Enemy

I loved it! It came on AMC and there was nothing else I cared to watch, so I left it on, thinking to go to bed shortly. I ended up watching the whole thing. It kept me rivited from beginning to end. Dennis Quaid is one of my favorite actors and I didn't know Lou Gossett was the lizard, but I guessed it from his voice. When I checked the credits at the end, I was right! He was soooo good. I can't describe it, you have to watch it. I shed a few tears toward the end. Won't tell you if they were happy or sad tears tho! You'll have to see for yourself!

Maybe I'm dating myself here, but this movie is more than just a movie for me -- it's a childhood memory. My dad (Who raised me on a steady diet of scifi) and I probably watched this movie eight times together before I turned nine, and so part of my love for it stems from the memory of those times together.

But "Enemy Mine" has a lot more going for it than just fond memories. Sure, the effects are pretty bad by *today's* standards (it was the 80's, 95% of Americans didn't even *have* personal computers yet, and by the standards of the day those effects were pretty darn impressive!) But the story of two people who were trained to be enemies slowly becoming not just friends, but brothers, rings true despite the passage of time. (As Jerry [Lou Gossett, Jr.] says, "Truth is truth.") Lou Gossett, Jr. and Dennis Quaid are delightful, as always. And the scenes of Davidge (Quaid) interacting with Jerry's "son" are priceless.

People tend to knock 80's movies, especially 80's scifi movies, as being frivolous, self-centered and silly (like the decade they came from). But "Enemy Mine" definitely doesn't deserve this fate. It is a well-acted, well-meaning movie with a message we could all benefit from listening to.

Skybright's Score: 7.5 out of 10

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the video store...I ran across a sci-fi film that didn't rely on space battles, incredible special effects, or magnificent sets and costumes. Instead, it relies on a touching and compelling human story of survival, hate and conflict - and of bitter enemies becoming unlikely allies and, eventually, close friends.

"Enemy Mine" is one of the ten best "forgotten" sci-fi classics - those rare little gems that got overlooked on their initial release, but live on in video release.

Practically abandoned at the box office, "Enemy Mine" found new life on video among fans of the kind of science fiction we only read about as kids - stories that expanded our horizons and made use look at the world in a whole new way, not just wowing us with their dazzling effects.

It is the story of hotshot starfighter pilot Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) who, after a dogfight with the reptilian, alien Drac, is stranded on a hostile planet with one of the enemy. At first blinded by their hatred of each other, the pair soon learn that they can only survive by working together. By doing so, they develop a strange friendship that helps break the wall of distrust between enemies.

If you get the chance to check out "Enemy Mine", give it a chance. It's not likely to go down in history as the best sci-fi movie ever made, but it does have heart.

I saw this movie way, way back then - in the "before" time. Before there were computer generated special effects that took over everything and anything about a sci-fi movie. When I watched it then, I really enjoyed it. Having just watched it again, I still enjoy it. It's a well done piece of sci-fi. In fact, it certainly has to rank among the better sci- fi movies of the 80's if only because it's so different from most, and much more thoughtful. Outer space movies tend to be be heavy on inter- stellar battles between space ships, and futuristic weapons - and usually it's at the expense of story. "Enemy Mine" limits those and focuses much more heavily on story line and character development and becomes much more satisfying as a result.

The two leads are great. Dennis Quaid is the lead character, as Willis Davidge - he's a space fighter pilot who crash lands on a strange world after a battle and finds himself stranded with one of his opponents - a lizard-like Drac named Jeriba, played by Lou Gossett, Jr. Humans and Dracs have been at war with each other ever since humans started exploring the galaxy, and discovered the Dracs already there. Davidge and Jeriba are hostile to each other at first, seeking to capture and/or kill each other, but gradually they realize that to survive in this hostile environment, they're going to have to learn to co-operate, and eventually co-operation turns to friendship between them. You really couldn't ask for better performances than those given by Quaid and Gossett.

Set in the late 21st century, the movie nevertheless alludes to older problems. You think of racism as you see human "scavengers" enslaving captured Dracs, and there are clear shades of the Cold War (this was the 80's, after all) in the idea of two resolutely opposed individuals trying to learn to get along with each other. "Enemy Mine" is sometimes sad, but almost always hopeful, as it demonstrates that even between the fiercest and most seemingly dissimilar of foes, there's usually not that much difference. Truly a must-see from the 80's. (7/10)

I always forget that Dennis Quaid was in this. Possibly because he seems to have been born to play gruff, middle-aged characters and I sometimes forget he was ever young! Just like a lot of people seemed to have forgotten about 'Enemy Mine.' I know that a sci-fi film without wall-to-wall light-sabre action doesn't always appeal to the masses, but I'm hoping there are enough people out there who still appreciate this - quite uplifting - character-driven piece.

In the far future us humans are having one hell of a war with an alien species about who owns what in the cosmos. Casualties run deep on both sides and our plucky young space pilot, played by Quaid, ends up shooting down a rival alien on an uninhabited planet, only to find himself stranded there, too.

What follows is effectively a two-man show, Quaid portraying the 'good guy' and Louis Gossett Jr heavily made-up in full reptilian garb as the alien. However, seeing as there's no way off this rock, the two of them are going to have to do their best to work together in order to survive. Both actors play their part in elevating this film from just a run-of-the-mill sci-fi B-movie into something much deeper. You'll get to know the two people and learn that our enemies aren't always the bad guys.

Besides the delight in seeing great (alien) make-up and practical effects, there's a decent enough amount of humour which comes in the form of 'banter' between our two culturally-opposed leads. This humour never feels forced and comes from the natural misunderstandings that arise between them and lightens the tone enough for you to enjoy the film without feeling it's making light of their situation.

There are a few plot points I won't go into in case you haven't seen this, but if you don't mind a less action-packed film which relies on character over set-pieces, definitely don't let this one pass you by.