Batteries Not Included (1987)
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Batteries Not Included Movie Review
Batteries Not Included is a 1987 family science fiction film directed by Matthew Robbins and starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. It’s a solid, sweet family flick.
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“The quickest way to end a miracle is
to ask it why it is… or what it wants“
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It’s about an old couple whose home is threatened to be destroyed by a property development. They get help from miniature aliens eventually. This is your standard children’s flick from the eighties, but admittedly one of the better and sweeter ones. It’s a movie about old people which I’ve seen before done similarly, but it still is emotionally effective, especially in that powerful story of Faye’s where she hasn’t still gotten to terms with her son’s death. That’s easily the most mature, most inspired part of the film.
Hume Cronyn is very good in the main role and the same goes for Jessica Tandy who is reliably excellent in a highly moving role. The two share a wonderful relationship and are just such sweet souls. The rest of them unfortunately are rather mediocre as characters. The film is pretty diverse for its time as it features a Latino man and a black man and although the latter is smart and good, the former is frustratingly annoying and ridiculous.
Let’s talk about the aliens as they are the most intriguing, but also unfortunately the most underutilized aspect of the film. Yes, their concept is phenomenal and highly authentic. They are robots who self-replicate. And the miniature size to them is quite original. I loved everything about their look, but unfortunately they were sidelined for the human characters too much and we never got to properly meet them.
Batteries Not Included is a phenomenal looking movie, especially for its time. The VFX on the aliens are fantastic as the spaceships move realistically and blend so well within the real live-action world. The same goes for their design.
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The score is also pretty good and I really liked the sets of the building they live in. The direction, however, is subpar and the same goes for the script which has its greater elements, but is mostly just standard. The humor is terrible, at least it was to me. The film was much better in its dramatic elements.
Batteries Not Included is weaker in its humor, the aliens are underutilized and the film is somewhat familiarly plotted, but the VFX on the aliens is amazing, the film is very charming and it’s also quite emotional in its tragic backstory while featuring two excellent turns from Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.
