EXPLORERS (1985) Retrospective/Review 

what still boggles my mind, is that after ALL that Oliver has made and done for his channel and brand including full blown documentaries, that he doesn't have more than a quarter million subs. His "retrospectives" are basically the end all be all of nostalgia kicks! I really do appreciate what he does for the culture of us movie nerds from a certain generation

Siskel nailed it when he said in his review "this movie needs a sequel not because it's a good movie but because these kids deserve to go to a more interesting place"

For all the problems in production of this... I can promise you back in the day, us kids did not give a flying frig about any of that - it was my favourite movie as a very young sci-fi nerd. We had the VHS tape that was gifted to us from the local rental shop (because my Dad was mates with the owner - those were the days!) The thing about Ben not really enjoying the result with the aliens could be seen as a clear message that not everything works out how you'd want it to - being an honest depiction of moving towards adolescence. Goldsmith's score is magnificent, I still have it on rotation on my playlists. I still think it's a joyous piece of work, despite what its creators think of it.

Explorers is one of the most underrated children movies of the 80s they don’t make movies like this anymore movies like this is only reserved for a certain time and that was the 80s.

My dad was a big Bruce Springsteen fan, especially the song thunderroad. Whenever I’d rewatch this I always thought of him when the line about naming the spaceship came up. He took me to see so many of the movies that are considered classics, that all the people react to these days. Miss him a lot. Thanks for the deep dive.

This and Flight of the Navigator. Pure unadulterated childhood magic.

Thank you Oliver Harper for making the great retrospectives and being consistent for so long. You make RU-vid a great place to be entertained.

Dude, this movie really gave me so much hope that I could actually space travel from common stuff found in my stepdad's junkyard! I absolutely love this movie to this day.

One of my favourite films during my childhood, this along with flight of the navigator.

I fell in love with cinema watching those movies : Explorers, E.T., Gremlins, Back to the future, etc. What a magic period

Everytime I see a thumbnail from another retrospective-video from Oliver, it gets my attention. Every single one on them is a beautiful piece of art, that I would put onto my walls. Thank you

This movie was the foundation of my love of sci-fi I used to build a Thunder Road out of tables and pillows and introduced me to the classic 50s B movies

its a comfort viewing movie, a good double header with the goonies or flight of the navigator

Something that is missing in today’s family films is the sense of wonder that such stories warrant. This movie is a lot of fun and it is definitely not meant to be realistic, BUT the love and reverence for its subject matter and inspirations is all over the screen. This is what continues to radiate from the film over the years.

I remember watching this at the theater when I was a kid. I loved it. Every once in a while memories resurface, and I'm like... what was that show again? "Wait... you're kids?" "Yeah." "And you what, stole the family car?" "Yeah." Thank you for bringing this up.

Definitely an underrated classic. Also didn't know River Pheonix wasn't keen on playing Wolfgang - credit to what a good actor he was!

EXPLORERS still makes me feel like a kid even nearly 40 years later.

I worked on the film The Phenom with Ethan Hawke and we talked a good bit about this movie being underappreciated and also he had many stories about his good buddy Charlie Sheen...he is a very down to earth dude..love this flick!

I remember watching this film on bbc2 with my friend. We couldn’t believe that a relatively new film was on tv so soon.

As a kid, it all made complete sense 🙂

This movie translates very well how magical was being a kid in the 80s.

Really appreciated this video. Finally a backstory for a film I loved as a kid

The sequence from Explorers saw Thunder Road flew over the moon as we see a whole view of Earth after Ben saying “it’ll be the greatest thing ever!”

Loved this movie as a kid. It embodied that childhood imagination.

The late Dick Miller who played Mr. Futterman in Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, played Charlie, a police helicopter pilot who investigated the Thunder Road’s sightings and he found out about Ben and his friends onboard the Thunder Road who refer to Charlie as a UFO.

River Phoenix was so fantastic in this. Chris Chambers from Stand by Me made a great nerd.

I love the introduction to your channel. It brings back fond memories of my childhood going to my local Cannon cinema.

Excellent as always. I just watched this movie last night on blu-ray, and while I did have a hard time getting it to play at first (still use my PS3 for blu-rays), I really loved it. I actually caught parts of this movie whenever it was airing on one of the premium channels. I always remembered the scenes with the aliens, while I do wish they were expanded on more, the effects and performances were fantastic, and I do appreciate the twist with the aliens being kids like them as an adult. Definitely one of Joe Dante's more underrated movies, despite its flaws. :)

Watch as part of a double bill with Flight of the Navigator! Possibly also with The Last Starfighter.

Oh I caught this on TV as a kid and never saw the full thing, thanks for reminding me!

I remember watching The Explorers on Netflix one day it is ET in reverse since the Kids visit the Aleins but man I it is an underrated 80s Sci Fi Film a hidden gem.

Thank you for this video! So many special memories of my childhood

One of my favourite films! I still watch and enjoy it regularly.

I saw this movie once on BBC as a kid and was really intrigued by the space craft building subplot.

Such a great set up, cast, score… but then the moment they arrive on the spacecraft it’s just all wrong. I still love it, and I have no idea what would have actually worked as an ending, but what they went with just didn’t.

I love this movie! The soundtrack was awesome!❤❤

I loved this film as a kid and still do. I get what they say about the third act--I might even agree with it to an extent--but I get what the film was going for and think it works. Just look at how many kids who grew up with it still love it.

A beautiful presentation of a childhood favourite of mine. This film was a huge hit on VHS in Australia, at least at my local video shop in 1986. The VHS in Australia was in widescreen with the extra scenes. When the DVD came out I was confused when certain scenes weren't in it but they were on the special features.

Finally- a proper review of Explorers and done by Oliver Harper no less!

Memberberries so tart it makes your tongue cramp. I luv this movie. Post of my childhood Trinity. This Flight of the Navigator. And Last Starfighter

I loved this movie as a child. Thanks Mr. Harper for remembering it.

I watched this as a kid home sick from school with a fever. I have always been convinced it wasn't an actual movie and I'd dreamt the whole thing. Forgot all about it. Thanks for confirming it actually existed.

WOW--this unlocked a couple of core memories for me---the aliens at the end are all I remember from this movie. I must have seen it 35 years ago or so. And Galaxy High! Whoa, I had all but forgotten that show. This episode has been like finding an old box of toys or photos in the attic. Cheers, Ollie!

Thanks oliver for always bringing great content your an inspiration!

Loved Galaxy High! Such an ahead of its time premise where the two human kids are sent to an alien high school where brains make you popular, not physical ability. So the unpopular nerd rockets into popularity. Meanwhile, not only does the arrogant jock find himself in a society that doesn't weight his abilities highly, but his abilities pale in comparison to the ones of the aliens he's pitted against. Comedy ensues.

Great Review. I miss watching your videos, I really hope you continue to do more. I saw Explorers when I was young, very young. I thought it was great, I thought the effects were really cool. I couldn't understand why they went unnoticed, I never remembered anyone talking about how great they were. But still, loved the film. Love Joe Dante. I'm still hoping for a "Gremlins 3" and a proper "Howling" sequel. But anything coming from him I'll watch. I'd love to see Joe Dante make another big Hollywood film. I think he's got a few more great stories to tell.

Aaahhhhh, a classic Oliver Harper Retro. Loved this one and love this movie. As an older person who did see it at the cinema at 15, also we rented it like mad. You forget its not made by Spielberg. Going to watch it tonight after this has inspired me to. Cheers Oliver. Be well

I just finished watching Explorers and then I go to RU-vid and find this. This movie is so much fun.

This one ranks among my favourites movies ever. I describe it as "the adventure me and my friends would have had". Saw it in theatres in 1985, and it hit home immediately. I was the perfect age for it, slightly older than the kids in the movie, but very much in the range. And the characters were, very very much how me and my friends saw ourselves. We were all enthralled by it. I love the first two thirds so much that I'm willing to forgive the meandering and weak ending.

Ah, just what I wanted, a deep dive into an underrated 80s classic.

This an Flight of the Navigator werethe two movies that set my imagination free as a kid. Oh and Goonies!

My favourite childhood film. I first saw the teaser trailer for this on a video in '85. I then had to wait the interminable TWO YEARS for this get released on video in the UK. Postponed for cinema release because of its failure in the US, and then getting a blink and you'll miss it theatrical release, then yonks later coming out on video. I would pester my local video store almost weekly about it. Eventually they gave me the Storybook which they'd been given as promotional material for it. Imagine my shock finally seeing the film only to find several key scenes pictured in the Storybook were not in the movie! I dreamed for years of being able to see those scenes, literally _praying_ for a deluxe DVD (before Blu-Ray) and now they're available for anyone and everyone to see. There are more than the ones on the Shout Blu, as the scenes on there come from a second edit of the film. FYI, the Shout Blu has an incorrect Aspect Ratio (very slightly squished) because of the Paramount master. _"Stuff that dreams are made of."_ - This refers to Wolfgang's dream at the start where he tells Ben he was dreaming he was at school naked. Wak played a joke on them, and in the deleted scene the bully's clothes evaporate - which was meant to be an accident. EDIT: I was also very disappointed in the aliens / ending as a kid. But the first two thirds were pure magic, so I forgave the rest...

Bought the VHS back in the late 80s (I was in my mid-20s then) and when I saw the DVD available, I immediately bought it!

Another great review as always Ollie. I always thought Joe Dante was very underrated.

THE movie of my childhood. Love everything about it.

Excellent retrospective (as always), would love to see you cover more 80s / 90s action classics if you get the chance like Deep Blue Sea, The Ghost and the Darkness, Breakdown, Executive Decision, In the Line of Fire, Harley Davidson & the Malboro Man, US Marshals, The Saint, Hunt for Red October, Red Scorpion, Shoot to Kill, The Peacemaker and The Transporter (not quite in the 90s but the last movie to launch a major action star who still maintains theatrically released movies).

The setting for Explorers took place in the small town in Maryland as is according to Wikipedia as well as Ben’s Maryland address on his jacket that Charlie took out of the Thunder Road.

Not sure how you missed this one as a kid, it was on TV all the time here in Scotland.

Fantastic, detailed work as always, with top-notch editing! As always, really appreciate the airtime you give to the film's score (and game adaptations - seems Explorers didn't get any!).

Soundtrack and building segments are fantastic. I haven’t seen the movie in 20 years, but I can remember it vividly!

I watched this movie so many times growing up.

Come on Oliver, Amanda Peterson's most famous role is Can't Buy Me Love, she was legit star in that but something dark happened and she did some TV then left the industry until her death. 😞

Used to love this film as a kid. It was great up until they got into space then it went downhill.

Here's an '80s movie marathon: Explorers, The Goonies, Monster Squad, E.T. and Stand By Me.

Awesome reference to Galaxy High. It's one of my favorite shows on Saturday morning cartoons.

Oliver Harper Retrospective ? Instant like.

Really appreciate this balanced retrospective! I saw this with my family on TV one afternoon in my early teens, and I remember how confused and disappointed we were with the reveal of the aliens. I think this is a film that had so much potential but just didn’t get the treatment it deserved.

I missed this one Thanks for the insight

From what I recall the ending was very much a hopeful send off with them seeming to be getting a much bigger piece of technology for their next adventure, that the audience will have to imagine for themselves.

This movie captured my imagination when I was 8 and will always remember it, so it was made perfectly, in my opinion .

I always saw that final scene as being a dream, but the alien kids had to be a bit more clever in contacting them. It starts off as Ben's dream, but once the crystal activates it connected them all together. This of course fits with the home video version which has the class disappear and the Thunder Road in the classroom. It's only after dream Lori slips him the note that it seems to activate. In any case the film rises above any flaws it has, but I really wish we had gotten a longer cut.

Man, I recently revisited this film and the first and second act are absolutely wonderful. The third act is such a let down but the film overall has such an immense heart its flaws is something I can overlook. Wonderfully acted by the kid actors and an excellent music score by Jerry Goldsmith, it is a shame that this film is often overlooked when it comes to these 80’s kid adventure flicks. I still recommend it.

I remember watching this, as a kid on holiday, and for years I thought I'd imagined it. Then I found it again. Such good memories

I got to meet Joe Dante at a horror convention. I got an Explorers picture.

The idea of an “inertialess” space drive was first conceived in the late 1930s by the king of space opera, E. E. “Doc” Smith in his Lensman saga. Google the “Bergenholm”. Also, the concept of a floating sphere taking passengers across space can also be traced back to an E. E. “Doc” Smith series called The Skylark Saga, written in the 1920s. You can bet your bottom dollar whoever wrote this screenplay back in the day cut their teeth on Doc Smith. He practically invented the space opera genre. If you say you like space opera but have never heard of Doc Smith, that’s like saying you’re a fantasy fan but have never read Tolkien.

I had this on VHS, recorded off the TV, as a kid. Watched it a ton so this movie has good place in my childhood memories.

I loved Explorers. I never understood how this film was a flop most of my friends raved about this film.

I recorded this on my VCR as a kid and rewatched it until the tape wore out.

As a child, I remember feeling a sense of wonder watching Explorers and I would always be confused when the aliens show up and felt like I was struggling to understand what was happening. Back then I just thought I wasn't smart enough to understand but I still loved the movie as I was that kid who built stuff in the back yard and dreamt of going to space.

Apparently at the end of the shoot, River got really depressed (and wound up really broken and crying) because since he was basically the breadwinner for his family, he didn't have much time to ever socialize and have a normal childhood, and he actually bonded with the two other kids and became genuine friends with them. But then the shoot was over and everyone went their separate ways so the two friends he made we just gone.

As child of the 80’s I do like the movie, the first part plays out perfectly - I’m sure many young boys daydream about building their own spaceship. However, while I don’t think the ending is bad exactly, it’s just the ending to a different movie and it doesn’t really work. Flight Of The Navigator, another ET influenced movie, is still better.

This film introduced me to the 1953 War Of The Worlds!

"Even for the 80s, this is a particularly jarring skid into the offramp for Third Act Crazytown." - Me, watching this for the first time as an adult a couple of years ago

I love Explorers, and unlike some really enjoy all the stuff with Wak and Neek. Jerry Goldsmith's score is fantastic and I'm lucky enough to have a copy of the Entrada CD

Four years after Explorers, Ethan Hawke gets a second chance, by co-starring with the late Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society and it became a hit to critics and moviegoers back in 1989.

Jerry Goldsmith. Gremlins. This. Aliens. Star Trek. Hundreds of other epics... man made good films great.

When I was a kid this movie inspired me to make my own ship in the back yard.

In a scene where the Thunder Road on its first flight as it going straight up, we see central California upside down to look like Virginia. Even though, Explorers was filmed in Petaluma California just outside San Francisco.

We need creative kids' movies again. What was the agenda? To entertain. To show personality and friendship. This film made an analogue world seem unlimited with a little elbow grease and brainy application of that newfangled computer stuff. The cast was great!

Bob Picardo who played Wak, Wak and Neek’s father and Starkiller in Explorers went on to work with director Joe Dante in later movies, Innerspace, The Burbs, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and Looney Tunes Back in Action. Until he went on to play the holographic doctor on Star Trek: Voyager.

This is one of those movies I always bring up when people discuss remakes. You're always on the wrong end of a losing battle when you set out to remake the likes of Ghostbusters or Robocop, because they're such beloved, high-regarded classics that still hold up to this day. But I think when it comes to movies like Explorers, there's a perfect opportunity because you have a great premise but also plenty of room for improvement. I'd also add Flight of the Navigator and Space Camp to films that fit this criteria. But unfortunately, the reality is that the primary motivation behind remakes is capitalising on brand recognition by using existing IP's that general audiences are already familiar with, and the sad fact is that barely anyone remembers Explorers.

I introduced the music of this film to my daughter before the movie. I remember when the music for the construction sequence started performing, I nearly started crying. I don't know why, but it's probably because I was looking forward to showing my daughter the film when I was able to get my hands on it. While I saw it off and on when I was a kid, it wasn't a regular film I watched like E.T. The Extraterrestrial or An American Tail, but when it came on TV, I would always start watching it. Jerry Goldsmith's theme for the film was often what I looked forward to hearing the most while watching the film. Thankfully, my daughter likes the film as well, and while she may not love it, we definitely were happy to purchase it, especially when Shout! Factory released it.

RIP River.

It's a shame they didn't gave this project more time. Still i liked it very much as a kid and it stuck in my mind for years and i always wanted to see it again.

Explorers was like a more sci-fi "Stranger Things" for the 80's. Less creepy and more heartwarming but could easily have been written the other way.

This movie was MAGICAL to me as a kid.

It was an honor to watch this

I honestly loved this movie as a kid. I didn't see it until the 90's but it spent a lot of time in my VCR

Every time I go on the tilt a whirl as a kid and an adult I still think of this movie.

Been watching this since before RU-vid went wide-screen. The edited intros leading into the introductions you give always remind me of a pre-show recording before an amusement park ride, in the best possible way. Glad to see you still upload, keep up the good work!