explorer be yet another gem from the criminally underrated joe dante . after dante strike box office gold with gremlin and nothing else he have do since have achieve the same level of success . explorer be the first film he make after gremlin and but it fail to strike a chord with audience . a shame really because i think it one of dante best film . slightly flaw perhaps and but it a fairly intelligent kid film and not to mention quite charm . explorer be one of a series of film that follow in the wake of et . but i have never really be much of a fan of et . it seem a little too calculate to me and too gear to be a crowd pleaser and and too mire in spielberg preoccupation with friendly alien to work a a coherent story . i have always find joe dante to be a refreshing alternative to spielberg because of his sly and irreverent style of storytelling . he bring a healthy dose of pessimism to explorer but balance it with the right amount of child like wonder and that in spielberg hand would have become excessively mawkish . the film begin inside a surreal dream sequence and where a young boy ben crandell ( ethan hawke film debut ) be fly above a circuit board that be a dizzying array of colour and electrical flash and breaker . ben have no idea what the dream mean and but he feel compel to draw a diagram of the circuit board . he share this with his best friend wolfgang muller ( the late river phoenix ) a young scientist . after hook up with another lad and darren wood and the three be all share similar dream . each dream they have seem to convey more information to them and eventually come to the conclusion that it be scientific data . it allow them to construct a perfect sphere of self sustain energy . they decide that this sphere could be use to travel through space and theorise that may have be the purpose of their dream . they build a spaceship out of a tilt a whirl and use it to encase the sphere . and take off on an incredible adventure . explorer really be a quite charming film . the first half dwells on the three lad gradually come together and and combine their skill for the common goal of explore space . dante direct these scene very well and the dream sequence have a surreal and engage beauty and and there be a refreshing lack of over sentiment in the dialogue exchange by our hero . there be something so appeal to me about the premise of three child build a spaceship . the fact that the thunderroad and a they name it and be construct from a fairground ride with tv screen and wash machine door for window seem to add to it charm . and the science be surprisingly intelligent for a kid film . the scene where they create the ball of energy lead up to some marvellous special effect sequence . two scene that spring to mind be the ball fly out of control . once in wolfgang laboratory where it ricochet off the wall and and another where wolfgang be inside the sphere and it take him on a journey overground and and under . some of the special effect be really magical and which be all the more impressive consider explorer be make over 20 year ago . the sight of the thunderroad fly over the american continent be exhilarate and especially when they crash into a drive in and and be intercept by a police helicopter and ironically be mistake for a ufo . but when the thunderroad go into orbit and the story take an odd turn . they be capture by an alien ship and which show off some pretty impressive set design . the alien ship have a vastness in scale that quite take one aback and with a very weird scene with a mechanical spider thing that check out ben and wolfgang . then we meet the alien . but theyre not what be expect . theyre bizarre in the extreme . bright green and antenna . that in itself be not so unexpected and but when we have alien perform stand up routine and quote bug bunny and it hard not to think the film go off course . explorer be an unfinished film and because the studio move up the deadline and so it not too surprise the end feel a bit chaotic . in fact it quite a hodgepodge of clash style . bit of comedy mixed with serious point . these alien have pick up tv broadcast from earth and and be familiar with lot of different sf or horror film . especially the one where human attack alien . they do not visit earth because theyre afraid human be really like that and and believe we will annihilate ourselves unless we change our way . which be why they communicate through dream to the boy and to get to know a human and up close and personal . there be a nice message bury under all the chaos and little richard number at the end if you look hard enough . with the amount of film reference and this be where dante trademark in joke come to the fore . it nice to see it take on a different form this time rather than just play in the background . it allow to take centre stage . i be a bit disappointed by the sudden manic change in direction but a bit amused to discover the two alien be teenager who take their dad spaceship for a joyride . robert picardo and who voice one of the alien and wak and make him into one of joe dante most memorable creation . explorer may have an odd end and but i still feel it a high point in dante career and and it refresh to see a kid film with a modicum of intelligence . which be a rare thing these day . great theme from the late jerry goldsmith too .