Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Explorers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson May 23, 2021

Wolfgang Petersen was originally tapped to direct Eric Luke's original screenplay, Explorers, for Paramount in 1985. But, according to film historian Jeff Bond in his copious liner notes to Intrada's soundtrack album release, Petersen wanted to film at the studios in Bavaria but Paramount preferred to keep the production in the US. So, Petersen opted to make Enemy Mine with Fox instead. Enter Joe Dante. Gremlins had been difficult to make for Dante primarily because the design and effects for the titular creatures were so involved. When Dante learned that Explorers revolved around three junior-high boys constructing a spaceship and traveling to another planet, he thought the scale of the production would be relatively simple and straightforward. What Dante didn't anticipate was Paramount imposing a firm summer release date to get Explorers into theaters. This necessitated the crew build the sets and Rob Bottin create the aliens in a span of three months. Several of the crew members who worked previously with Dante, including Bottin and cinematographer John Hora, were familiar with his creative preferences and what he wanted. Working at a breakneck pace and peak efficiency helped Dante and his crew get through the experience of making the film, although to this day the director still feels it's an unfinished work.

Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) is a bright and perky boy with dreams of one day making it into space. Ben has a dream where he's flying above a long circuit board. Upon awakening, Ben immediately draws a diagram of the circuit. He communicates via handheld transceiver with his aspiring scientist friend, Wolfgang Müller (River Phoenix), that the design features could potentially help in constructing a traveling vessel. Wolfgang has his own laboratory in the basement of his parents' house. He types into a keyboard connected to a 1984 Apple 11c and the program keys produce a roving spherical bubble. Wolfgang, Ben, and Ben's friend, Darren Woods (Jason Presson), further the experiment outside in the open hills. Ben types some keys in and sends Wolfgang off on a high-speed journey inside the bubble. Luckily, Wolfgang comes back and the boys decide they need something more solid and concrete for their voyage to outer-space. Darren's father has a job hauling old machines and spare parts to a junkyard where the boys poke around. They find an old Tilt-a-Whirl car that they convert into their spaceship, the Thunder Road (named after the Springsteen song). Will the trio be able to reach the alien planet and what will they find?

The explorers venture beyond Earth.

Explorers was the big-screen debuts for both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. It's apparent that they each had natural acting ability and clearly understood the characters that Eric Luke wrote. Their focused performances also benefitted from Dante's sharp direction. Author Barry C. Lawrence was on the set of Explorers (as a prop maker?) and saw Hawke and Phoenix at one of the locations, unaware of their roles in the movie. Lawrence later wrote that Phoenix was playing against type as the techie Wolfgang was completely different at the time from his real-life self. This goes to show the range and talent River had as a 14-year-old. (Lawrence's biography of the late actor is the best and most comprehensive to date.) Presson is also very good as a son who's lost his mother from cancer and lives in an abusive household with his dad and girlfriend. Darren helps get Steve Jackson and his gang of bullies off Ben's back.

Every crew member involved on Explorers admits they wished they would have had more time to make it a finished product. A subplot involving Ben and Lori Swenson (Amanda Peterson), the cute blonde he has a crush on, was trimmed apparently after a test screening, which Dante remembers featured a lot of 8-year-olds in the audience. Ben and Lori's relationship is not only underdeveloped in the two existing cuts of the film, but also nearly sacrifices the moon rock ring he gave her at a birthday party. (This was left on the cutting room floor.) In addition, Bottin would have liked more time to fine-tune the creatures. DP Hora is interviewed on this disc and points out that Wak (Robert Picardo) is wearing a fur coat in the film because Bottin had not yet finished designing his back!

Explorers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This two-disc Collector's Edition of Explorers courtesy of Shout Select includes the Home Video Cut (average video bitrate: 32500 kbps) and the Theatrical Cut (29300 kbps). Each cut is included on an MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The film appears in its original theatrical exhibition ratio of 1.85:1. I would grade the TC a 4.0/5.0 and HVC a 4.5/5.0. The TC has several white speckles over the main titles and a couple other scenes. Beginning with the long shot of Wolfgang lugging his books to school (Screenshot #10), I started noticing improvements in color saturation, sharpness, clarity, and detail.

Freelance writer Adam Eisenberg wrote an excellent article on the photographic aspects of Explorers for the August 1985 issue of American Cinematographer. He quoted DP Hora as saying he used a blue gel over the fill lights for the nighttime exteriors. The film was photographed in Petaluma, California during the autumn months and Hora wanted a warm fall look. He put a 85-C filter on his camera to enhance the beatific shots of Ben and Darren strolling along the creek bed. The misty shafts of light illuminate them (frame grab #s 5 and 6).

Each cut receives a dozen scene selections.

Screenshots 1-10 = Shout Select 2021 Theatrical Cut
Screenshots 11-15, 17, 19, 21, 23, & 25 = Shout Select 2021 Home Video Cut
Screenshots 16, 18, 20, 22 & 24 = Paramount 2004 DVD

Explorers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout Select supplies two lossless audio tracks apiece on the Theatrical Cut and Home Video Cut. TC: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (2535 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1676 kbps, 24-bit). HVC: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (2338 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1677 kbps, 24-bit). The remastered tracks sound very clear and clean to my ears. Spoken words are consistently well-delivered. There's excellent directional separation when Wolfang's little sphere starts whizzes around his lab and goes through paperback covers on the shelf. Other sound ambience and f/x (such as the barking of a dog and purring of Wolfgang's cat) make their presence known on the rears. Jerry Goldsmith's multilayered score is a treat to listen to on the 5.1 tracks. The warm French horns come alive on the surrounds.

Optional English SDH are available for each version of the film.

Explorers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The R1 and R2 DVDs included two additional scenes that were in the TC. Shout has added all new extras to its package.

DISC ONE: Home Video Cut (1:46:30; 1080p; DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 2.0)

• NEW A Science Fiction Fairy Tale: The Story of Explorers (1:04:48, 1080p) - This excellent retrospective documentary features new interviews with director Joe Dante, David Kirkpatrick (Senior Executive in Charge of Production at Paramount), screenwriter Eric Luke, Darlene Chan (Junior Executive in Charge of Production at Paramount), Explorers superfan/author Ernest Cline, and star Ethan Hawke. With the exception of Cline, the participants share their memories of making Explorers. Kirkpatrick and Luke are interviewed on Zoom. The rest of the interviews were conducted in-person. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Joe Dante (33:54, 480i) - Dante found Betamax tapes from a workprint of Explorers inside of boxes located in his garage. These contained several excised scenes. They're shown in 1.33:1 with mono sound. They all have PROP. OF PPC 1985 DO NOT COPY watermarked over the image. Dante explains how a preview audience reacted to some of the footage that later got taken out. He also explains which scenes he wished stayed in the final theatrical version and why others deserved to be cut. The footage can be selected with or without the director's commentary. Both tracks are in English and not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with Cinematographer John Hora (3:46, 1080p) - Hora remembers what the experience was like filming Explorers, shooting locations, the "twist" Rob Bottin surprised Hora with, and the film's rushed schedule. A special guest later appears on Hora's couch. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with Editor Tina Hirsch (6:10, 1080p) - Hirsch recalls some details from her first meeting with Joe Dante, how Dante likes to edit his films, and the "density" of his movies. She also discusses the production schedule for Explorers, the unique contributions Robert Picardo brought to the film, and Dick Miller's qualities as an actor. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:32, upconverted to 1080p) - Paramount's original trailer for Explorers presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0. It's unrestored and displays the normal film artifacts.

DISC TWO: Theatrical Cut (1:49:14; 1080p; DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 2.0)

Bonus materials are exact duplicates of the first disc.

Explorers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After nearly thirty-six years, Explorers has lost none of its charm, awe, and wonder. While it's true that we're unlikely to ever get a director's cut, it's an added bonus that we finally have the theatrical version available again. I'm also glad that Dante uncovered tapes containing several deleted scenes from the work print. (The excised scenes are given rich exposition in George Gipe's novelization of Luke's screenplay.) The new hour-long documentary is a tremendous compendium to the feature. The movie looks and sounds as good as it ever has. A VERY WARM RECOMMENDATION for this two-disc CE of Explorers.