Explorers

Film Skool

| Inspired by his vivid dreams of flying through space and elaborate electrical grids, and fueled by comic books and classic sci-fi, 8th-grader Ben fantasises about a way to explore the Universe. When his friend Wolfgang manages to build a matching circuit board from Ben's hazily-sketched diagrams of his dreams, the board eerily begins to program itself, resulting in precisely the technology they need to secretly cobble together a real spacecraft in a backyard. Along with their friend Darren, they venture out of suburbia and blast into the cosmos seeking whatever alien life they can find — perhaps even something which was reaching out to them all along.

A sentimental adventure of childhood wonder and the regenerative cycle of pop culture (and B-movies), which links '80s childhoods to the fantasy of '50s sci-fi, Joe Dante's Explorers shows the Piranha director's unique skill in blending genres. Featuring childhood film debuts from Ethan Hawke (Dead Poets Society) and River Phoenix (Sneakers), with Robert Picardo (The Howling) and, naturally, Dick Miller (Gremlins), it also boasts extensive use of a broad range of effects by Rob Bottin and visuals from Industrial Light & Magic, as well as an epic score by Jerry Goldsmith (Alien). Vinegar Syndrome Ultra presents this cult film to 4K UHD in both its theatrical and home video versions, newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative, and featuring a brand new extended making-of documentary produced exclusively for this release.

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