Recensioni degli utenti

Watching Explorers as a kid, sparked all the things I loved about freedom, and adventure. I was always into space, sci-fi, computers, and aliens even at a young age, and this film does a great job geeking any kid out when it comes to science, space, and adventure. I love how one of the kids had a dream about designing a circuit board, and after creating it realizes it creates a spherical force field that has virtually no speed limit, and is impossible to slow down (blasting through an entire stack of books with ease, leaving a perfect hole).

Although, once the kids get through the testing phase of the force field, and build the ship from old carnival rides (tea-cup thingie)--the movie takes another turn. Although still fun, the writer and/or director seem to lose track of the original flare, and the movie begins to wander off into a more childish, meaningless Hollywood push-out.

Over all, the film is very entertaining. I just Netflixed it so that my girlfriend could see it, and I could reminisce. It is one of my favorite childhood movies (along side the original Neverending Story).

--MR

This film really has nothing to do with E.T...people seem to think it was a 'reaction' to it...I say that maybe it made a wonderful film gem like this, a sci-fi for and starring kids, possible.

Funny and inspiring. Probably the first film I ever saw with both of these qualities. I was 6 when it came out, and though it stars 3 boys, the tomboy in me came out...even as an adult (I watched it recently again) I become awed by the scenes of the boys constructing the 'scapeship'. The writer and Dante were good about packing in little extra details, like the "talking" mouse, Wolfgang's strange family, the kids using walkie-talkies, the dog who chews gum, the drive-in movie, Ben writing a will, one of the kids living in a trailer, etc. Without being hokey, these tidbits add more depth and charm to a story that could've been called a Mickey Mouse approach to E.T. These kids are older than Elliott and smarter and the film doesn't go for tearjerking scenes; EVER. Some of the direction reminds me of Spielberg, **however... instead of this film being a kid's approach to space-travel, it's a space-travel approach to a kid's film.

Then there are the aliens. Well, we feel the way the kids do about them; disappointed. But that is the point. What would you expect to see? It is kind of like the mataphorical satire of the grass being greener on the other side.

I tried not to get too emotional when reading the viewer comments on this film. I do not consider myself a Yank-I like to use the term American-but being 1st generation -born here, I still consider myself part-European, and the fact that the film did better in Europe than in the States, and from what I hear- Joe Dante's apology for the film- makes me sad. This film started my fascination toward the unknown and the general sciences. I happen to be one "Yank" who really enjoyed this movie!

The '80s yielded a number of movies about kids going on adventures, but "Explorers" was something else. On the surface, it seems like any other movie, but the aliens aren't what anyone is expecting. Mostly, the movie is about Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke), Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix) and Darren Woods (Jason Presson), and their fantasies.

And then there are director Joe Dante's touches. Dick Miller - whom Dante always casts - plays a cop who discovers the boys' spaceship. Robert Picardo (another frequent Dante player) voices one of the aliens. And of course Dante has many allusions to '50s B-movies. Maybe "Explorers" isn't anything special, but it's still pretty fascinating.

It just occurred to me, this would be a GREAT movie to do a fan edit on. Tone the goofy stuff way down, etc. I just might try it...

It's rather notorious for having one of the worst third acts because it started so wonderfully. Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix teamed together, the cop that wasn't a bad guy, etc etc.

Then-- they met the aliens. Terrible terrible.

Hawke's performance when they're on the alien ship is very authentically "this sucks." It's sad, but it's how we feel too. And his performance is so spot on, I'm skeptical studio interference impacted this movie as much as the director claims.

It's not just the alien sequence is so tonally inconsistent, the pop culture references the aliens use are 20 to 30 years to old for the target demographic. I was about the age of these kids when it came out, and even now am hopelessly bored during the sequence because though I generally recognize the pop references, it's only in a clinical way.

I will give it one prop though-- the alien ship act is so bizarre, when they come back to earth, it really feels like they've been somewhere, for a much longer time than they actually were.

The idea of watching this movie came after seeing "Stand By Me" and learning more about River Phoenix' accomplishments.

Being born in the 80's myself and interested in the teen/adventure movies like "Stand By Me" and "The Goonies", I learned about "Explorers" which also featured the late River Phoenix. So last night I eventually got to watch "Explorers".

The movies introduces the three main characters very well; each having their own background with their own unique capabilities. Wolfgang Müller (River Phoenix) is the intelligent creator of complex things, Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke) is the dreamer but his intelligence is not to be underestimated and Darren Woods (Jason Presson) is a normal, but a bit lonely, kid who happened to stumble into Ben's life and sees the opportunity to 'escape' from or rather to forget his problems at home for a while.

As the movie continues, the plot evolves very well. The switching between excitement and adventure leaves the watcher wanting for more. Up until 20 minutes or so before the end I thought the movie was 'perfect'.

The part following in which the aliens are introduced did not contribute much. I think this is mainly because the movie ended right after that part. If the writers had wrote a better ending, giving a meaning to the whole scene of meeting the aliens, then I think the movie would have lasted for about 10-15 more minutes.

But then again, the movie is about 3 teenagers having their dreams come true and not so much about meeting aliens.

For me it was the first time I saw Ethan Hawke play as young as that age (15). He was fairly easy to recognize and despite his age he did a very good performance. The same goes for Jason Presson and the late River Phoenix, who was barely recognizable. His character was something totally different than he would play in future films.

Also barely recognizable was Robert Picardo as Wak, Wak's Father and Starkiller. Knowing him mostly from his role in "Star Trek: Voyager" (bald) and (his voice) from "Totall Recall" I had difficulties actually recognizing him.

To conclude: "Explorers" is a delightful, heartwarming teen/adventure film about 3 teenagers having their dreams come true. All of the 3 main actors, and all supporting actors, did a superb job. I think this movie is highly underrated and that not many people know it exists.

I hope to see more films like this in the future. But nowadays, teen/adventure movies are either complete nonsense or Disney movies for children. Oh well, I think times just have changed... a lot.

My score is 7 out of 10 for great acting, a good story but a bit of a let down ending.

wow. i love this film. i saw it when i was pretty young and absolutely loved it, as i do much of Dante's flicks from this time - The Burbs, Gremlins, InnerSpace - and i still love it to this very day. in fact, i understand the ending a little better now. i remember the ending being quite disappointing in some senses - the aliens just dont live up to the majesty that proceeds them - but this is exactly how the main character played by Ethan Hawke feels. So in some senses this could be seen as truly amazing film-making. But maybe i am being a little silly through my love of the film, which also i must add, has one of the best themes. A theme which only arrives half way through the film, when their craft is almost finished in its building. I love this film, but i can understand that some people may not enjoy it or even find it to be that good a film. I of course dont agree with this in any way - and less than 6/10? Outrageous. it deserves at least 7 anyway. But nevertheless, people have their opinions, and in mine i shall give it 8.5/10.

This movie starts out SO great, really nailing the fun and excitement of being a kid and wanting to build and explore with your friends. The first half of this movie is fantastic, especially when they decide to build a ship to put into the force field they've managed to create. They get bits and pieces from a junk yard to create the ship and outfit it with gear and provisions. They then do test runs like any good scientists would before they decide it's ready for a much bigger journey. It's every kid's dream, a ship that can take them anywhere they want to go. It's such a great build-up to an exciting adventure...

but once they end up taking the ship into space you might at as well turn it off. A complete shift in tone and intelligence. The final act of this movie is an enormous let down. Still the first half is great fun. Watching it again on DVD reminded me of why I loved and hated it so much as a kid.

This Sci-fi adventure movie has a strikingly similar plot and theme to a movie which came out the same year, The Goonies. But Explorers lacks The Goonies popularity. Explorers is about a group of three misfit boys who build a homemade spaceship and travel into space. Although very far-fetched, the movie does bring out the sense of childhood adventure. This can best be seen when the main character (Played by Ethan Hawk) tries to persuade his two friends to explore the unknown. Sci-fi buffs should be sure to take note of the various scenes in which footage from the 1953 Science Fiction Classic, the War Of The Worlds, is shown. I think anyone who loves The Goonies will like this movie.

All kids should watch this - between the ages of 6 and 13. I saw this when it came out on video - I was 8 - don't know how I missed it at the cinema - it couldn't have had a big release in the UK. I loved the detail and imagination within this movie - like the one dream that the three boys all share, the sphere they create from their computer, the guard dog they give bubble gum to, the amusement ride seat they turn into their spaceship, with windows made from the fronts of washing-machines and TVs. And our three heroes make a great team. They are all very different in character, yet share that same dream of escape and adventure. Ethan Hawke is the main hero - the one that most viewers will relate to - the average 80's kid hooked on television, daydreaming during school lessons and a huge crush on the girl next door. River Phoenix is his nerdy computer-whiz friend with an Einstein-like crazy father (played by James Cromwell) and Jason Presson is the mature, yet weird kid with a troubled home-life. The magic of this movie is in its innocence and the dreams that the kids are able to turn into reality. The first half is pure 80's kids' adventure movie. The second half becomes pure "Dante", as it dives into 50's-style B-movie sci-fi - exactly what Dante is referencing and sending up, yet paying homage to at the same time. What our heroes find out in space is certainly not what they expect or what we expect. They feel let down by their discovery and in some way, we do too. But there are so many great scenes in this film - the chemistry between the 3 main actors is great - they really bond well together and we get drawn into the film because of Dante's attention to detail in these characters. It's a funny combination of child adventure and B-movie sci-fi but kids will love it, and as you grow up, you learn to see (like many great kids' films) many new details that pass you by as a kid but keep you entertained all over again from a different perspective. A highly overlooked 80's adventure movie, almost as good as The Goonies, but far less commercial, due to Dante's unique approach. Go and see it now, or see it again or watch it with your kids - you will all love it.

Explorers is directed by Joe Dante and written by Eric Luke. It stars Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson and Amanda Peterson. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by John Hora.

It's the family friendly sci-fi that Joe Dante did after he made Gremlins, and it's a film of much fun and childish splendour that is only done down by getting away from itself in the last quarter.

Plot basically sees three young lads (Hawke, Phoenix and Presson) with different talents and ideals who come together to fashion a spacecraft as they deal with the perils of school (bullies, puppy love, scholastic pressure). Taking off, the boys eventually go into space and encounter an alien race who have an interesting view on the human race...

Dante had studio interference to contend with and he eventually re-edited the film for home format release. The film does feel compromised and rushed towards the end, but the story holds up real well and the young actors (Dante's excellent direction of youngsters is often forgotten) engage and entertain for all the right reasons. It's a bit derivative and it does at times feel like Dante is just making a movie so he can bathe in homage nostalgia, but there is intelligence in the sci-fi factors before it gets confused as to its messages and the aliens we finally meet annoy and disappoint.

Weird and wondrous, fun and fragile, Explorers is a mixed bag for sure. 7/10

The first half of this movie was really, really good. A kid obsessed with all things alien starts receiving mysterious dreams - and then his friends start sharing his dream! Using the circuit design shown in the dream, they are lead to build a small spaceship - where they are pulled into space. Unfortunately, from here the movie fell apart. The "climax" is too long and rather uncomfortable (and hardly a climax). You come out of it feeling you could have found a better way to spend your time.

i watched this movie yesterday because i'm a good fan of Joe Dante and i had not seen this flick yet, and i loved it. it projects the same feelings that E.T. and The Goonies gave me, that's one thing i love about 80's movies they use to have new and exciting stories of materials used or nor used before with a unique style, the kids were wonderful in the movie and special effects very good for the time it was made, i love how River Phoenix refers to Poltergeist when he imitates the little girl by saying.."They're Here"...just rent it and you'll see for yourself what i mean when i say 80's hollywood fantasy at best!.

Kind of a ... simple movie in a lot of ways - a kid dreams (hallucinates?) a spaceship, he teams up with a kid who sort of saves him from bullies and his science whiz-kid friend (the Quintessential "Hey, why don't you sell one of your inventions you seemed to make offhandedly and make millions but you wont cause Movie" kid character) and they... Build it, and fly around, and then go off to another world.

This is a perk because it allows Dante's fun to come out (and that Jerry Goldsmith score, goodness gracious), but I also could have used more... Personality from these kids, past their single defining traits (which they play fine, but it's not anything past that). And while I don't see in the storytelling per-say, as far as story construction, that Dante didn't get to finish his cut (not that it was tampered with, it just got released before tweaks were done), there is a "and then..and then...and then" quality that makes it basic on the level of a children's book, and I do see it in some of the VFX in places.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this wasn't a movie I saw as a kid and kept inside of me all my life like the Gremlins movies, I'm seeing it now as a grown man so what interests me more is the largely background familial stuff, how the kids are from varying households, and the occasional satirical touch from Dante, so take that as a grain of salt - albeit I think this probably holds up better than The Goonies which is from the same year and the same ballpark of Kid Wonderment fantasy).

It certainly has its sweet charms, I think Ethan Hawke right away had an engaging screen presence (as far as untrained child actors go). and as I said Dick Miller is perfect in every second of his allotted screen time. And the more it sinks in, I enjoy the message more about why the aliens are how they are; come to think of it, it has more in common with The Twilight Zone than your typical 80s coming of age saga. So in other good news, it starts as a kids fantasy sci-fi, and in the last third becomes a weird subversion of alien encounter stories.

Speaking of which, this is also one of those times I wish the credits had been at the end and not the beginning as I had no idea Rob Bottin was the effects artist until the opening credits... And made me just itching in anticipation for when they'd show up. Luckily, they didn't disappoint.

Explorers is a loose end from the sweet spot of 80's kid fantasy-adventure flicks that I somehow managed to evade seeing until my thirties.

This was such a fun ride! Directed by Joe Dante, a year after he made Gremlins, Explorers, really does play like Goonies in space, with an intriguing plot uncannily similar to Carl Sagan's Contact, also published in 1985. Though obviously less realistic with its emphasis less on realistic astrophysics in favor of childlike adventure, magic and wonder. No complaints there!

Watching this, I couldn't help but think how many times I would have watched this on VHS growing up if I had only seen it.

The fact that I saw Troll II fifteen times before I turned six years old and never once came across Explorers... well, it disturbs me greatly.

As for the bizarre third act... it didn't completely derail the experience for me, like so many others, but it is a jarring shift in tone that feels like something leftover from a first draft, that should have been focus grouped out. Still, I didn't mind it, as visually, everything was so beautifully realized, even in all its ridiculousness (IYKYK.)

Admittedly, seeing Explorers for the first time in my thirties circa 2023, all I could think about during the last 20 minutes was the classic South Park episode "Cancelled" -- of which I am about 99.8% sure Trey Parker and Matt Stone used Explorers as the model for. There's just no other explanation for all the similarities. Anyways, that just made me love it more. And at least no jargons were sucked in the making of Explorers.

Explorers is a fun and inventive science fiction comedy that just happens to lend good time to being a cool, coming of age tale covering a number of adolescents hobbling along in lives chock-full of social awkwardness; high-school strife and imperfect relationships with parents. We enjoy the places director Joe Dante comes to take us; that pleasing sensation one often gets when a rather ambitious, but really satisfying, science fiction enters its final act and we are allowed to anticipate the heading into a proverbial 'unknown' promising a forecast of creativity and wild ideas. Such a sensation is prominent here just as it might have been in, albeit to a greater extent, something such as Kubrick's masterful 2001: A Space Odyssey or a well made Star Trek sequel feeding off creativity and imagination, but with the key ingredients of adventure and threat bubbling away somewhere in the background.

The film follows three boys and their eventual venturing into the skies, which furthermore creeps off into the exploring of what's beyond that. The kids are all of around the same age; their teenage years still ahead of them and each are of a distinct sort: one of them is a little bit nerdy, what with his expertise in science and necessity to wear glasses; one of them is a leaner, harder boy seemingly with a pathway to being a bit of a 'jock', whereas the other appears to borrow a little bit from the pair of them and fall somewhere in-between. Ben (Hawke) is the latter of those three, a kid with a wild imagination and a quirky tendency to fall asleep during these warm summer nights with the windows wide open and the television still blasting out old sci-fi movies such is his nature to read; live and breathe both science fiction and extra terrestrials to the point of exhaustion. During these opening scenes, Dante's focusing on Byron Haskin's original War of the Worlds adaptation playing out on the TV alerts us to one of two routes accessible to filmmakers creating movies about integration with intergalatic species; the Earth-levelling option rife in this self-aware instance, but Dante's film pleasingly coming to formulate into the second choice of the strains of attempted communication or integration with such species.

We sense young Ben's rapport with local, and fellow high-schooler, Wolfgang (Phoenix) is close; both of them with the capability to two-way-radio to the other, in the middle of the night if needs be, for whatever the reason if there is a necessity to talk. Wolfgang lives with a dysfunctional family of German origin; his home's basement a convert of sorts into a laboratory allowing him to experiment and explore within certain scientific realms. His life away from his home is rife with problems of bullying and clumsiness around others, with a real sense imbued within proceedings of Wolfgang not being particularly attuned to this world or life or existence, in spite of the fact we sense his intelligence and drive to succeed – characteristics that just do not appear to be embraced where he presently is. The third boy, a certain Darren (Presson), is nonplussed; a boy not sharing the interest in outer space and such things as the other two. He uses Darren and Wolfgang's presence as a means to hang with people if it means getting away from his equally dysfunctional, but more aggressive, home-life – the sort of home-life that unfolds within an abode which backs onto a train-line seemingly always playing host to one of those freight trains whose horns we always hear whenever the film is unfolding near it.

After a flurry of strange dreams and whizz-bang breakthroughs in Wolfgang's lab, the kids uncover a functioning orb-like spacecraft capable of taking off and gliding through the skies: something which agitates the local air traffic; causes chaos at drive-in cinemas, in what is a fun nod to 50's B-movies of old and, in spite of hitting upon the technological breakthrough of the decade, causes Darren to react with glee that they may now be able to spy on girls of their age. We find wonderful the manner in which Dante takes what appears to be the beginnings of a high-school comedy about kids ambling through their existences, striving to get past with school work and such, and drops the heady item of what is essentially a space ship flush into their hands to veer the film off down another route entirely.

The film is about the responsibility that these three must take on upon discovering such an item; an identifying of the dangers inherent therein, and how it affects what constituted as their previous lives in the form of performing in school and doing their utmost to put time into the project over everything else. We enjoy the fun and games of the opening acts, the humour and the wondrous manner the three child actors bounce off one another in dealing with this quite remarkable discovery; there is heart and a sense of danger to the film's proceedings, a moment catching us off guard arriving in the form of a scene featuring Ben drawing up his will in case anything should happen to him on the eve the kids decide to take their pod-space ship on a proper journey. Danger lurks in the fact we realise Ben is unaware of what Carbon Dioxide is; not good, if you're on the cusp of going where few have ever gone before. The film is fun; well made; neatly unfolded and spins through this charming tale of youngsters pooling together to occupy their time, that just happens to go places we sit there in awe at whilst waiting for what might unravel next. It is a film tough to truly dislike; no doubt pleasurable for those of the ages of the characters therein, but with enough of a grown-up sensibility about it to keep it away from being the unappealing slog to adults.

Three kids (River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke, Jason Presson) build a spaceship from designs they get in their dreams. Then they launch it into space and meet some bizarre aliens. Like many other reviewers, I have mixed feelings about Explorers. Everything up to when the kids meet the aliens is excellent. Well-written, imaginative, exciting, beautiful film that could stand on par with anything Spielberg has done. Then the aliens. What's there to say? I've read a lot of breakdowns of it where people try to explain what Dante was "trying to say" and such. But, at the end of the day, these feel like excuses for why a great movie turns into a big joke. Still, the ending is nice and ultimately it's an uplifting, fun movie. Even the alien parts are watchable. Though admittedly more watchable for me after repeated viewings than the first. Give it a shot and judge for yourself.

This is a fun little story about a group of kids who are inspired by alien transmissions to build a spaceship from old junk parts. It features some of the early performances by Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, back when they were young and enthusiastic performers. I'm actually totally green with envy at River Phoenix's role; it's the sort I always imagined playing as a kid.

The climax is very similar to a classic Star Trek episode called 'The Squire of Gothos', and the effects and showmanship of this story is very cool. A great piece of entertainment.

I'm a big fan of Joe Dante's oeuvre, although I'm more disposed towards his adult audience films (like PIRANHA and THE HOWLING) over his out-and-out kid's flicks. Saying that, EXPLORERS is still a decent kid's movie that manages to successfully capture that magical feel of danger and exploration of the best genre films. In many ways it's similar in feel to THE GOONIES, made on a lower budget perhaps but without the cloying sentimentality that Spielberg brought to GOONIES.

There's plenty to like in EXPLORERS, not least the spirit of inventiveness and invention that allows the kids to build their own spaceship using trash and one of the most dated computers you'll see on screen (128k of memory? Wow!). Dante did well to cast Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in the main roles, as both show off the talent that would make them successful later on in their careers. Plus there's a decent-sized cameo from Dick Miller and James Cromwell cast against type as a mad inventor.

Although I never watched this film all the way through as a kid, I remember being put off by what I saw of the rubbery aliens. Even now they disappoint, although I understand that they're included as a sort of satire of American TV and culture, but they take the film towards GREMLINS territory rather than a kid's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Sadly, it's the budget deficit that prevents EXPLORERS from being a true genre classic, but you can still rely on Dante to deliver an entertaining movie for the most part.

Horrible. Just terrible. Nothing in the first two acts justifies the third act of this train wreck.

A great movie, the sci-fi Goonies, if you will. Maybe it's because "Explorers" only sports three main characters, and "The Goonies" has seven (plus Sloth) ... but I'd hold this movie up with that one any day.

The humor comes from strange places, and truly lands in bizarro world during the last act, but it captured my imagination seamlessly when I first saw it at the age of eleven. I'm older now, so maybe it's just nostalgia, but if you're into the whole 1980's retro thing, this belongs in your collection with the rest of the Disney-ish buddy movies. Clever idea, and one of the last good movies Joe Dante made. Having a cast like that, though, sure doesn't hurt.

This adventurous space tale stars River Phoenix as Ben whose dreams become a reality when along with two friends , River Phoenix , Jason Presson , create an interplanetary spacecraft in their makeshift laboratory to travel for other worlds . Ben Crandall is a young visionary who dreams of space travel while watching late-night B Sci-Fi movies , pouring over comic books, and playing computers games in the confines of his bedroom . Meantime, at college takes place the usual student problems , Bulies versus Neds and antics for the eggheads . The big time comes when they actually succeed in making a working spacecraft and set off for other planets .

Amusing family fare about three young boys who use a contraption from their homemade laboratory undergoing several adventures and it turns out to be a crossover between Sci-Fi adventure and a teenager angst movie . This entertaining film displays emotion , sense of irony , ordinary schoolroom antics , parental troubles , puppy love , rip-roaring adventure and results to be pretty funny . Good trio formed by young stars as Ethan Hawke , River Phoenix and Presson as misfit best friends . The likable trio of suburban kids seeking alien life , they have fun as the teenage astronauts . Nicely main cast and agreeable supporting cast with Dana Ivey , James Cromwell , Mary Kay Place , Danny Nucci , Robert Picardo and Dick Miller, a secondary actor usual of Roger Corman and Joe Dante, among others. Effects are top-notch, the puppets Aliens are well brought to life, they're made by I.L. M. , George Lucas' Industrial Light Magic and magnificent make-up by expert Rob Bottin . Primitive visual effects by means of ancient computer generators .Colorful and brilliant cinematography by John Hora . Special mention to musical score by great Jerry Goldsmith .

The motion picture was well told and imaginatively realized by director Joe Dante ; displaying his characteristic surreal wit and sense of amusement . Dante's most hits took place when found himself working alongside Steven Spielberg, John Landis and Australian director George Miller for the anthology movie ¨The Twilight Zone, The Movie¨ (1983) in which Dante directed the third segment .Steven Spielberg then hired him to work as director for ¨Gremlins¨ (1984) which was another box-office success. He directed some episodes for the Sci-Fi series "Amazing Stories" before directing his next Science Fiction feature which was ¨Innerspace¨ (1987) which, whilst critically well reviewed, was another box office failure. After directing five episodes of "Eerie, Indiana", Dante returned to the big-screen with the well-received ¨Matinee¨ (1993), an affectionate period satire set in 1962 against the background of the Cold War. Dante spent the next several years working for television and directed a satire on politics with ¨The Second Civil War¨ (1997). Dante's next two films, ¨Small Soldiers¨ (1998), and ¨Looney Toons: Back in Action¨ (2004) garnered good reviews but were not commercial hits. He was recruited by Mick Garris to direct two episodes of the anthology series "Masters of Horror" (2005 and 2006): "Homecoming" a biting political satire and the first American film to deal with the Iraq War.