A 30 year old science fiction film airing this evening on Film4 has been hailed as a ‘classic’ by audiences.

Helmed by Wolfgang Petersen, ‘Enemy Mine’ pairs Dennis Quaid’s impulsive human aviator Davidge with Louis Gossett Jr’s Jerry, a reptilian Drac combatant. Following a dogfight that sees both shot down, the duo find themselves marooned on a desolate, storm-battered world determined to kill them both.

The two soon discover that rescue isn’t coming, forcing the bitter adversaries to reluctantly join forces for survival. ‘Enemy Mine’ arrived in cinemas during the 1985 festive period and proved to be a commercial disaster.

With a production budget of approximately $40million, it managed to recover merely a quarter of that sum. The expensive venture was also deemed challenging for promotional purposes – characterised by 20th Century Fox’s publicity department at the time as an “extremely difficult movie to market”.

However, it performed considerably better in Russia and is believed to be the first Western science fiction picture exhibited in Soviet cinemas. Three decades have since helped it achieve cult favourite status amongst film enthusiasts, reports the Mirror.

‘Enemy Mine’ presently holds a 61% critical approval rating from 28 assessments and a 68% viewer score on Rotten Tomatoes. One five-star assessment said: “This is a classic sci-fi film that is absolutely worth watching and has shown its quality over time.

“The acting by both leads and the quality of the story carry the movie well beyond the limitations of the special effects of the time, which are good enough to lay out the bare bones needed for the story. Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr. are incredibly genuine and authentic in their roles here.”

Other fans described it as “underrated” and “memorable” with “great story telling”. Another wrote: “The relatively low percentage here, vs a cult following in the East is attributable, IMHO to the West/East values differently emphasised in 1985. I love it for the humanistic, and partly Christian, but mostly universalistic message and the energy with which young Dennis Quaid delivered it. It is yet another underappreciated Gem.”

One viewer even branded it amongst the finest in its genre: “One of the best sci-fi I have ever seen, well the FX are not to good from todays time the space scenes are hilariously bad… but the interaction between 2 enemies trying to survive on a harsh planet, forcing them to work together, is what makes this movie great.”

However, less enthusiastic reviews slammed it for being “predictable”, with one saying: “Well-intentioned but kind of sloppy. The premise is pretty nice – a human and an alien, at war with one another, find themselves stranded together on a hostile planet and must work together to survive. But it’s been done plenty of times before.”

The most damning review, awarding a mere one-and-a-half stars, said: “Half a star given for the imaginative and stellar set design, and a full star for the shockingly committed performance by Lou Gossett, Jr.-and absolutely nothing else worth mentioning.”

Another viewer dismissed it as “pretty boring” with “bad sets and effects”.