ENEMY MINE. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen; written by Edward Khmara; produced by Stephen Friedman for Twentieth Century Fox. Starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. Rated PG-13 (violence, language).
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Does the thought of intelligent, androgynous lizards or planets with multiple suns and moons interest you, rather than frighten or repel? If so, then you'll have no trouble enjoying Enemy Mine, a better-than-average science fiction movie adapted from a better-than-average science fiction story, by Barry B. Longyear. But the plot and some characters are a bit bizarre, so take the questions above seriously before you decide to see it.
In a late 21st century war, the Earthlings (united among themselves at last) are fighting the reptilian Dracs. Though most humans have never seen any of these creatures, (space battles being short on hand-to-hand combat) inter-species hatred runs high.
In the course of a dogfight, two ships are forced to crash-land on an inhospitable planet. One is piloted by a Drac (Gossett) and the other by a human (Quaid).
The survivors meet and make hostile and threatening noises and gestures. But to ward off loneliness, as well as to help each other survive the planet's hazards, they begin to cooperate, and even to become friends.
My only complaints about Enemy Mine are its jerky pace, mostly in the first half, and some unnecesaary gore. (There is also the sudden appearance of an anonymous narrator at the end, which is irritating, but perhaps was felt to be necessary for explanatory purposes.) But the performances are good—spectacular in the case of Gossett. And the effects are very well done.
The most outstanding "effect" is actually Gossett'a alien persona. It'a more like a new species of intelligent life has been discovered, rather than just imagined. The Drac's "costume" is superbly designed. But Gossett'a voice and movements (as well as the Drac language, which Quaid eventually learns, too) also help to create a believable, but completely alien character.
The planet which is the major setting is also outstanding. (In reality it's a combination of Lazarote, in the Canary Islands, and a studio replica.) It has such an alien feel that by comparison, the Tatooine desert of the Star Wars movies seems positively down home.
Most important, though, Enemy Mine puts these state-of-the-art effects to work for a really first-class story. It's got excitement, intimacy, drama, pathos and humor all contained in a thoughtful and narratively consistent storyline—something of a rarity in science fiction movies, if not literature.
To be sure, the movie as a whole doesn't always measure up to the quality of the story. The scenes in the space station near the end aren't convincing or even interesting compared to those on the planet. And the portion of the movie that sets up the inter-species friendship moves in fits and starts. Not enough time is given to the crucial building-up of mutual respect and understanding. The outcome is still effective, but another 10 or 15 minutes devoted to the process would have been welcome.
But if only for Goseett's Drac, or for the good story, Enemy Mine is worth seeing—if your tastes incline to science fiction at all.
January 22, 1986