Enemy Mine (1985)

I first saw this as a teenager and it immeadiately struck an emotional chord with me. Watching it again as a cynical middle aged adult it still touches a sentimental nerve. However it suffers from some of the same problems that plagued many 80's films: cheesy sfx and script some hammy over acting and the awful messianic voiceover at the opening and the end. The stand out performance is louis Gossett jnr who delivers a sensitive poertrayl of the alien who is more humane than most of the human characters The moral message about discrimination and prejudice is belaboured at times, but is sadly still relevant a generation later. Im syurprised this movie isnt on TV more often. i hope it is spared the remake treatment because some of its charm and quirkiness will be lost if it is remade with modern CGI etc. A scfi move that focuses on friendship and honour rather than space battles and flshy sets, is a raerity, Enemy Mine is a gem of a movie for anyone with a heart.

Enemy Mine tells the story about a man ( Dennis Quaid) who gets stranded on a distant planet during a battle that cost the life of one of his men. He's not from the planet he is on, and he is in one mode, and one mode only: survival. On the planet with him, he discovers one of the enemies that he was fighting also stranded on the planet with him. The enemy also is not from this planet, and is also in survival mode. With this being the only thing in common, and so little that would ever separate the deep hatred they feel for one another, these two will have to learn to put their differences aside, and up caring for one another, for survival purposes, in ways they never would have imagined possible. Dennis looks like a man, however, the enemy is an alien, and lacks any human characteristics. So much so, that on the enemies planet, the male aliens can get pregnant. The story takes a drastic turn, when he ends up caring for a child after the alien passes away. Being very protective over the alien child, he finds that his means of survival on this planet has gone from being his top priority, to the least of his worries, as a chain of events trigger everything but good things from happening, as the child becomes a target for some uninvited guests. Enemy Mine has a fantastic, compelling, and emotionally moving story line, and the ending will leave you speechless for years to come.

I'm not a huge fan of this film, and I'll try and be as objective as possible here. I think it's an okay sort of run-in-the-mill movie that was striving for more, and probably hit a few chords with die-hard "watch anything" science fiction fanatics.It's reasonably shot, but has that 1980's Hollywood gloss to it that's somewhat reminiscent of the look for Spielberg's films; lots of light and colors. Which I think is okay, but for some reason the film doesn't hit me as being too interesting. It's interesting enough for what it is, but it's not a film I have in my collection.Quaid and Gosset make for an interesting duo, but Star Wars this movie isn't. The thing that strikes me about this movies is that Gosset isn't alien enough, and how the two characters develop strikes me as being Hollywood being Hollywood. Two different species probably wouldn't get along so well, much less be able to communicate so easily.The other thing is that the film has a very studio look to it. A few location shots out in the desert someplace would have helped this film a great deal, as well as perhaps tweaking the script some. That is to say the premise is interesting enough, but I don't think the film went far enough to make the social rift between two species alien to one another more apparent. I could geek out on it, but I'll refrain.All in all it's okay for what it is, but I think there's a better scifi film to be made.Take that for what it's worth.

Enemy Mine is an unforgettable tale about two enemies (Human and Drax) that are forced to get along with each other in order for both to survive the harsh environment of the planet Fyrine IV. As the film progresses, they find themselves becoming friends then (as the film poster reads) 'brothers' in the end. This movie really is a pure science fiction classic.If you like this movie you might like other classic sci-fi films such as: 'Dune', 'The Last Starfighter', 'Starman' or "Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.I have to say that Enemy Mine is a underrated film that is an enjoyable sci-fi drama.9/10