FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR. Science fiction Disney would never dare to touch again

Randal Kleiser’s Flight of the Navigator, known for producing Sunday afternoon classics like The Blue Lagoon, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, or Grease, wasn’t a box office hit and didn’t become as iconic as, say, The Goonies. For many kids of that time, the story of a boy who went into the woods, lost consciousness, woke up eight years later without visible signs of aging, and befriended an alien and a spaceship in one was just too convoluted. However, adults might appreciate it because its structure doesn’t rely on constant “and then.” The script is well-written, each element in it follows logically from the previous one, and there are occasional twists that make the plot more exciting.

Recently, Flight of the Navigator made headlines when its main character, now over forty, committed a bank robbery in Canada. Just another downfall of a child star. Why revive a not very popular story with not-so-great recent publicity? The answer is obvious – Stranger Things. Producers sensed a return to a specific family cinema from the late ’80s and early ’90s, combining adventure and fear. Little Monsters, Explorers, Monster Squad – just a few of many examples. Since sentiment is the foundation, why not reach for an already existing, even very weak brand that could attract sentimental thirty-year-olds? It might sound like a criticism, but it certainly isn’t. If the new version of Flight of the Navigator approaches the level of the Duffer Brothers‘ series or the new It, we might get another hit.

From the original, the narrative style, especially the sense of humor, should definitely be preserved. Kleiser was aware of what many directors forget – people read descriptions or at least watch trailers. Building mystery around an obvious plot element (such as the presence of aliens) doesn’t make much sense, but it turns out you can approach it in an original and humorous way. Flight of the Navigator opens with a scene of a flying frisbee that, until it lands in a dog’s mouth, looks like a spaceship. We are fooled a few more times, for example, when a huge shadow of a zeppelin falls on the characters or when a structure behind trees turns out to be a water tower. This clever trick makes us aware that an extraterrestrial is necessary, but the puzzle remains when it will happen.

The 1986 version also had a stroke of luck in casting. Joey Cramer, before he ended up behind bars, was a rare case of a child actor who didn’t annoy. Veronica Cartwright (a horror cinema veteran, starring in Hitchcock’s The Birds, the first Alien, and the excellent 2014 Town That Dreaded Sundown) perfectly fit into her unusual role as a loving mother. Sarah Jessica Parker, even as a twenty-year-old, charmed with charisma. The voice of the robot-alien Max was none other than Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-Wee Herman.

The Nerdist website expressed surprise at the interest in a project that supposedly didn’t even get a sequel during its prime. However, seven years after the premiere, the Italians took action, and they know well how to make unofficial sequels (the best example being Aliens 2). Their Navigatori dello spazio turned out to be a success almost nowhere but in their homeland and Polish video market, where it was released as Return of the Space Navigator.

Camillo Teti directed it, previously a producer of, among other things, Dario Argento’s feature debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. His inclination for scaring the audience is very apparent – this is decidedly a darker picture, and the robot shown in all its glory can become furious, providing many sleepless nights for young viewers. The self-proclaimed sequel is surprisingly well-made, has noticeably better special effects, and a simpler but darker script. The makers of the remake should consider looking into it – it’s as valuable a template as Disney’s production. The most significant change they need to make is the motivations of the cosmic robot. Abducting a child for several years just because he’ll be a useful navigator is roughly the same as locking him in a narrow tunnel filled with train machinery, and I feel like Max and J7 were supposed to garner more sympathy than Wilford in Snowpiercer.

The creators of the Ghostbusters remake made a cardinal mistake and believed that they had a cult and popularity behind them, which would drive ticket sales on its own. Twenty-seven years of neglect, essentially with no marketing efforts (except for computer games in 2009 and 2011 and a terrible cartoon in 1997), effectively diminished the awareness of the original Ghostbusters. For many young people, it’s a title not associated with anything (which is why the 2016 version wasn’t shown in China), so the only way should be to start from scratch, pay homage without capitalizing on forgotten fame. Flight of the Navigator is a significantly less known story, so referencing it should only be a curiosity and a nod to those raised on VHS tapes. To succeed, a fresh perspective and building an audience from scratch will be needed. I hope this will happen, and I’m convinced that Joe Henderson is capable of writing a good enough script.