Explorers
Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) keeps having a dream about traveling over a circuit board. He then draws it and shows it to his brainy friend Wolfgang, who builds the board which is able to create a force field bubble. The two boys, along with help from their new tough friend Darren, decide to build a spaceship out of old amusement park ride parts that when used with their new found technology gives them the ability to travel into space.
They create a spaceship and call it the "Thunderroad", and they fly into space. Not long afterwards, they explore an alien spacecraft that they get sucked into.
The movie contains examples of the following tropes:
- Acting for Two: Well, five. The film is basically one huge showcase for Robert Picardo's comedic talents.
- Ascended Fanboy: All three boys count.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: And how.
- Cool Spaceship: The Thunderroad, sorta.
- Crazy Cultural Comparison: The aliens can only talk human using televison quotes.
- The Eighties
- Jerkass: The father alien.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ben's reponse to The father alien's refusal to let the kids stay. And for being an all around jerk.
- The Mothership