Explorers (1985)

 

Are you looking for a fun adventurous science fiction story, made by the always entertaining Joe Dante? Then this is absolutely the film you can use to introduce very young children to the concept. It's lighthearted, fuzzy and fun and it's over before you even know it. 

It also has a couple of insanely cool alien suits.

In a sleepy town somewhere, Ben (Hawke) is a kid who has a deep rooted fascination (dare we say 'fetish'?) with all things science fiction. His best friend Wolfgang (Phoenix) is a child prodigy who often has to act as the voice of reason. Ben and Wolfgang have very vivid dreams that turn out to be blueprints for the creation of a special type of bubble, which would allow them to technically travel insanely fast for vast distances. After teaming up with another kid who is a lot more down-to-earth, they decide to build a spaceship of sorts and experiment. They figure out that whoever send them their dreams must come from outer space and wants to make contact. So they head up there and discover that there is indeed more than one would expect...

So no, no heady concepts, just kids fascinated with outer space making first contact in a way that is fun. This film doesn't pretend to be anything else and there are no antagonists to speak of. Sure, there's a school bully, but he doesn't take up a lot of time (fortunately). But for the most part, this is three kids going on an adventure and taking us along for the ride. 

What always got me, was the aliens. I mean sure: they are bulky rubber suits, but the amount of movement they have in their heads is quite astonishing; the eyes, antennas, ears and mouths are constantly moving and this makes them feel a lot more real than one would expect. It isn't scary by any sense of the word and there is in fact little mystery, but that is why this is indeed a perfect film to show small children in the hopes of converting them to a genre that will allow anyone to dream of wonders among the stars. 

'Explorers' is just a fun little film, nothing more, but certainly nothing less. It's tough to fault this one. 

So I won't.