![the explorers 1985 the explorers 1985](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/explorers_1985_h.jpg)
So when I started collecting 80s era movie novelizations, one of the books that was at the top of my list to find was the adaptation of The Explorers… I know that Joe Dante is a huge fan of Chuck Jones and the Looney Tunes in general, but he does a much better job of working that style of wacky cartoon influence into his other films ( Gremlins and his segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie.)
![the explorers 1985 the explorers 1985](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/BoldOldfashionedAracari-size_restricted.gif)
There was something about the super-cartoon-y aliens at the end of the flick that just really ruin the movie for me. and the other kid adventure flicks I loved as a kid ( Monster Squad and the Gate for horror, Goonies and Stand By Me for grand adventure, Cloak and Dagger and the Manhattan Project for spy thrillers.) But it always felt off, even from the first viewing. At the time it felt like a missing puzzle piece to my childhood, another sci-fi component that complimented both E.T.
The explorers 1985 tv#
The Explorers is one of those movies that I managed to completely miss out on during my younger years in the 80s, but I eventually connected with in in the late 90s on a fox affiliate Saturday afternoon TV screening. There are a lot of great ideas, some great young actors, and some really fun special effects, but none of that can really save from the flick from an awkward second half, a rushed production and a script that was probably a couple drafts away from being a much more solid story. Directed by Joe Dante and released in 1985 this sci-fi kids adventure flick is kind of a brilliant disaster. Another film that would fall into this category but is a very difficult film to defend is The Explorers. Movies like the Manhattan Project, the Monster Squad SpaceCamp and Cloak and Dagger are prime examples they certainly have their fans, some more rabid than others, but they tend to get overlooked and I’ve always felt like they deserved more respect. Whereas the Goonies, E.T., Gremlins and Stand By Me are considered the gold standard of the genre, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the flicks that just don’t have the same huge fan-bases. In the pantheon of of 80s era kid adventure films, there are a few that really struggle to keep up with some of the most popular flicks.