Plot
In 1978, a boy is moved 8 years into the future and has an adventure with the alien ship that is responsible for that.
Release Year: 1986
Rating: 6.7/10 (15,014 voted)
Director:
Randal Kleiser
Stars: Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Veronica Cartwright
Storyline A 12 year old boy goes missing in 1978, only to reappear once more in 1986. In the eight years that have passed, David hasn't aged. It is no coincidence that at the time David 'comes back', a flying saucer is found, entangled in electricity cables.
Writers: Mark H. Baker, Michael Burton
Cast: Joey Cramer
-
David Freeman
Paul Reubens
-
Max
(voice)
(as Paul Mall)
Veronica Cartwright
-
Helen Freeman
Cliff De Young
-
Bill Freeman
Sarah Jessica Parker
-
Carolyn McAdams
Matt Adler
-
Jeff (16 years)
Howard Hesseman
-
Dr. Faraday
Robert Small
-
Troy
Albie Whitaker
-
Jeff (8 years)
Jonathan Sanger
-
Dr. Carr
Iris Acker
-
Mrs. Howard
Richard Liberty
-
Mr. Howard
Raymond Forchion
-
Detective Banks
Cynthia Caquelin
-
Woman Officer
Ted Bartsch
-
Night Guard Brayton
Taglines:
Take off on the ultimate fantasy adventure!
Release Date: 30 July 1986
Filming Locations: 615 Idlewyld Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Opening Weekend: $3,115,097
(USA)
(3 August 1986)
(952 Screens)
Gross: $18,564,613
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The music video playing in the scene where David meets Carolyn McAdams is Blancmange's "Lose Your Love."
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
When Max stops 20 miles from NASA and David leaves the ship to answer the call of nature, he goes behind an orange tree with ripe oranges growing on it. Oranges ripen during the winter months, but the movie is supposed to take place in July.
Quotes:
[after stopping at a pasture, David steps off the ship to urinate]
Max:
What are you doing? David:
Can't I have a little privacy? Max:
Do not know privacy.
User Review
Where did Disney come up with this?! It's (gasp) original!
Rating:
You know the drill: 12 year old David falls into a ravine in the woods and
discovers when he wakes up that he's been missing for eight years. He also
discovers that he's hearing voices that seem to come from a mysterious craft
housed in a NASA hangar.
My two cents worth: In a time when all the live action Disney movies seem to
be a variant on "I was normal but just discovered I am/have just been
mistaken for royalty/merperson/rock star/leprechaun/etc., this movie from
the 1980's is a real breath of fresh air.
The scenario, waking up and discovering that everything except you has
changed, and knowing you'll be somebody's idea of a guinea pig for the rest
of your life, is instantly relatable and creepy, whether you're a kid or an
adult. The kid fainting, the change in the two brother's relationship due
to the age flop, parents trying to protect their son, government trying to
exploit the kid's knowledge, everyone's reactions to the situation are all
logical and believable.
And who hasn't wanted a chance to fly a saucer? Having Max, the ship's
pilot, be a robot was another stroke of brilliance. So many movies have the
aliens flying all the way here to come visit us face to face. But if we
send machines to other planets because it's cheaper than going ourselves,
why wouldn't they? And having him learn about Earth courtesy of a
12-year-old's TV polluted brain was hysterical.
The movie seems a little dated today; but it's forgivable because, like Back
to the Future, it's set so specifically in a certain frame of time (you
expect it to look and sound like 1986 because, hey, they keep telling you
that's when it is.)
Recommendations: Back to the Future and Big are the two I can think of that
are most along these lines.
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