Enemy Mine is possibly the most overlooked science fiction film ever

A few years back, I had a friend in my apartment complex who liked to borrow my DVDs. One day, she came in and borrowed my DVD of Enemy Mine. I thought this was great because I've loved the movie ever since I was a little kid. I'm not sure which I saw first, Enemy Mine or InnerSpace, but I credit those two movies for my absolute love of Dennis Quaid.

Less than an hour later, however, my friend came back and returned the DVD. Now, there's absolutely no way she'd watched it that fast, so I just stared at her blankly when she laughed and said "You didn't tell me the special effects were so ridiculous."

I honestly had nothing to say to that.

Seriously? You're returning the DVD because the special effects from a 1985 movie don't stand up to your rigorous standards? What did you expect? A telepathic connection to your brain that allows the movie to constantly update the look of its effects so it doesn't seem dated?

I hate to say it but George Lucas has ruined Sci-Fi. His original Star Wars trilogy is great, but he keeps going back in and adding more bells and whistles and refining the effects. What ever happened to letting a good story stand on its own?

Now, I'll admit that the effects of Enemy Mine don't quite compare to the CG gloss of today. But special effects account for less than 10% of the movie. The effects only serve to frame the story being told, which is essentially "Robinson Crusoe in Space". And that story never fails to get to me every time I watch it.

The story mainly follows a human space jockey named Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) who ends up getting stranded on a savage planet after a dogfight with a member of an enemy race, the Dracs. The two are stranded together and must learn to overcome their hatred and prejudices to work together just to survive.

The story is amazing and truly pulls at your heart, but you have to be willing to actually care about the story and characters. Maybe that's the problem. Today's audience wants a slick look. The effects are serviceable by today's standards, but apparently they weren't enough for this young lady.

Enemy Mine easily sits among the best films ever on my list. Maybe part of that comes from the fact that I loved it at such a young age. But even so, the story holds up and this one definitely deserves a better shot than my friend gave it.

I give this one a 10 / 10.

Enemy Mine is rated PG-13 for a bit of violence and some graphic content.