| Enemy Mine | | Cast : | Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr. | | Director : | Wolfgang Petersen | | Studio : | Twentieth Century Fox | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 20, 1985 | | DVD Released Date : | October 12, 2004 | | Language : | French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 23, 2005 | | Summary | Space Is The New Battleground | Content
 | Enemy Mine is an underrated sci-fi film, that, thanks to home video and cable, has gained some noteriety as a cult classic. Its story may be a well worn premise, but it works, because of two great perfomances and seasoned director at the helm.
"By late in the 21st century, the nations of the Earth were finally at peace, working together to explore and colonize the distant reaches of space. Unfortunately, we weren't alone out there. A race of non-human aliens called the Dracs were claiming squatters' rights to some of the richest star systems in the galaxy"...During a harrowng space battle, two warring ships crash on a barren planet, with only one survivor from each ship. At first, the human pilot, Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) and the lizardlike Drac (Louis Gossett Jr.) continue to fight, but the planet's harsh climate and the need to survive force them to work together. Over time, they put their hostilities aside and form a friendship. When the parthenogenetic Drac's health becomes an issue the two draw even closer.
The film, based on author Barry Longyear's novella, is an aligory on race relations. Edward Khmara's script also allows for some great interplay between the two leads. Quaid and Gossett make quite a pair. Director Wolfgang Petersen
trades his epic style (Das Boot, Troy, In The Line Of Fire) for more "intimate" storytelling. Gosset gets special extra kudos for pulling off a role, where he spoke very little english, while wearing a full body costume in heavy prostetic make-up. The scene where both characters try to learn each other's language offers some of the film's best moments.
I wish the DVD had more extras on it. The theatrical trailer, a few production stills, and a few other release ads, are all you'll see. A Quaid Gossett Petersen reunion might be fun.
Bonus material issues aside, Enemy Mine is a must see sci-fi gem. A mid 80's classic |
| Rating | | | Date | April 17, 2005 | | Summary | Good old school sci-fi | Content
| You have to admire old 80's sci-fi and horror movies. Big hair, low budgets, cheesy FX and some really good movies (this one included). An interesting movie that manages to make us question our own beliefs about other races of people and manages to show us just how silly discrimination and racism can be |
| Rating | | | Date | November 20, 2004 | | Summary | there were no block buster sci-fi's in the mid-late eighties | Content
| But this is a great movie none-the-less. The key actors Denis Quaid and Louse Gosset Jr. made it believable and it is more about the human experience than a sci-fi. Some one said the sets looked like Lost in Space but I couldn't disagree more. The background is beautiful and not at all cheesy or cheap as in the very static 1960's Lost in Space. The backdrops of the sky and land are beleivable of being on a strange world or even of Earth if the sun were closer. This was, after all, 1985 and in 1985 thier were no CGI effects to speak of. This was the best their ever was. The story centers around two arch enemy starfighters who crashed on a desolate planet and hate each other(because of difference in species) until they get to know one another. Of course bigotism was the theme and it seems more prominent now than in the eighties oddly enough. After a time these two separate and Quaid's character returns to find that his Alien friend is pregnant(asexual reproduction as in most invertibrate animals). The second half of the story centers around Quaid and the Alien's child and is about the child accepting himself as he/she/it ??? has no point of referrence. This is a masterful story who could not like it.
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| Rating | | | Date | August 29, 2004 | | Summary | Great Low Budget Movie with a Deeper meaning | Content
| It's seems as if, everyone who reviewed this movie missed the whole point
of the movie and it's hidden agenda.though staged in the distant future.it represents the problems that plague us today and mostly what existed in the past. and that is racism!. But when both species from different sides of tracks are thrown into a survival situation where team work is required,Color, religious beliefs, and politics play no roll when trying to stay alive. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 31, 2004 | | Summary | Interesting but disjointed film. | Content
| Well into filming of "Enemy Mine",the director was sacked and replace by Wolfgang Peterson whom had the previous director's footage destroyed as to avoid comparisons. A pity as that footage would have made an interesting extra as that film was said to have some good footage.
This unwarranted sacking has resulted in a disjointed film which has had major parts ommitted. There is also an attempt at humour that doesn't work such as a creature burping and a Mickey Mouse joke. Such stuff does not work in a serious science fiction film which this attempts to be .When I saw this in the movie theatre,there was sniggers as Dennis Quaid's character goes from regarding his opponent as his mortal enemy to talking as if they were old friends.
Despite this,the production values and set design are outstanding and it ends up being a warm-hearted story reminiscent of "Robinson Crusoe On Mars". A disjointed and uneven story,but still entertaining.
The "extras" on this DVD consist of a paltry 3 photos and a scratchy 4X3 trailer. Not much there.
Fortunately,the film is in widescreen. |
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