IMDb user comments for
Enemy Mine (1985) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 10:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Index

96 comments in total

---

69 out of 78 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the Ten Best "Forgotten" Sci-Fi Classics, 4 June 1999
Author: Tony Rowland from Vancouver, Washington, USA

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.

---

49 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
A Longtime Favorite, 28 February 2003
Author: Skybright_Daye from The Constant State of Confusion

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

---

43 out of 53 people found the following comment useful :-
A sci-fi gem -- one of the Great Unknowns of the genre, 21 October 2001

Author: smokehill retrievers from Chancellorsville VA

Simply a masterpiece, and due primarily to the masterful FX on Lou Gossett and his inspired, magnificent performance. Most sci-fi fans have never heard of this one, but I've found very few who have seen it who weren't impressed.

This film is a perfect example of how totally bankrupt the film awards (every one of them) really are. Gossett should have walked away with Best Actor on this one, hands down, yet I doubt this film garnered even a single nomination.

---

29 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
I can't believe this isn't shown more often..., 15 July 2002

Author: lindacooper61 from Harlow, Essex, England

This is a sci-fi film with a heart as big as all outdoors. It also (refreshingly) sticks very closely to it's source material (a short novel with the same title by Barry Longyear.) The plot synopsis gives the broad outline of the film, but what I really love about this film is how it deals with the issues of the insanity of war, and prejudice. It is this that raises it above most other sci-fi films, good as they may be. If you like intelligent sci-fi, watch this (or try reading it!!)

---

22 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
A film that almost never was, 16 November 2007

Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse

I hate being nostalgic about movies, but I do remember a time when imagination was evident in every part of a production, when film posters were dynamic, visceral and iconic, when films looked like they were shot on film and not an HD camera with a sunset tint, when scores were done by orchestras instead of synthesizers and death metal guitars and, most important of all, when the lack of CGI technology forced the filmmakers into achieving visual effects through more practical means. The 1980s were filled with such movies and, looking back, I am glad that I grew up in that decade. Children now are exposed to altogether soulless movies.

Set in the late 21st Century, Enemy Mine has humans reaching out into the depths of space after achieving world peace. But a rival species, the alien race of the Drax, don't take to kindly to humans poking about the galaxy and an interstellar war kicks off. A human pilot (Dennis Quaid) and a lone Drac (Louis Gossett Jnr.) crash land on a remote desert planet and learn, the hard way, to stick together if they want to survive. Despite their ultimate conflict they discover that they are not all that different from each other and neither yet both are to blame for the war.

Enemy Mine suffered from severe problems during production. Apparently the original director, Richard Longcraine (Wimbledon, Richard III), shot the entire film on location in Iceland before being replaced by Wolfgang Petersen who re-shot the whole film all over again but changed the story somewhat in the process. So, in reality, there are two completely different versions of Enemy Mine. One which was released into cinemas that has become a classic in its own right and another that only exists in the vaults of Twentieth Century Fox. I would love to see this alternate cut.

The fantastic photography and production design look very, very good for a film from 1985. Some of the effect shots and matte paintings are simply gorgeous and the cutting between desert locations and desert sets is almost seamless. This isn't like an episode of the original Star Trek series in which the cast simply take a half hour drive to a bit of desert outside of LA, the desert locations with the matte painting backgrounds look utterly authentic.

If you like the look and feel of films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth then you'll appreciate the fantasy of Enemy Mine. I know I am going to sound like an old coot but they just don't make films like this anymore. Everything these days seems to be geared towards the average ASBO teenage boy. In ten years time I honestly think that films will be no more than a test card that offends and stimulates no one.

I will consider myself lucky that films like this were once made and that they were a part of my formative years.

---

24 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
Science Fiction With A Message, 26 October 1999

Author: unreel-3 (justxplrng@aol.com) from Naples, FL

I was fortunate to come across this wonderful movie in the late 1980s and have since viewed it a few times. It has always been on my list of favorites. Although I now feel it may have dragged a bit, the combination of special effects, fine performances and the poignant message it sends, makes this film worth seeing. For parents, this is a movie that instead of focusing on blood and guts and the misguided lesson that blowing up people is something to cheer about, teaches that learning to love your enemy is the finest reward.

---

27 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Teaching morals through Scifi and Mickey Mouse ..., 14 February 2004

Author: David Sundancer (davidsundancer) from Northern California, U.S.

Aaah, the power of ... no, not cheese ... science fiction and Mickey Mouse!

Science fiction has always been an excellent tool for social comment that has made it a lot easier for people to absorb a lesson about tolerance without being hampered by possible prejudice from a society / social network that we are actually embedded in.

In other words ... replace "alien creature perceived as being evil" with anybody different from you (creed, color, sexual orientation, you name it...), and you pretty much get the tale of tolerance this movie tells about life (on earth or other planets):

- Don't buy anything at face value that "your planet's" authorities tell you.

- Yeah ... that other person is different from you ... so what?

- Don't underestimate Mickey Mouse as a powerful spiritual teacher!

Dennis Quaid is one fine actor ... if you want to get an idea of his tremendous range, just watch "Innerspace", "Frequency" and "Far From Heaven", which are completely different movies.

Furthermore, Louis Gosset Jr. is just plain awesome in this one, possibly giving THE performance of his career.

BTW: this is one of the movie's director's (Wolfgang Petersen) first major hits in the U.S. He also did the very impressive (make that: frightening / claustrophobic) movie "Das Boot", the very successful Harrison Ford vehicle "Airforce One", and the somewhat "macho-heavy" flick "The Perfect Storm" (though I have to admit that the "high sea" visuals / special effects were pretty awesome).

The bottom line for me about THIS movie is: it doesn't matter whether your "holy book" is The Bible, The Koran, The Talmud, or some other sacred scripture from this planet or beyond - the underlying message from every truly "holy" book is essentially the same: it's a message of caring about and loving those you don't necessarily understand when you start out, but come to appreciate over time when you get to know them better.

---

24 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Sci-fi Film with a Good Message, 23 April 2001
Author: gsh999 from Subcrust Base 955 - Venus

Relatively recent sci-fi blockbusters like The Matrix and Independence Day can't compare to a quality film like Enemy Mine. The movie is an exciting story of two marooned enemy space soldiers. They are indoctrinated with hate for each other's species, yet forced to live together to survive. Sound familiar?

The two soldiers learn to overcome their brainwashing about each other and learn to respect and love each other like brothers. What can be wrong with that? True moral story-telling ala the tv series "Star Trek".

The story keeps your interest with good special effects and space adventure on another world. The acting is very, very good. As many others have already noted, an overlooked and underrated film. Only the most jaded or immature could not find this an enjoyable movie. Highly recommend seeing it!

---

19 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Not a Sci-Fi fan, but this one was awesome!, 4 May 2002

Author: Capucine from Connecticut, USA

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!

---

21 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my childhood favourites....., 24 November 2001
Author: (ridley_64) from Sherwood Park, Canada

I first saw this movie back around 1988 when I was very young and I still remember that. It was on television and I was amazed at the scenery, creatures, and story!!!! I loved this movie so much that I saw it again and again. I later forgot about it untill about 3 years ago when I saw it for sale and bought it. The movie still amazed me and was still awsome!!!! I figured and learned some more things out since I am older and that made the movie even better! I like how to survive they had to learn to be friends and get along with each other which I thought was very nice. It's honestly a very simple, direct message in the movie, for us to survive and do well in life we must try to get along with one another and help each other out. We are always fighting wars and hurting one another, we truly have to stop that. I also figured out what the "mine" was all about ha ha. The dracs were being used as slaves at the end you find out in a mine. When I was young I had absolute no idea what the title meant. But all in all it was an awsome movie and will still go on as being one of my favourite movies. Yes the 80's had some of the best movies this world has ever known!

---

---

Page 1 of 10:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
Awards	External reviews	Parents Guide
Plot keywords	Main details	Your user comments
Your vote history