9 Forgotten '80s Movies That You've Probably Never Heard Of
3. Explorers (1985)
"Explorers" was one of my all time favourite films as a kid and I can still watch it to this day. And like the previously mentioned "Batteries Not Included," I truly can't understand how this is not held in the same regard as other family films of the era that are still to this day required viewing for anyone under the age of 10. The fact that it was a colossal flop didn't help matters and to be honest, I have no explanation as to why this awesome family orientated sci-fi adventure was never seen in the first place, much less forgotten about entirely. Directed by Joe Dante who had just come off the success of "Gremlins," it starred River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in both their first ever movie length roles and featured a wonderful, unforgettable performance by Robert Picardo (you may know him as the Doctor from Star Trek Voyager). It tells the story of three bullied outcasts, whom after experiencing a unexplained telepathic link through dreams that seemingly hold the key to interstellar travel, build a home made space ship out of a Tilt a Whirl car using '80s computer technology. Upon christening their new interstellar vehicle "The Thunder Road" after the opening track of Bruce Springsteen's debut album "Born to Run," they set off to find the source of these mysterious telepathic transmissions and upon discovering their origins, find out that the Universe is not all that it seems to be. Now in a previous article (which you can read by clicking here) I mention that Alien 3 should be classed as an Academy award winning masterpiece considering what was the final product and the fact it was even completed in the face of mind-boggingly insane production problems and studio interference... and considering Explorers was released by the studio before it was even finished and still is an amazing piece of visual literature I think it could fall under the same category. Why this movie was a flop I have no idea. It is very well directed and features amazing acting skills all round from then a bunch of newcomers to the silver screen. Not to mention it showcases exactly why people describe River Phoenix as a serious contender for the title of greatest actor whom had ever lived had he not been taken away from us.so prematurely. It has a story that encourages the imagination of any child who watches it and is in fact a far better film then some of those actually deemed worthy to be remembered. Recently a film came out called "Super 8" that received all sorts of accolades for its film making style that hearkened back to the days and '80s feel of old family films like "ET" and "The Goonies." Now although I enjoyed that film immensely, considering the tone it sets is a near replica to what this film achieves says to me that this great adventure flick for families should be re-evaluated by everyone, not just the film industry. I urge all parents with children to consider allowing their beloved bloodline to experience it in full.
Passions in life: Movies, Music and Wrestling....My childhood was spent growing up in the "Outback" of Australia (I'm a little bit country) and my adulthood resided within the city limits (I'm a little bit rock and roll), so you could say that I am the best (or worst) of both worlds. A 6 foot 7 ex wannabe pro wrestler (whose career was cut short due to a busted back, NOT caused by wrestling) & muso who has a precocious cat & a habit of doing the wrong thing but for the right reasons. The story of my life????
All demos, no albums ;)
"Explorers" was one of my all time favourite films as a kid and I can still watch it to this day. And like the previously mentioned "Batteries Not Included," I truly can't understand how this is not held in the same regard as other family films of the era that are still to this day required viewing for anyone under the age of 10. The fact that it was a colossal flop didn't help matters and to be honest, I have no explanation as to why this awesome family orientated sci-fi adventure was never seen in the first place, much less forgotten about entirely. Directed by Joe Dante who had just come off the success of "Gremlins," it starred River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in both their first ever movie length roles and featured a wonderful, unforgettable performance by Robert Picardo (you may know him as the Doctor from Star Trek Voyager). It tells the story of three bullied outcasts, whom after experiencing a unexplained telepathic link through dreams that seemingly hold the key to interstellar travel, build a home made space ship out of a Tilt a Whirl car using '80s computer technology. 