Explorers

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Explorers

PG

1985

1h 44m

Kids & Family

Sci-Fi

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

104 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Young Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result -- when he has a vivid dream about technology, his science-loving friend Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix) manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren Woods (Jason Presson), the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.

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Critics Consensus

Despite dazzling effects, a terrific young cast, and tons of charm, Explorers fails to soar past its '80s kiddie flick competitors.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Oct 8

It's worked out with the style and ingenuity of an indolent slug, making its way across a slab of hot concrete in hell.

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Joe Kane

New York Daily News

Sep 12

All Joe Dante's juvenile space fantasy adds up to is one -- count it -- one lame joke.

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J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Jul 11

The film is overplotted and rickety.

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Phil Kloer

Florida Times-Union

Feb 4

2/5

Explorers just stays earthbound for too long.

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Lou Cedrone

Baltimore Sun

Oct 7

2/4

The special effects are very good, and when the movie is amusing, it is very much so.

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Don Dahlstrom

Flint Journal

Aug 19

1.5/4

"Explorers" is one of those classic cases in which the film's trailer is far superior to the film itself.

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Erin M

@Mightymotes Mar 19

Fun movie and great acting by the kids. Loved the twist with the aliens!!

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Ari V

@RT59419633 Mar 3

Fun and tasteful until about 60% of the way through and then something goes wrong. It goes for 'hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy for kids type thing', and maybe it's not even such a bad idea, but man, it's just chronically 'off.' just ceingefest all the way to the end with tinges of PDFelia (examination scene). Something real creepy about how all those 'paperclip' jokes are packaged too.

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Mark C.

@mrpiggy1992 Jan 27

Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix got incredible chemistry in the underappreciated film of 1985

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 4

Success in 1 hour and 44 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Host J

@RT55293021 Jun 15

Great film, still waiting for the sequel. I'm going back to the 80's to find good stuff for my kids to watch.

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Josiah G

@SamBerger77 05/28/2025

The kid actors were okay, but the story dragged and was pretty boring until the halfway/two-thirds mark when suddenly HOOO BOY WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW when they met the aliens. At that point, it had a very "the writers were on drugs" feeling to it, and I wanted to just die.

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Joe Dante

Director

Ethan Hawke

Ben Crandall

River Phoenix

Wolfgang Müller

Jason Presson

Darren Woods

Amanda Peterson

Lori Swenson

Dick Miller

Charlie Drake

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50%

55%

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Synopsis

Young Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result -- when he has a vivid dream about technology, his science-loving friend Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix) manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren Woods (Jason Presson), the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.

Director: Joe Dante
Producer: Edward S. Feldman, David Bombyk
Screenwriter: Eric Luke
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures International
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 12, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2017
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Surround