Explorers is a 1985 family-oriented science-fiction fantasy film written by Eric Luke and directed by Joe Dante. It was the first feature film for both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix.
The special effects in the movie were produced by Industrial Light & Magic, with makeup effects by Rob Bottin.
Three young friends are drawn into a space fantasy adventure. Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) is a young visionary who dreams of space travel while watching late-night monster movies, poring over comic books, and playing Galaga in the confines of his bedroom. One night he has a vivid dream of flying over a space-like circuit board and shares his visions with his best friend Wolfgang (River Phoenix), a young scientific genius who is able to translate his dreams into a complex circuit board that actually works.
With the help of their new friend Darren (Jason Presson), they create a homemade spacecraft and embark on a secret adventure to another galaxy where they find that things are not always as different as they seem.
The film did not do well at the box office, although it did better in video rentals and DVD sales. It has gained a cult following among fans of Dante's work, as well as science
(This is information generated from a Wikipedia article, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.)