Enemy Mine (1985)

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Starring Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., Bumper Robinson, Brion James. [PG-13]

Science fiction film crash lands two foes in an interstellar war onto an inhospitable planet, forcing them to put aside their differences and struggle together for survival. Futuristic spin on Robinson Crusoe has a clunky opening segment, but gets better once human Quaid (exhibiting the sort of cockiness he could play in his sleep) and reptilian alien Gossett Jr. meet, spar, bond, etc., even pausing for the occasional philosophical passage. After a major event shifts their lives dramatically, however, the film turns heavy-handed and cutesy and never recovers. Sound performances, pretty good makeup, uneven yet sometimes atmospheric production design, but keeps falling short of its potential both as genre-bound entertainment and as a tender, thoughtful social study; more ideas or sharper thrills would have helped.

49/100