Enemy Mine [1985] [DVD]

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.

The DVD is in pretty damn good 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 4.0 sound and some slight extras.

This is a quality Science fiction film, starring Dennis Quaid and a virtually unrecognisable Louis Gosset Jr. Set in the middle of a war between earth and a lizard like alien race. Quaid and Gosset Jr crash land on an uninhabited alien world, at first filled with hate for each other, slowley they realise that cooperation equals survival.

This is engrosing stuff with strong racial undertones. Well sripted the chemistry between Quaid and Gosset Jr makes the film work. The special effects are a mixed bag the space shots are very dated now, but the make up on Gosset Jr is outstanding.

Its not all action but its very entertaining and heart felt. The special features are a bit limited, theres a trailer and an extended scene, but the film is good enough to carry it and is well recommended.

It is always curious that science-fiction, a genre which demands the greatest special effects of any, often manages to be the most tactful and intimate. The visual bombast of future worlds and technology fails to swamp the tender statements about the human condition.

"Enemy Mine" meets both the criteria of superior science fiction: technological and spiritual potency. Yet it has failed to recieve the attention it deserves. Humanity is at war with an alien race and no one hates the reptilian rascals more than Dennis Quaid. That is until he finds himself stranded on a planet with his only company being, yes, you guessed it, a member of said alien species.

The inital fighting subsides as the two have to set aside their differences, survival on the inhospitable planet demanding teamwork. It is the burgeoning relationship between these two different characters that provides the emotional core of the film, both must overcome prejudice and learn to accept the other. They soon discover that their mutual hatred is based on misconceptions, their war, no longer justified.

Superb alien make-up and some nice planetary set-pieces assist in realising the future portrayed. The allegory of racial conflict and the need for tolerance lends the piece contemporary relevance.