Joe Dante
Explorers

Joe Dante, perhaps one of the most underrated directors in the film industry.

Misunderstood by production companies, with whom he was rarely able (perhaps only once) to fully realize his ideas. Explorers is one of the first box office flops (after the tremendous, and only true success of his career "Gremlins") due to creative differences with the production that pressured the director so much to finish filming as quickly as possible, turning the final product into a hybrid between an excellent film and a mess. Indeed, the film is divided into an excellent first part and an unintentionally grotesque, rushed, and more or less disjointed second part. For us ex-kids of the eighties, it was still a film capable of moving us like few others. Experiencing Dante's film by letting ourselves be carried away by the childish imagination (when back then we didn't have EVERYTHING like the youth of today and there was a lot of space for imagination) was inimitable. Unfortunately, however, when revisited with an adult eye, one notices too many production issues.

As mentioned above, the film has a well-orchestrated first part (but with the usual rush and haste). The story of the three boys who, thanks to electronic circuits of a dreamlike nature, manage to build an antigravitational bubble to fly a spaceship assembled from old fairground scraps is truly captivating! (the seemingly carefree American cinema of those days) We chase the protagonists' dream of space, experiencing everything through their imagination. The director shows skill in creating the suspension of disbelief even for the most cynical viewer. When you're 12 years old, you have the spirit to build a roller coaster with a stroller and a time machine with a nightstand, in short, that's childhood... a magical world where everything is possible. Joe Dante's skill in the first part is precisely this, making everything believable, even the ridiculous, because everything is seen through the eyes of the children. Moreover, the attention even today, despite being quite a dated work, manages to remain consistently high, partly thanks to the eighties atmosphere and photography (the kind of lighting that J. J. Abrams, 25 years later, enjoys recreating in post-production in his nostalgic films, like "Super 8", to be clear), partly for the nostalgia effect (and this factor is very beneficial for us kids of that era); the film in this first part maintains all its charm intact.

Unfortunately, however, from the moment the brave youngsters come into contact with the alien race, the film begins to lose all its sex appeal. The sets are of good quality, and the atmosphere of the pre-meeting on the alien spaceship is very impactful... but then the total absurdity! The general atmosphere, the tension, the anticipation of the meeting, is shattered by a green puppet (cross between a Muppet and his own Gremlins) that is addicted to TV and ridiculously voiced by FABIO FAZIO! (yes, him! Imitating Vianello, Pizzul, Beppe Grillo! My god!!!!!!!!). As a kid, it was a hoot, but watched today, I felt embarrassed for the director! (who perhaps never knew about the Italian dubbing). Yet the idea was not bad at all. Aliens who study our world through television signals and understand that we are a people of complete IDIOTS who communicate among themselves with the language of home shopping channels and commercials (the child explains to the green Gabibbo that it is fiction and we're not that stupid. Try, however, to think about how we've ended up today and dare contradict the alien if you have the courage!). It's a shame that the visual rendering of that message is as banal as it could get, with scenes of singing and alien dances in the style of a space grape harvest festival. If a film starts as a family fantasy, with an excellent soundtrack, an atmosphere of mystery and magic, it can't end like a Saturday Night Live episode. Unacceptable!

Of this film, decidedly successful halfway, remains "only" a memory of FIRE in my soul, the fire of childhood and the way I saw the world (and certain films) back then. Today... as an adult disillusioned with the world and disgustingly cynical, I would save few things from this film. Certainly the very good special effects for the time (we're talking about the famous "Industrial Light & Magic" which was already producing excellent computer graphics scenes) and a gripping soundtrack (even today, the visual/musical piece where the UFO-hunting ranger sees the boys take off into space saying "good journey boys" is chilling). The actors are also quite good, particularly a very young Ethan Hawke.

It's useless for me to try and act like a mature reviewer, who now grown up, re-watches certain films with a cynical eye. The reality, and it pains me to admit it, is reaching my age and discovering with immense disappointment that building a spaceship in the home garage is damn impossible!