Do you remember that classic sci-fi adventure released in July of 1985 which finds a precocious kid embarking on a larger-than-life journey to places heretofore unknown? No, we are not talking about Back to the Future – that film actually had a seismic cultural impact and a box office haul that nearly reached $400 million. We are talking about the film that released a week later and collected all of $10 million before it left theaters. That film is Joe Dante’s Explorers, which just so happens to be the film debuts of Ethan Hawke (Gattaca) and River Phoenix (Stand By Me). The Spielberg-esque tale seemed poised for greater things, especially with Dante coming off the major success that was Gremlins, but studio pressure to rush the incomplete film into theaters the day before the historic Live Aid event just caused this one to be dead in the water. As is the way, the film garnered a new appreciation on home video for this delightful piece of family-friendly fantasy that is now considered a classic by many. If you have yet to discover its charms, now is the time for a crash-course on this gem.
Ethan Hawke shows shades of the Ethan Hawke you would grow to know and love in this debut performance as teenager Ben Crandall. Ben is the type of kid who is obsessed with old sci-fi films and dreams of something out of this world. Specifically, he has vivid dreams of flying over giant circuit boards that mirror something like a complex, big-city sprawl. Every night he wakes up and tries to scribble down as much of his dream as he can remember until he has something resembling a sketch of a circuit board. Thankfully, his best friend Wolfgang (River Phoenix) is something of a genius and borrows the sketch to see if he can create anything interesting from it. Neither of these two have the easiest time at school, but they are aided in their quest to survive the school bullies by the tough misfit Darren Woods (Jason Presson). When this newly formed trio experiences something magical upon Wolfgang’s creation of a special chip that conjures an electromagnetic protective bubble, they embark on a journey that will lead them to an adventure bigger than the Earth can handle.
While this movie has a bouncy energy that makes for a very enjoyable time, there is evidence that this was a rushed production with a bit of a tonal clash between the two distinct parts of the film. Each part has their value within the narrative, but the time Dante wanted for additional editing could have helped smooth out some of the structural issues that make the film seem somewhat messy. The initial hour of the film takes a page right out of the Spielberg playbook as these three kids work on building their secret spacecraft that they will put into the bubble for flight purposes. Each of these three young performers are bursting with energy and contributing in their own particular ways to the construction. There is a sense of wonder regarding what’s to come, and the film even attempts to inject a little romance in the form of Ben’s dream-girl, Lori Swenson (Amanda Peterson, Can’t Buy Me Love) – although, the film never devotes enough time here to make it feel believable. The homages to classic sci-fi films coupled with this embracing of scientific exploration is a blast.
Once the trio achieves entry into space, the movie turns into something a bit different, yet still in the manic wheelhouse of Dante. When they are brought onto a larger alien spacecraft, we meet two hyperactive aliens, Wak (Robert Picardo, Star Trek: Voyager) and Neek (Leslie Rickert). With a steady stream of pop culture junk beamed into their brains, they are one-line spewing, manic machines. There are a lot of clever moments in this segment of the movie, and the practical effects of the aliens definitely has its charms. The closest this section gets to matching what came before is in the themes – that we are all not so different from one another and that’s okay. Space adventures are cool, but maintaining your wonder and creating close friendships is what truly matters. Explorers is not a cinematic masterpiece, but it one heck of a good time that should hold a special appeal to a family audience.
One special note about this release is that it holds both the Theatrical Cut of the film along with the shorter Home Video Cut. After seeing the differences between both, the Theatrical Cut is the way to go if you are looking for the best version of the narrative, even though the Home Video Cut is in slightly better shape (see Video Quality section). The Home Video Cut omits some of the music from the film along with the complete excision of two scenes that help with the flow of the film. The first is the conversation in which Ben hands over his sketch to Wolfgang and we get to see the initial bullying that sets up the next confrontation. The other is a humorous scene which shows the difficulty in getting the Tilt-A-Whirl seat back to their home turf to use as the base of their ship. The Home Video Cut does add a dream sequence in which Ben gets to see the Thunder Road again near the end of the film in his classroom. The two versions are not radically different, but it is amazing that both were included here for whoever wants to see them.
Video Quality
Explorers debuts on Blu-Ray with a pretty great 1080p transfer with both the Theatrical Cut and Home Video Cut present on separate discs. When comparing the two different Blu-Ray discs, they appear to be from different sources with the shorter Home Video cut actually looking better than the Theatrical Cut. While it would be preferred if they were equally great, both offer outstanding improvements over the ancient DVD. The gains in contrast and overall clarity are readily apparent, especially in unique details like the production design and the elaborate costumes that make up the aliens. These discs contain nuanced, deep colors throughout including some nice splashes when the boys get on the alien ship. When referring back to the old DVD, colors appear to be a lot more bland and less complex than the Blu-Ray disc. White levels are brighter and more stable during the daytime scenes without veering into blooming. Black levels are fairly deep and allow the picture to maintain a decent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Once again, the Home Video Cut is a bit more stable in this regard with less in the way of crush.
There is a good amount of natural film grain that resolves naturally and gives a lot of nice texture and detail to the transfer. The grain can occasionally veer into the noisier side of the spectrum, especially in nightimes shots of the theatrical cut, but nothing that ever ruins the film. Skin tones largely look great with no apparent instances where characters look a bit desaturated. The special effects can look a bit dated, but the way they are presented on disc look natural to the intended look. Both cuts do reveal some nicks and scratches to the print, but the Home Video cut once again has significantly less in this regard. While a new scan and some clean up would have been preferred for both cuts, the transfers that Shout! Factory have given us are very pleasing for fans of the film.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with both a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that makes the film extra exciting. Explorers has a lot of great atmospheric effects that engage the surround speakers including the bouncing around of the orb across the room and all through your speakers. Dialogue comes through clearly in the front channel without being overwhelmed by any sound effects or score. The track has a good sense of directionality with sounds always coming from the appropriate channels. The movie is filled with some thrilling moments of action, which puts the low end to work quite often. The score from Jerry Goldsmith provides the perfect hopeful atmosphere for this larger-than-life story which fills the speakers well. There are no issues with fidelity or damage to the track. This audio presentation is pretty fantastic on all accounts.
Special Features
- Disc One – Home Video Cut (1:46:30)
- Disc Two – Theatrical Cut (1:49:14)
- A Science Fiction Fairy Tale – The Story of Explorers: A 1-hour-and-5-minute documentary in which director Joe Dante, senior executive in charge of production David Kirkpatrick, screenwriter Eric Luke, junior executive in charge of production Darlene Chan, “Ready Player One” author/superfan Ernest Cline, and star Ethan Hawke share tales about the creation of this film. This piece delves into the development of the film, the reasons why Wolfgang Peterson was not the right fit to direct this film, the casting of the kids, the creature effects in the film, the construction of Thunder Road, the reactions to the film, the growing legacy over the years and much more. This is simply a fantastic documentary that really helps shape the story of the film.
- Deleted Scenes: There are 34 minutes of unused material included here in really rough form including scenes between Ben and his family, Darren’s confrontation with the bullies, additional scenes with Lori, further scenes with the aliens and more. There are some interesting moments that were left on the cutting room floor.
- Deleted Scenes with Commentary: Joe Dante provides a commentary track for the previously mentioned deleted scenes in which he explains why certain scenes were taken out and reveals some of the moments he wishes had stayed intact. Dante seems very excited and surprised to be able to finally be able to discuss this material.
- Interview with Cinematographer John Hora: A four-minute piece in which Hora discusses his excitement about shooting the film, the difficulty of shooting around the schedules of the young actors, duplicating certain exteriors on a soundstage, the unexpected look of the aliens and more.
- Interview with Editor Tina Hirsch: A six-minute piece in which Hirsch discusses her professional relationship with Joe Dante, her editing style, the reason for the manic style of the alien, the differences between character actors and lead actors and more great tidbits from the production.
- Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half long trailer is provided here which somewhat captures the tone of the film, but does not completely capture the heart of the film.
Final Thoughts
Explorers is a really fun science-fiction fantasy that has never gotten the praise it deserves. Director Joe Dante taps into his most Spielbergian tendencies for the quaint, adventurous first half before letting chaos reign in the wild latter half. The performances from the young Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson are filled with the appropriate amount of wonder to ground you in this fantastical narrative. The film may not be as cohesive as it could have been with a little more production time, but it rightly holds the place in the hearts of those who love this type of 80s adventure. Shout! Factory has pulled out all of the stops by providing two versions of this film on Blu-Ray that sport a solid A/V presentation and a collection of new and vintage supplemental features that will keep you busy for a while. Highly Recommended
Explorers (Collector’s Edition) will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on May 25, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
