUAD...(list can go on and on). Great reaction. Can we also mention how great the score is for this movie?

That movie had such an impact on my life. The realism and realistic physics, if dumbed down, got me into science and space exploration

I was born early in the 90s, and Explorers was a film I frequently rewatched throughout my childhood. It never occurred to me back then that the film was released in unfinished state. It's a real pity that this film was rushed into release (the original release was slated for August 1985, but the theatrical release was a month earlier). _So_ much was cut out of this film when the executives moved up the release date. The executive essentially told the cast and crew to stop working. It also had the misfortune of being both released on the same weekend as a _Live Aid_ concert and the weekend after the release of _Back to the Future,_ making the film a box office bomb.

This film has a critically underrated score. I still have it on CD, would love to find it on vinyl.

I was the perfect age when this came out...I turned 11 in 1985, I was 4 years younger than Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. In 1984, Gremlins & The Last Starfigher were released; in 1985, Explorers and Goonies; in 1986, Flight of the Navigator, Critters and Short Circuit; 1987 *batteries not included...a lot of (more or less) family friendly sci-fi movies largely geared toward kids and teens in the wake of 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial & to a lesser extent, Tron. It was a great time to be a kid, and the movies kept fueling our imaginations. There were a ton of similar family friendly fantasy films as well (Princess Bride, Legend, Willow, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story)...you just can't beat 1980's escapism.

Synopsis: Three young friends find the means to go on a long trip, and meet up with a brother and sister who stole their father’s car. I think I would get along famously with Wak, cruising through space, throwing classic pop culture references back and forth, and listening to good tunes.

I rented this on VHS regularly in the '80s when I was a kid. I eventually bought the tape and still have it lol. The movie still remains among my top 10 all time favorite movies four decades later. 📺♥️

Thanks for reacting to this! Yeah the reveal of the truth of the two aliens was great. Never gets old. "Paris? PARIS??? BYE-BYE!" LOL Have you guys heard of D.A.R.Y.L.? It's another kid-friendly adventure '80s film like Flight of the Navigator, etc. Really good.

One of the best movies of the 80's usually completely ignored! Trust me your kid knows EXACTLY what all that stuff means, even if he won't tell you! Same as for you when you were a kid watching this movie!

Greetings from America. We enjoy watching your channel. Dad is so cool. But Lil homie steals the show with his stoicism 😂

Wow! I haven't seen this movie in forever. I feel like I'm watching it for the first time. 😮

! ! ! The BURBS - 1989 This one also is a lesser known gem with little You Tube play but it's FANTASTIC. Another Joe Dante film and Jerry Goldsmith score! Tom Hanks last great comedy(an older Teddy from stand by me or if you prefer, "Mouth" from Goonies has a small role). Basically, strange neighbors move in next door and the "boys grown older"(Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Rick Ducommun) feel the need to deal with it. Carrie Fisher(Leia) plays Tom's wife. and of course a Penny Marshal's masterpiece..... BIG - 1988 also Starring Tom Hanks. Keep up the fun you two!

Your "first cut" intuition was right on. Director Joe Dante considers this an unfinished film. The studio basically took the movie from him before he was finished editing it.. there was a lot he didnt get to include. People still love it, but its not without its issues. Some felt underwelmed with the aliens.. but Ethan Hawke, who played the main kid... says the theme of the film. "Disappointment". Getting what you want, then reaizing it wasnt what you thought... you can kinda see that in their faces when theyre flying over their hometown on the way back from the alien ship.

This was a must watch for me as a kid on cable TV whenever it came on during the 80's. It always engaged me with its sense of hopeful possibility through the innocence of childhood.

This was a very important film for me as a kid in the 80’s. It gave me that desire to dream and imagine things beyond my reality. It also gave me that drive to go out into the world and explore things and to build stuff and learn science. It also made me feel more comfortable with my obsession of girls that just started up. It honestly felt like I was hanging out with my friends.

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!! I'm glad you shared this movie with a new generation... Despite the fact that it can be cheesy, and obviously dated in its technology... It's still a great coming of age movie that has a timeless message for todays youth. 🙂

I actually completely missed anything about this movie when it came out, It was not a big hit in Europe.I rented it later on in a videothek when I was about 14. that must have been 1987. I loved this movie. I also wondered why this was not a ghostbusters style hit back then. funny to her you also did not know about this movie

I actually saw this one the big screen as a kid when it first came out. Really looking forward to this reaction. Dick Miller (the older cop) appeared in every Joe Dante film and it's always fun to revisit his cameos.

I saw this with my dad in the theater circa 1985, and although it was not a critical or box office success we both enjoyed it immensely. Still one of my favorite film memories with him :)

watched your Jaws reaction and really enjoyed your comments and thoughts. really nicely done

I'm so glad you reacted to this. I saw this movie by accident, and it became one of my favorite movies growing up. It's still very nostalgic for me. I really love the score, too. Another classic family-friendly sci-fi film from that era that I also stumbled upon as a kid is "Batteries Not Included."

Every time I see River Phoenix I always get a little sad because I always think of all the movies that he should have been cast in. such a great young actor.

I watched this with my little brother and sisters. My father was so impressed to see us all sitting together quietly that he sat to watch us watching the movie.

"Look, I know I must look weird to you but how do you think you look to me? Listen, I watched four episodes of Lassie (1954) before I figured out why the little hairy kid never spoke. I mean, he rolled over, sure, he did that fine but, I don't think he deserved a series for that." Fun Fact Theatrical movie debut of Danny Nucci. Sound Effect Fact: The sound effects from the movie at the drive-in were taken directly from the original 1982 Atari 2600 video game Yars' Revenge (1981). Casting Notes Fact: The first of two times where James Cromwell appears in a movie about pioneering space travel. He would do so again in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), along with Robert Picardo. Fake News Fact: The Starkiller science fiction film that was made up for this film parodies low budget Italian-made rip-offs of popular movies which the actor's voices are dubbed. Robert Ricardo, who is also Wak, played Starkiller too. Voice Play Fact: Although Robert Picardo received the actor credit for the father alien, his voice was actually provided by Frank Welker. Welker also provided some voice-over work for Wak, although the rest of the dialogue was performed by Picardo. Welker's voice is heard usually when Wak does a celebrity impersonation. Computer Enthusiast Fact: The actual computer that was used to make the screen display for Wolfgang's (River Phoenix) computer was not an Apple IIc, it was an SGI Iris 1400 Workstation that cost $35,000. It contained a 73 megabyte hard drive, 1.5 megabytes of memory, weighed 130 lbs and required a custom portable wooden crate to house it on set. The movie needed a program written in C language that could redraw a 3D wire-frame scene in real-time, a feat not possible before SGI produced this specialized hardware. The movement of the energy sphere on screen was controlled by a mouse and happened in real-time for each scene and take, in response to the director's instructions. The refresh rate of the monitor was modified to synchronize with the motion picture camera (to eliminate flicker) by tapping into one of the circuit boards. The workstation used a UNIX-based operating system.

Ok... few days ago posted on another video on another reactor watching an old 80s sci fi film with some others about how no one has ever reacted to Explorers... Only for this to pop up in my recommended just now lol... FINALLY, a reaction for this movie, gratz on being (as far as i can tell) the first. Was quite a favorite of mine as a kid, its weird and that last act isnt for everyone... as someone who in real life is or was as a kid an amalgamation of all three of the main characters in it, it kinda sat with me strongly, even with its flaws. RIP River Phoenix and Amanda Peterson (who played lori), both died to young and Amandas latter life was a particularly rough and sad one.

Loved the reveal that we were being judged on how we portrayed aliens in media, and that they had to pick people who they felt were open to contact. Their overreactions and attempts to appeal to our good side make perfect sense in the end, and that's what's really cool about it. Robert Picardo absolutely nails the character. An all time favorite.

My fav childhood movie!

This is one of those 80s movies that truly gets overlooked quite often. Also, just wanted to say, this is an awesome idea for a reaction channel. There are so many out there, but having the two perspectives on these movies is fantastic. You guys look like you're already well on your way to building an audience, and that is awesome. If you're looking for another Joe Dante movie, might I suggest Small Soldiers? I watched it a lot as a kid back in the 90s, and i'd be curious to see what a younger generation thinks of it.

I recommend The Last Starfighter! A 1984 movie that came out when i was 7 years old and I still remember watching it as a kid!! Hope you decide to react to that one! PS- Love the two of you watching together and especially reactions from dad, like during Jaws, where his eyes are wide open looking as if "this might have been a bad decision to watch this one." LOL...

Bro why have never ever seen this film ?? This is up there with ET, and the Goonies. 🤔👍👍

"My wife bought me a car. It's called a rollscanardly. Rolls down one hill. Can hardly get up the other."

Love your show and love your style. I hope you consider the classics next. Back to the Future, Die Hard, Clue, Jurassic Park, etc... Can't wait to see what you put out next. Really love how you are handling this with your son.

I loved this movie as a kid

My favourite childhood film. I saw a trailer sometime on a video in mid-'85, but because the movie flopped in the US they delayed the release in the UK until the end of '86, so I didn't get to see it until it came out on video in '87 - a loooong time to wait as a kid! I bugged my local video shop every week for when it was coming. They gave me The Storybook as a gift when they got some promotional materials - that was a treasured possession at the time. I was more than a little bummed when I finally saw the movie to find that some of the scenes in the storybook (with pictures) had been cut! Some of them were really good. The first half of the movie is still brilliant, the cast are great and Goldsmith's score is amazing, but the ending was always a little disappointing...

👽👍 I distinctly recall that when this movie was released, pretty much every film critic agreed 100% with your assessment. The first half was really good, but as soon as they landed on the spaceship, it immediately descended from mid-level Spielberg down to lower-tier Jim Henson. At first, the alien singing 1960s TV themes and impersonating comedians was mildly amusing but that simply went on for way too long, and the miming to Little Richard could also have used some trimming. It probably would've been a better film if the second half had involved them exploring the globe in their space-bubble instead of being dragged into outer space. As another poster already mentioned "Cloak & Dagger" (1984) is another really great but for some reason, almost completely forgotten film that stars Henry Thomas (Elliot from "E.T.") and Dabney Coleman (Dr. McKittrick from "War Games").

There literally the monster munch crisps

"Charles M. Jones High School". Chuck Jones reference, I assume? Hadn't noticed that before.

Jason Presson gave up acting in the '90s to become a hospital nurse in Lancaster, California.

It is one film I loved in the 80’s. I think it is one that could stand a remake. With all the new tech we have today it would look wonderful. Plus they could complete the story or expand on it. Great reaction. Glad you enjoyed this trippy Little film.

Since you guys liked this movie, I think Little Monsters (1989) would be a good suggestion to think about adding to your queue. I loved that movie. Other great 80s kids movies: The Wizard (1989) was also a fun movie (though in retrospect I realize it was just a massive commercial for the Nintendo console 😛... But when you're a kid that doesn't really matter. ).... Also a classic from that era is Flight of the Navigator (1986). Good times were had watching that one back in the day. 🙂

Love this movie, the crazy aliens are great and designed by Rob Bottin who was also responsible for the creature effects in The Thing (one to react to when he’s a little older) Legend and The Twilight Zone movie as well as many others.

A good film for you and your son would be 1998 "Simon Birch." Great coming of age film with under-represented actors!

wow I didn't know about this movie

Found you guys a few days ago. Love the idea of parent & child reacting, funny when parent is like unsure/uneasy when there's a scary/mature part in the movie. 🤔😏😆Fun movie & reaction guys! If you haven't seen yet: The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Tron (original), The Last Starfighter, The Neverending Story, Innerspace, Short Circuit.

Since you enjoyed Explorers, I think you guys will really enjoy the 1986 Disney film "The Flight Of The Navigator". Again, it is probably best that you go into the film not knowing anything about it since, from the perspective of the 12 year old main character, he too is discovering what is going on.

River Phoenix - brother of Juaquin Phoenix. Definitely gone too soon under sad circumstances. 😢 He was so very talented - more so than his brother. Did you know that River had just signed to be the reporter in the movie "Interview With A Vampire"? When he died, they offered it to his best friend, Christian Slater. Christian turned it down at first due to grieving for River. But he later signed for it and did a great job opposite of Brad Pitt. BTW - Science found out that the microwave & radio signals they used to send out to our TVs & radios are still traveling for eternity in space. So it's thought that if there's aliens out there they will probably know us by capturing those old TV/radio signals. That's why the aliens thought that was our society. In the original series, Battlestar Galactica, they spent years looking for earth & had a place on the main ship where someone was to always watch & listen to the equipment in case they picked up any signals that might lead them to Earth. They were clear on a faraway part of the galaxy - maybe Eve and another galaxy - and the guy manning those instruments left his post early. As he shut the door, the broadcast of our 1st moon landing came across the monitor and they missed it because of 1 guy not doing his job. So, they traveled on for another TV season. 😊 I'm not sure if the digital signals today travel the same way.... I don't think they do.

Didn't know you had drive-ins in the UK I watched Star Wars when it first came out in 1977 sitting on the hood (bonnet) of my dads car in a drive-in here if Florida

The movie got it money and time cut down so they had to cut corners with the part on the space ship. Even with that i think it is up there with one of the best think like a kid movies out there.

10:00 it's geek pastry

A great first half, gets a little too silly in the last 20 minutes. I think you could make a remake and have a more wymsical, thought provoking ending and have a solid kid's adventure movie.

Hii, loved your reaction as always. I would love for you to react to "super 8" It''s a great movie and one of my favourites.

It passed you by in 1985 because it bombed at the box office. Some smart alec determined the best weekend to release the film was the weekend of the Live Aid concert. Clever, huh? Another film that bombed of Joe Dante's would follow, but that was because Warner Bros. marketing effort was abysmal - Innerspace (1987). That year they couldn't even sell a film by the director of Gremlins with Spielberg's name once again in the credits. I highly recommend Innerspace!

WOLFGANG?! WHO THE HELL IS WOLFGANG?!?!

Thank you very much for your lovely videos. It's always a pleasure to see you watching films. Maybe you could watch the film "ZATHURA" and "Flight of the Navigator" if you don't know it yet. I think you would like it. Greetings from Vienna / Austria

I wonder if you've seen Flight of the Navigator .

You need to check out The Monster Squad!!

Love the channel. I would like to recommend Men In Black. Thanks.

8:05 bullies will be bullies.

WolfGang looking really familiar Right!, as he should because it's River Phoenix young age from the movie " Stand by Me" Chris that was stabbed by a knife, you remember him that you both have watched and a young Ethan Hawke.

That’s funny because I don’t suggest this one to reactors basically because of the aliens and after. But have to say the kids are likable and act well. The part up to the aliens is fun and intriguing.

I watched your review in this video the other day, and it was another fun one. I'm leaving this comment here today because I thought of another recommendation, and figured it'd be more appropriate to suggest here then on the Venom: Let There Be Carnage reaction, which I just finished. Anyway, my suggestion is "Time Bandits" (1981), the Terry Gilliam film. It's family friendly, and still has some of that Monty Python bent to it. Well, I think I've probably overdid my quota for comment length today, so I'll just wait for the next video.

There are actually quite a few parallels between this movie and Galaxy Quest, which is btw an excellent and far more accomplished film that you should definitely watch if you haven't seen it yet. You'll thank me later.

How about reacting to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind? I remember first seeing it when I was 10, and loving it as much then as I do today.

The reason the alien spoke to them using TV commercials, movies, etc. was because he thought that would make them feel at home and be enetertaining for them. He also kinda thought they spoke that way too. It was at the same time supposed to be humorous for us, the audience. Because what if there was a species of aliens that watched our TV programs and learned how to speak our language only from TV commercials, shows and movies,? How would they sound? Kinda like this alien. So that was kinda the point. And then add in the fact they are just a couple alien kids who stole their father's ship without his permission and then you see how similar they are to us humans ..lol.

You both guys totally need to see the *"Flight of the Navigator"*. It's a movie totally on the same level and i believe enjoyable for you both too. ;) have fun. ;)

So the psychiatrist says to his patient, "I have reviewed the findings and have come the conclusion that your crazy". The patient says, "I want a second opinion". "Alright, you're ugly too".

I always enjoyed this film, though felt it oddly disjointed, especially the later half. Saddly the director Joe Dante never got to make the film he invisioned due to studio interferance. Keep it up guys.

Wonder if Starkiller was a nod to Star Wars. Luke and Anakin's last name was originally Starkiller and not Skywalker, though I am not sure when that info was released.

Batteries not included great movie to check out

Time Bandits would be a good

If u never seen Back to the future that’s the movie for yall. All 3 movies are great Or honey I shrunk the kids

Which version is this? Directors cut?

Jason Presson appears to have stopped acting... And given how abusive Hollywood was (and still is) back in those days... It's sadly not hard to imagine why he left... 😞

Tone of alien father said my house my rules is universal.

Spy Kids 2001

Even when I was younger, I didn’t really like the third act of the film. I loved the rest of it. But the silly aliens wasn’t something I cared for.

What's up doc?

Yeah we used to call ares bivvys, we got pretty good at them shal we say 😂

This film could've and should've been so much better but they decided to go down the stupid route

Bond , James Bond . I'll keep trying !!

Have you seen "The Flight of the Navigator" (1986)?

I always loved this movie until they met the aliens

You should watch the movie nothing but trouble you will absolutely love it…

you dont remember the second part of the movie so much because it is weird :D as a child i remember the first 2/3 of the movie very well.. but the rest is kinda blurry and i didnt remember the ending :) when i saw the movie as an adult i knew why :D :D

I recommend the movie D.A.R.Y.L. if you haven't seen it. Interesting 😊.

If you haven't seen them yet, you've gotta check out "Flight of the Navigator", and "Legend". 2 of the best 80's movies, that somehow most reactors have missed.

Well done , if your son doesn't know anything about the spy who loved me don't tell him what the car does it will be more of a surprise for him. I once drove that white lotus esprit at pinewood studios PPW306R . I can't forget that number plate !!

The idea for the alien reacting to old tv and commercials is that it is known that earth tv and radio signals have been going into space since these signals started at the invention of radio back in time and tv first invented in the 40’s and introduced at one of the worlds fair shows. Tv didn’t come commercial to homes till the 50’s, and one station with a few hour and color in tv and movies years later. So all the teen alien tv references weren’t just a story but a scientific theory about how aliens might come in contact with our radio and tv waves out into the universe but catching them in time years from their original airing. You must react to galaxy quest the movie which all of Star Trek and Star Wars series give credit even though a spoof for being a nod to the space genre and critical acclaim for its credit to space nerds and space theme everywhere. Explorer immediately takes me to thoughts of galaxy quest.