This was one of my all time favorites as a kid! I don't understand why it failed at the box office. I recorded this off Showtime on the same video tape with Labyrinth, and I watched them both almost every day. My mom was so tired of hearing them. Everything about this movie clicked for me. The characters, the soundtrack, the building and exploration, the wacky aliens...I still get misty eyed thinking about this. I no longer own a copy, but saw it on Netflix a few summers ago. Robert Picardo is all over this movie playing three roles, and he went on to play The Doctor in Star Trek Voyager.
It failed in the box office sadly because it was released at a really bad time, back to the future had been released only a week prior and the day it was released was the same day queen was performing at live aid.
#0: I actually met the screenwriter who wrote Explorers. (He happened to be the step-father of one of my former roommates.) I loved Explorers so I was eager to probe him about it. It turns out the original ending he had in mind was for the kids to be called to Mars where they would discover a dying Martian--the last of the Martian race. He brought the boys to his planet to impart to them all of the knowledge of the Martian race--in a crystal I believe. The writer said the whole alien children thing was tacked on by the studio to make it more appealing to kids. I was stunned as I thought that was a far superior ending than the aliens turning out to be kids just messing around, and I told the writer so. It was funny. He seemed a little surprised and satisfied that I sided with his vision, as if my response was unusual. I guess maybe people are so nostalgic about that movie that they can't see it playing out in any other way than it did.
Sounds a thousand times better than the movie as it stands. I may be in the minority, but even as a kid, I found Explorers drew me in with a great, exciting setup and spirit of discovery and adventure in the first couple of acts, then threw it all away with the stupid, annoying aliens. There was a glimmer of a good idea in the concept of them having picked up human TV broadcasts and trying to communicate through human pop culture, but they beat the audience over the head with the joke so endlessly and irritatingly, to me it's as funny as a head injury and kills the whole film.
That's an interesting idea which would have been better. The writer was also in movie as Darren's teacher ("very good.. , not so good... , easy test!")
That original poster with the bikes is a pretty amazing poster. It's actually one of the best ones I can remember from the 80s. How the director didn't like it is beyond me.
One of my absolute favorite 80s flicks! Put me in front of a tv playing this, Goonies, Willow, Flight of the Navigator and House and you won't hear a peep out of happy ole me. 😁
Anyone remeber D. A. R. Y. L., or The Last Starfighter? Those 2 and and this one were 3 of my biggest movies as a kid. Edit: Wow after 3 years YT randomly decided to let me know someone responded to this comment lol thanks for the likes and comments on all the other cool movie mentions.
D.A.R.Y.L. is excellent. Love when he makes the video game Pole Position not only run faster than you can in the game, but faster than the processor could handle! One for you Minty!
You also have to notice that this movie was released only one week after the release of "Back To The Future", which dominated the box office for 11 weeks. If Paramount had allowed Dante to finish his work on it and released it later, it would have been the box office smash that they had hoped it would have been. Paramount did learn their lesson though. All their movies afterward were never rushed or pushed out for a loss.
Another fact most of you don't know: If you like the creature design in The Explorers, you can check out Amazing Stories season 2 episode 6: The Griebble. It features an extremely familiar creature also designed by Rob Bottin and created by Steven Spielberg and Mick Garris, and whose grunts and cries are voiced by the legendary Frank Welker. This episode is also directed by Joe Dante, and we get to see our king of cameos buddy, Dick Miller.
2:05 in regards to Ethan Hawkes mother not being keen on taking time off work to go on location to be with her son. In a recent interview (2018) Ethan reflected on this film & said an arrangement was made where Ethan lived with River Phoenix's family while filming. Ethan also mentioned while staying with the Phoenix family, he learned for the 1st time about "vegatarianism or Veganism" (and he wasn't happy about it)
Yes, that was a strange family. As an Omnivore with carnivore leanings, I agree with him, especially because he had to eat what they ate. I always say if God had wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have created *bacon.*
Flight Of The Navigator was my earliest childhood adventure movie. I didn't see The Explorers until the 90's, in my early teens, so for for me It didn't have the same wow factor that it seems to have for others who grew up with it. I watched both of them a few years back, I found The Explorers was a bit lackluster and, although Flight Of The Navigator seems like a much shorter film than I remember, not as epic, its still great fun and will always hold a place in my heart.
Also, Robert picardo played the alien, Who brought them up to his ship. He is also the protagonist in the Cheesy sci-fi movie that is playing on screen, when they're at the drive-in theater!
lescovah valich. He also played a another Creature, who try to eat a very young Tom Cruise, and looked similar to the one in the explorers, as Meg mucklebones, in the movie legend. And one of his more comedic roles, was the cowboy in the movie innerspace!
I remember going to see this with my mother and younger brother. I loved it. A year or so later, I was at someone's birthday party, they were looking for a movie to rent, and when I saw Explorers on the shelf, I snatched it up and we rented it. Took long enough to come out on DVD...
I loved this movie. I would watch it every day on VHS when I was young. Hell at the time I even memorized the entire dialog lol. Till this day I still have the theme in my head when I'm doing something creative. I think why the alien part is a let down is because they created a buildup that nothing would have been able to live up to. Hell Darth Vader could have been who they met up with and it still would have been like "that's it"?. Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. This was my childhood lol. Memories...
I watched this movie back when i was in the 3rd grade I'm 40 now and I still catch this movie once in a blue moon it is underrated tho but enjoyable too watch 😀
Great choice Minty! Explorers has been a heartfelt film to me since I turned onto to it on TV by accident as a kid. It's a great film, but a crying shame how it was treated by the studio. Dante is even now bitter about making it, at a Q&A fans told him how dear the film is to them, which he said was great, but as far as he's concerned it's a film he never was allowed to finish. The Dick Miller sub-plot which builds up with him getting on to what the kids are up to, comes to an abrupt end because there was supposed to be a conclusion to his story in which he learn his obesession comes from him also having had telepathy with the aliens when he was a kid. It's why he wishes the boys luck after they fly away from him. The final scene at the tree also had to be dubbed over, as the as shot dialogue pertained to scenes not shot. The all living things communicating to each other thing came from something Dante was interested in, called The World Conscious Theory which was popular at the time. Dante thought this would be his big idea to add to the film. But it never came through really. It's a wonder the film ended up as good as it did. I love it, but still wonder what it would have been like if it had been allowed to be finished.
In 1985 on a Summer afternoon there was a small bi-plane pulling an Explorers banner over Pittsburgh, so my 5th grade friends and I went to see it and we all loved it.
No mention about the cameos of Robert Picardo as "Star Killer" (and 2 of the 3 aliens) Voyager's hologram doctor with hair! Or the other Star Trek reference that Zefram Cochrane is Wolfgang's dad?
When I was a kid in the 80s, we would go to the county fair. I will always want to ride the tilter world, so I could pretend I was in the thunder Road. Good times
So iam at a local carnival and I spot a Red tilty whirl I stud in line for a hour and road that bad ass and all I could think about was the THUNDErROAD!!!!
great film, except I remember me and pretty much all of my friends being very disappointed in the stupidness of the alien at the end of the film. It's so great up to that point.
What's kinda funny is, I found this movie in a box of old VHS tapes being given away and I grabbed it, since I liked it so much growing up. Anyway. I got my VCR set up and started watching it, this girl shows up and starts watching it with me, I'm mentioning how awesome it is with the shared dream about the circuit board and everything. Gets to the part with the aliens, she walked out on me, I couldn't explain it to someone who wasn't a dork kid in the 80s... Whatever.
I remember borrowing this from my local video shop several times as a kid and really enjoying it, haven't thought about it in years! Finding out it exists in the same universe as Gremlins is lovely addition to my memory of this movie now. Cheers Minty ;)
One thing not mentioned is that the male alien was voiced by Robert Picardo who was also the male lead in the fake space movie at the drive-in. Of course Robert Picardo is best known as the holographic doctor from Star Trek Voyager. Also, Robert Picardo voiced the Johnny Cab robotic driver in Total Recall and the robot was also designed to look like him too.
I absolutely love this movie! Thank you for finally noticing this great movie. And you make it better by telling about facts I never even knew about. Keep up with the great fact videos!
Corman did 56 as a director i believe or close to that anyways, there are some he wasn't in it like you said, but what's really funny is that in Apache Woman way back In (1955) which i believe his Dick Miller's 1st role he played not only an Indian but a cowboy that Miller thinks one that shoots the Indian he played. meaning that he shoots himself how can you not love shit like that?
I love this movie, is part of my childhood. I went to see it in the movie theater and then I saw it again in VHS a year later. I'm surprise that it didn't do too well, the movie theater was full when I went to see it. Any way, to me the movie is great and it brings me a lot of memories. Great job as always Minty, regards.
Yes, I remember the '80s. Practically every movie I loved was panned by the critics and had poor box-office performance. It got to the point that I purposefully went and saw the movies that the critics panned and was typically rewarded with something spectacular. Time has proven that I was right. Pretty much all those movies now have very faithful fan followings. The only movie I ever walked out on was "Sex, Lies and Videotape". It was the most tasteless yawn ever and the critics loved it.
So true. The critics were from a different, older generation and didn’t get any of the youth movies! The movies they praised and the ones that won the Oscars were boring
If Ethan hawkes mum would of let him act would he be a bigger star now or would he of ended up like most other child actors from that era, it's worth thinking about
Tolyngee but not at the time of the movie, did Ethan then and still think how selfish his mother was and how she stopped him from being bigger then he is now or is he thanking his lucky stars because tbh there are not that many child actors who didn't go on to be alcoholics or drug addicts and now look like their living on the street, maybe he just got lucky or was brought up with respect for himself and others
@@simonhancock4451 yea it's honestly sad and despicable how child actors are treated like Feldman and Haim. I hope the kids are treated better now. there are more laws and regulations now.
And don't forget the female alien who said to River Phoenix, " we'll always have Paris ..." An obvious reference to Casablanca. One of my all time favorite movies.
Well, the irony of Stand By Me is that River Phoenix didn't initially audition for the role of Chris Chambers, he auditioned for the role of Gordie LaChance, eventually played by Wil Wheaton.
Eddie Meade - I believe that was called remote control? Starring the late John Ritter I think? This is just off the top of my head without any kind of Googling
The movie with Jeffrey Jones you're thinking of is Stay Tuned. It was released in 1992 and also starred John Ritter and Pam Dawber. Saw it at the cinema. That takes me back. 😊
The poster is amazing , the 80s remake of Invaders from mars had one similar too. There was s something really cool about those kind of posters... I Think they work best for horror/sci fi films myself.
I remember being confused as to why none of my friends had seen this movie when it was new/ on HBO. I don’t believe it had anything to do with LiveAID. My generation seemed to actively ignore it when it was new.
A great film from my childhood. Thanks minty. Have you thought about streets of fire. If Ghostbusters hadn't had come out near same time it would've been more successful Imo 😏👍
According to Wikipedia, Explorers was set in the suburbs of Washington D.C., possibly in Maryland as depicted in Ben’s address on his jacket after taking out of the Thunder Road or in northern Virginia. But in the scene where the Thunder Road gone straight up, we saw Northern California upside down.
I remember reading in an interview years ago that Jason Presson stopped acting because his parents didn't want him to be exposed to the travails of being a child actor in Hollywood. Seeing what happened to Phoenix, I can't say I blame them. Agree about the second half. I love the film, but it felt like two different movies, and smelled like the studio demanding the film be more "kid friendly".
I really liked this movie, but felt that it fell apart when they actually met the aliens. The movie builds up the idea of meeting these aliens and finally when we meet them, they turn out to be the most silly, cartoony aliens ever. If they ever remake Explorers, keep everything the same, just modernize it, and MAKE THE ALIENS COOL AND SERIOUS!!!!
Absolutely loved this film, and still do. The soundtrack is amazing; Goldsmith at his best. I wish the original version Dante intended could be made… thought about making a Fanedit, though.
lol oh this movie brings back memories. For years, I had a tv recording of this film on my Beta but it was only a partial recording so for years and years I had NO idea what the movie was called. Finally after the dawn of the internet, I was able to track it down and when I watched it again, it was so surreal. It's true it transitions from a serious tone to a cartoony feeling once they meet the aliens but I think that's what I liked about it. Such a weird film but for the 80's this was the norm lol. Anyway, thanks for yet another great video, Minty. Don't change anything in terms of your production value, it's perfect and projects just the right retro feeling. Awesome.
there will always be a special place in my heart for this movie!!! loved watching this movie in the theatre is a kid, i did love the aliens myself!.... you just don't know what life out there will be like! an always love that joke.. Rollscanhardly!!
Loved this movie as a kid (the poster was part of the appeal).... but it feels like a 2 part movie, with the excellent first half, but as soon as they got into space it was like “what do we do now?”.... apparently the rush to get it released was because the studio got scared when they found out a rival studio had a sci-fi movie which centered around a teenager (which had backing from Spielberg) so they wanted to get their movie out first
The 80's were so full a creativity. Nowadays everything is about remakes and sequels no one asked for.
They've been creatively bankrupt for years now so they just remake the classics and saturate them with woke ideology.
Some we asked for and they messed it up.
(Matrix resurrections)
because today it's all about money.
"Nowadays everything is about remakes and sequels no one asked for."
What about Ghostbusters: Afterlife? That was pretty good.
There’s plenty of amazing films being made these days. I avoid all the Marvel shit and Disney reboots.
This was one of my all time favorites as a kid! I don't understand why it failed at the box office. I recorded this off Showtime on the same video tape with Labyrinth, and I watched them both almost every day. My mom was so tired of hearing them. Everything about this movie clicked for me. The characters, the soundtrack, the building and exploration, the wacky aliens...I still get misty eyed thinking about this. I no longer own a copy, but saw it on Netflix a few summers ago. Robert Picardo is all over this movie playing three roles, and he went on to play The Doctor in Star Trek Voyager.
Yeah, my friends and I wore out that tape too. Along with Goonies, Short Circuit. So many good ones back then.
It failed in the box office sadly because it was released at a really bad time, back to the future had been released only a week prior and the day it was released was the same day queen was performing at live aid.
R.I.P. Dick Miller (1928-2019) “Nice going, Kid.”
I love that line, somehow indicating that was some connection.
Dick Miller was an extra in so many of my childhood movies. My favorite line tho.
#0: I actually met the screenwriter who wrote Explorers. (He happened to be the step-father of one of my former roommates.) I loved Explorers so I was eager to probe him about it. It turns out the original ending he had in mind was for the kids to be called to Mars where they would discover a dying Martian--the last of the Martian race. He brought the boys to his planet to impart to them all of the knowledge of the Martian race--in a crystal I believe. The writer said the whole alien children thing was tacked on by the studio to make it more appealing to kids. I was stunned as I thought that was a far superior ending than the aliens turning out to be kids just messing around, and I told the writer so. It was funny. He seemed a little surprised and satisfied that I sided with his vision, as if my response was unusual. I guess maybe people are so nostalgic about that movie that they can't see it playing out in any other way than it did.
I agree that ending sounds better.
As a huge fan, I agree. Thanks for the neat story, that does seem a more satisfying ending.
Sounds a thousand times better than the movie as it stands. I may be in the minority, but even as a kid, I found Explorers drew me in with a great, exciting setup and spirit of discovery and adventure in the first couple of acts, then threw it all away with the stupid, annoying aliens. There was a glimmer of a good idea in the concept of them having picked up human TV broadcasts and trying to communicate through human pop culture, but they beat the audience over the head with the joke so endlessly and irritatingly, to me it's as funny as a head injury and kills the whole film.
That's an interesting idea which would have been better. The writer was also in movie as Darren's teacher ("very good.. , not so good... , easy test!")
That sounds like a more logical ending to the movie.
That original poster with the bikes is a pretty amazing poster. It's actually one of the best ones I can remember from the 80s. How the director didn't like it is beyond me.
Anyone Watching Explorers in 2024?
Explorers is my all-time favorite movie!! 😍
You are my spirit animal. ❤️It's like the goonies of sci fi.
One of my absolute favorite 80s flicks! Put me in front of a tv playing this, Goonies, Willow, Flight of the Navigator and House and you won't hear a peep out of happy ole me. 😁
I still love this movie. It always made me happy that the liftoff music was also used in the early trailers for episodes of Sliders
This movie reminds me of "Flight of the Navigator." Another 80's small gem!
That's what I said when I first saw it! 🤣🤣🤣
I liked this one much more, for some reason.
Anyone remeber D. A. R. Y. L., or The Last Starfighter? Those 2 and and this one were 3 of my biggest movies as a kid.
Edit: Wow after 3 years YT randomly decided to let me know someone responded to this comment lol thanks for the likes and comments on all the other cool movie mentions.
D.A.R.Y.L. is excellent. Love when he makes the video game Pole Position not only run faster than you can in the game, but faster than the processor could handle! One for you Minty!
“What is a hooker?”
Didn't Minty do a vid on Last Starfighter?
How about Flight of the Navigator anyone?
Enemy mine was a good one also
You also have to notice that this movie was released only one week after the release of "Back To The Future", which dominated the box office for 11 weeks. If Paramount had allowed Dante to finish his work on it and released it later, it would have been the box office smash that they had hoped it would have been. Paramount did learn their lesson though. All their movies afterward were never rushed or pushed out for a loss.
Another fact most of you don't know:
If you like the creature design in The Explorers, you can check out Amazing Stories season 2 episode 6: The Griebble. It features an extremely familiar creature also designed by Rob Bottin and created by Steven Spielberg and Mick Garris, and whose grunts and cries are voiced by the legendary Frank Welker. This episode is also directed by Joe Dante, and we get to see our king of cameos buddy, Dick Miller.
oh man i forgot about The Griebble. Really takes me back to when i was young and happy.
RIP Dick Miller.
Great 10 things minty!! A great tribute!
2:05 in regards to Ethan Hawkes mother not being keen on taking time off work to go on location to be with her son. In a recent interview (2018) Ethan reflected on this film & said an arrangement was made where Ethan lived with River Phoenix's family while filming. Ethan also mentioned while staying with the Phoenix family, he learned for the 1st time about "vegatarianism or Veganism" (and he wasn't happy about it)
Yes, that was a strange family. As an Omnivore with carnivore leanings, I agree with him, especially because he had to eat what they ate. I always say if God had wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have created *bacon.*
Now it's more common for vegans but it's just some push it onto others! Many people are so judgmental of what you eat lol
I read that Jason Presson became vegetarian due to River’s influence
Flight Of The Navigator was my earliest childhood adventure movie. I didn't see The Explorers until the 90's, in my early teens, so for for me It didn't have the same wow factor that it seems to have for others who grew up with it.
I watched both of them a few years back, I found The Explorers was a bit lackluster and, although Flight Of The Navigator seems like a much shorter film than I remember, not as epic, its still great fun and will always hold a place in my heart.
Also, Robert picardo played the alien, Who brought them up to his ship. He is also the protagonist in the Cheesy sci-fi movie that is playing on screen, when they're at the drive-in theater!
Robert Picardo was everywhere in the 1980s. He always reminded me of Burt, Ernie's roommate
Also Johnny Cab in Total Recall
Monkeyshines Productions. Absolutely... "Please state the nature of the medical emergency"
lescovah valich. He also played a another Creature, who try to eat a very young Tom Cruise, and looked similar to the one in the explorers, as Meg mucklebones, in the movie legend. And one of his more comedic roles, was the cowboy in the movie innerspace!
lescovah valich. "Hope you enjoyed the ride: HA HA!"
I havent a thought about this movie in years, this movie gave me such feels as a child. An awesome flick i must say.
You keep digging up these forgotten classics from my childhood. Sweet!
Absolutely. Next must be Flight of the Navigator
Absolutely love the music in this film, especially when it's combined with the imagery when the Thunder Road takes off for the first time.
YESSSS! This was an AWESOME MOVIE!!!!! you always pick the GEMS Minty! May I also suggest the movie “Cloak and Dagger”?? 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👌🏾🤗🤗❤️
Yes I loved Cloak & Dagger.
Oh YES! Do Cloak & Dagger!! ❤️❤️❤️
Good choice and one of Daffine Colemans best movies
Daaaaveeey, this is embarrassing.
I remember going to see this with my mother and younger brother. I loved it.
A year or so later, I was at someone's birthday party, they were looking for a movie to rent, and when I saw Explorers on the shelf, I snatched it up and we rented it.
Took long enough to come out on DVD...
Well they didn’t have DVDS 📀 then lol
I loved this movie. I would watch it every day on VHS when I was young. Hell at the time I even memorized the entire dialog lol. Till this day I still have the theme in my head when I'm doing something creative. I think why the alien part is a let down is because they created a buildup that nothing would have been able to live up to. Hell Darth Vader could have been who they met up with and it still would have been like "that's it"?. Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. This was my childhood lol. Memories...
I watched this movie back when i was in the 3rd grade I'm 40 now and I still catch this movie once in a blue moon it is underrated tho but enjoyable too watch 😀
I love this movie! I saw it at the local drive in. Its the only one I ever saw there. I wish they would bring them back. It was a great time.
Amber Waite man brings back memories huh drive ins in North Texas out side of Ennis they have 5 screens Still playing it's amazing
They still exist here and there, but ya they need to make a comeback.
Bet the drive in scene felt a little different
Great choice Minty! Explorers has been a heartfelt film to me since I turned onto to it on TV by accident as a kid. It's a great film, but a crying shame how it was treated by the studio. Dante is even now bitter about making it, at a Q&A fans told him how dear the film is to them, which he said was great, but as far as he's concerned it's a film he never was allowed to finish. The Dick Miller sub-plot which builds up with him getting on to what the kids are up to, comes to an abrupt end because there was supposed to be a conclusion to his story in which he learn his obesession comes from him also having had telepathy with the aliens when he was a kid. It's why he wishes the boys luck after they fly away from him. The final scene at the tree also had to be dubbed over, as the as shot dialogue pertained to scenes not shot. The all living things communicating to each other thing came from something Dante was interested in, called The World Conscious Theory which was popular at the time. Dante thought this would be his big idea to add to the film. But it never came through really. It's a wonder the film ended up as good as it did. I love it, but still wonder what it would have been like if it had been allowed to be finished.
You should totally do Flight of the Navigator and The Last Starfighter!
he did
Yeah he did Starfighter afterwards. Thanks?
Flight of the navigator all time classic!!!!!!!!!
@Edgar Poe I do not leak, navigator. You leak.
Fell in love with this as a child born in 1985. The score is amazing and I loved the scene of Ethan kissing his crush
In 1985 on a Summer afternoon there was a small bi-plane pulling an Explorers banner over Pittsburgh, so my 5th grade friends and I went to see it and we all loved it.
I love this movie, when I was a kid I'd rent this every weekend.
No mention about the cameos of Robert Picardo as "Star Killer" (and 2 of the 3 aliens)
Voyager's hologram doctor with hair!
Or the other Star Trek reference that Zefram Cochrane is Wolfgang's dad?
This movie, the Goonies, Flight of the Navigator and Last Star Fighter were my fave movies as a kid growing up in the eighties and nineties!
Loved this as a kid. Im 33 now and actually watched it the other day and it was still just as good
When I was a kid in the 80s, we would go to the county fair. I will always want to ride the tilter world, so I could pretend I was in the thunder Road. Good times
Judson Joist right on
So iam at a local carnival and I spot a Red tilty whirl I stud in line for a hour and road that bad ass and all I could think about was the THUNDErROAD!!!!
Say it with me... Tilt-A-Whirl!
Till-D-Hurl
@@hexus9198 Alright, Now ur just being silly }Bo)
great film, except I remember me and pretty much all of my friends being very disappointed in the stupidness of the alien at the end of the film. It's so great up to that point.
ahhhh, I see you felt the same, just saw the end of the vid, hehe.
I agree lol
It was good up to that point
What's kinda funny is, I found this movie in a box of old VHS tapes being given away and I grabbed it, since I liked it so much growing up.
Anyway. I got my VCR set up and started watching it, this girl shows up and starts watching it with me, I'm mentioning how awesome it is with the shared dream about the circuit board and everything. Gets to the part with the aliens, she walked out on me, I couldn't explain it to someone who wasn't a dork kid in the 80s... Whatever.
shut up, it was great regardless.
Well, the characters had the same reaction. It kinda made some sense tho, as they had only seen our TV and we're child fans.
I remember borrowing this from my local video shop several times as a kid and really enjoying it, haven't thought about it in years! Finding out it exists in the same universe as Gremlins is lovely addition to my memory of this movie now. Cheers Minty ;)
One thing not mentioned is that the male alien was voiced by Robert Picardo who was also the male lead in the fake space movie at the drive-in. Of course Robert Picardo is best known as the holographic doctor from Star Trek Voyager. Also, Robert Picardo voiced the Johnny Cab robotic driver in Total Recall and the robot was also designed to look like him too.
I absolutely love this movie! Thank you for finally noticing this great movie. And you make it better by telling about facts I never even knew about. Keep up with the great fact videos!
Loved, loved, loved this movie when I was a kid.
Explorers was a huge part of my childhood and I love it to this day!
epic movie! Just the last 20mins that bring it down a notch. But still an epic film!
Love the classic poster!
Do Weird Science !!!!!! please!!!!!
Mathieu Duval definitely.
One of my favorite movies! Can you PLEASE do 10 Things you didn't know about 'Batteries Not Included'?
Loved that movie
how bout ..the wizard... teen witch...the boy who could fly
Such a lovely film.
80's movies. Can't beat them.
Love this movie, it seriously needs a sweet blu-ray release
Dick Miller was in almost every film that was directed by Roger Corman or anyone who was an alumni of Roger Corman's film associates.
wstine79 aaah hence his cameo in The Terminator
Corman did 56 as a director i believe or close to that anyways, there are some he wasn't in it like you said, but what's really funny is that in Apache Woman way back In (1955) which i believe his Dick Miller's 1st role he played not only an Indian but a cowboy that Miller thinks one that shoots the Indian he played. meaning that he shoots himself how can you not love shit like that?
Great video Minty! Would still love to see "Night Of The Comet!"
he did!
Dick Miller and Robert Picardo are always in Joe Dante movies. Love those guys.
I love this movie. Takes me back to the 80s when we were kids being kids playing outside and wondering how to make our own Thunderroad ship.
The Male alien is the "Doctor" from Voyager.
Loved this and Live Aid, lived it.
I love this movie, is part of my childhood. I went to see it in the movie theater and then I saw it again in VHS a year later. I'm surprise that it didn't do too well, the movie theater was full when I went to see it. Any way, to me the movie is great and it brings me a lot of memories. Great job as always Minty, regards.
This takes me back. I ADORED this movie as a kid. That music just…I’m being assaulted by nostalgia.
Would of been hilarious if a few gremlins were ridin on the outside laughing their asses off when they first were flyin around lol
Nick Mattio *would've
Yes, I remember the '80s. Practically every movie I loved was panned by the critics and had poor box-office performance. It got to the point that I purposefully went and saw the movies that the critics panned and was typically rewarded with something spectacular. Time has proven that I was right. Pretty much all those movies now have very faithful fan followings.
The only movie I ever walked out on was "Sex, Lies and Videotape". It was the most tasteless yawn ever and the critics loved it.
So true. The critics were from a different, older generation and didn’t get any of the youth movies! The movies they praised and the ones that won the Oscars were boring
That's why I saw One From The Heart. I was going to see Blade Runner solely on Doug Trumbull working on it All good.
@@sclogse1 If you saw that film, you were one of very few who did. I never even heard of it until your reply.
I saw this in the cinema! Gettin old lol. Thanks mate. Stay ace Mint man!
The neighbor lady taped this movie on Showtime and gave it to us .... I loved this movie so much, so glad to see the love for it here too!
I absolutely loved this movie as a kid the 80's was a magical time for movies that will never be paralleled again
If Ethan hawkes mum would of let him act would he be a bigger star now or would he of ended up like most other child actors from that era, it's worth thinking about
Tolyngee but not at the time of the movie, did Ethan then and still think how selfish his mother was and how she stopped him from being bigger then he is now or is he thanking his lucky stars because tbh there are not that many child actors who didn't go on to be alcoholics or drug addicts and now look like their living on the street, maybe he just got lucky or was brought up with respect for himself and others
It's actually not worth thinking about, and he's a pretty big star now.
@@simonhancock4451 yea it's honestly sad and despicable how child actors are treated like Feldman and Haim. I hope the kids are treated better now. there are more laws and regulations now.
Real Genius! Real Genius! RRREEAALL GGEENNIIUUSS!!
Yes sir! My favorite Val Kilmer movie for sure. Quite underrated too!
Please for the love of everything movie related 10 things about Real Genius!
Agreed, real genius
I fucking love real genius, one of my favourite 80s movies and the other val kilmer movie top secret which is funny too
Real Goonies Starfighter (three of the best,. combined..)
And don't forget the female alien who said to River Phoenix, " we'll always have Paris ..." An obvious reference to Casablanca. One of my all time favorite movies.
Well, the irony of Stand By Me is that River Phoenix didn't initially audition for the role of Chris Chambers, he auditioned for the role of Gordie LaChance, eventually played by Wil Wheaton.
Even as a kid, I really only liked the first half.
Do the Burbs! Also there was a movie in the 80 or 90s with Jeffrey Jones and the dad from American pie about getting trapped in tv shows...
Eddie Meade - I believe that was called remote control? Starring the late John Ritter I think?
This is just off the top of my head without any kind of Googling
the movie was called "stay tuned" released in 1992.
The movie with Jeffrey Jones you're thinking of is Stay Tuned. It was released in 1992 and also starred John Ritter and Pam Dawber. Saw it at the cinema. That takes me back. 😊
That sounds like Stay Tuned, but Stay Tuned starred John Ritter.
Remote Control was Mtv's first? and only game show, in the 1980?s or 90's? contestants seated on recliners had to answer tv related questions
I LOVE The Explorers. I watched it as a kid and loved it back then.
The poster is amazing , the 80s remake of Invaders from mars had one similar too. There was s something really cool about those kind of posters... I Think they work best for horror/sci fi films myself.
I remember being confused as to why none of my friends had seen this movie when it was new/ on HBO.
I don’t believe it had anything to do with LiveAID.
My generation seemed to actively ignore it when it was new.
Much like a lot of the movies from the 80's the magic of this movie couldn't be recreated today, the world has unfortunately changed a lot.
Lee Croft definitely wouldn’t be four white kids as the cast lol
@@gvn2fly96 It would be a bunch of forced diversity that doesn't make sense.
J J exactly
Yeah, we had pride still from the moon landing. Before we realized we weren't doing 💩 with space anymore.
I loved this movie when I was a kid! My dad brought it home for me one night from the video store and I loved it.
I was so high when I watched this with some buddies on a vintage audio system before multichannel rigs. Awesome
I christen thee, “The Thunder Road"
A great film from my childhood. Thanks minty.
Have you thought about streets of fire.
If Ghostbusters hadn't had come out near same time it would've been more successful Imo 😏👍
According to Wikipedia, Explorers was set in the suburbs of Washington D.C., possibly in Maryland as depicted in Ben’s address on his jacket after taking out of the Thunder Road or in northern Virginia. But in the scene where the Thunder Road gone straight up, we saw Northern California upside down.
Dick Miller's character does mention that he is starting to have "strange" dreams that he hasn't had since he was a kid.
I LOVE this movie
Thanks, Minty!!! Great one!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
I remember reading in an interview years ago that Jason Presson stopped acting because his parents didn't want him to be exposed to the travails of being a child actor in Hollywood. Seeing what happened to Phoenix, I can't say I blame them.
Agree about the second half. I love the film, but it felt like two different movies, and smelled like the studio demanding the film be more "kid friendly".
River was also in a cult before becoming an actor so that must have affected him! so sad! honestly just terrible! who can treat kids like that??
Great one Minty.... Tragic what happened to the young actress in the movie. She died very young.
Minty In The Morning!
I still rock Little Richard because of this flick.
Such a good movie! I loved this, Goonies meets ET in one.
Exactly!
Ethan Hawke Then = Explorers
Ethan Hawke Now = *SINISTER*
I'm so glad you did this movie LOL I was thinking about it the other day
Mac and me next
Thanks, Minty! I love this film, because it transports me back to being an imaginative youngster (back during the 80's)...
Everyone who ever sat in a cardboard box pretending it was a spaceship as a kid would enjoy & appreciate this movie.
could you do the boy who could fly?
Loved that movie jay Underwood dropped off the planey
Seriously where
@@johnkirkhart4 he also played Chiip in a movie called Not Quiet Human to.
I love that movie. He also played an gothic dude working on a horse ranch for his mom
Roger he also played Bug from Uncle Buck
I really liked this movie, but felt that it fell apart when they actually met the aliens. The movie builds up the idea of meeting these aliens and finally when we meet them, they turn out to be the most silly, cartoony aliens ever. If they ever remake Explorers, keep everything the same, just modernize it, and MAKE THE ALIENS COOL AND SERIOUS!!!!
but the aliens were just kids that "stole their dads car" (spaceship), right? so they had to be a little "not serious" etc.
They don't need to make this movie different, you need to watch a different movie.
Don Soprano somebody who gets it!
It was unfinished, which is why it went off the rails after they met the aliens. It was released prematurely and Joe Dante wasn't happy about it.
Release the Dante's Cut
Loved all the Star Trek Alums that were in this. Dick Miller (DS9), Robert Picardo (VOY), and James Cromwell (TNG).
Absolutely loved this film, and still do. The soundtrack is amazing; Goldsmith at his best. I wish the original version Dante intended could be made… thought about making a Fanedit, though.
Oh Yes A minty Video to Watch Awesome 😀
lol oh this movie brings back memories. For years, I had a tv recording of this film on my Beta but it was only a partial recording so for years and years I had NO idea what the movie was called. Finally after the dawn of the internet, I was able to track it down and when I watched it again, it was so surreal. It's true it transitions from a serious tone to a cartoony feeling once they meet the aliens but I think that's what I liked about it. Such a weird film but for the 80's this was the norm lol.
Anyway, thanks for yet another great video, Minty. Don't change anything in terms of your production value, it's perfect and projects just the right retro feeling. Awesome.
Thanks again for sharing this it was really cool seeing you talk about one of my favorite movies from the 80s.
there will always be a special place in my heart for this movie!!! loved watching this movie in the theatre is a kid, i did love the aliens myself!.... you just don't know what life out there will be like! an always love that joke.. Rollscanhardly!!
Hi, Love you minty, Christmas has come early 😊
Wow i would have never guessed that the explorers would be destroyed my freddie mercury
One of my all time favorite movies for a smile and nostalgia.
Minty, I love you!! No one hits the mark like you.
River Phoenix gave his best performance in "Running on Empty," just saying.
see he was a good actor but he's never been a favorite for me it's Stand By Me'
Tolyngee River Phoenix did play a homosexual in that movie "My Own Private Idaho," where, yes, he does have a kissing scene with Keanu Reeves.
How about doing a 10 things about the movie BMX Bandits?
Barry Francis RAD
Presson was in the Disney movie The B.R.A.T. Patrol with Sean Astin after Explorers too......Another childhood fav.
Loved this movie as a kid (the poster was part of the appeal).... but it feels like a 2 part movie, with the excellent first half, but as soon as they got into space it was like “what do we do now?”.... apparently the rush to get it released was because the studio got scared when they found out a rival studio had a sci-fi movie which centered around a teenager (which had backing from Spielberg) so they wanted to get their movie out first