Explorers (1985)

Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure, Family

What to watch after Explorers

• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) — Same feel: whimsical, fun
• Innerspace (1987) — Joe Dante directed both
• Space Cowboys (2000) — James Cromwell appears in both
• Cowboys & Aliens (2011) — Same subject: spacecraft, alien
• White Fang (1991)
• The Space Between Us (2017)