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Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peņa, Michael Carmine ... see more see more... , Dennis Boutsikaris , Tom Aldredge , John De Santi , Macintyre Dixon , Michael Greene , Jane Hoffman , James LeGros , John Pankow

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are among the impoverished residents of a slum tenement threatened with demolition by evil land developers. Only a miracle can save Cronyn, Tandy, and their friends -- an... read more read more...d that miracle manifests itself in the form of a "family" of extraterrestrial flying saucers, who need the electricity provided by the tenement to survive. The grateful humanized spaceships repay their earthbound hosts by doing battle with the villains' henchmen. When the building is engulfed in flames, all seems lost, but the aliens have a few more tricks up their metallic sleeves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

61% liked it

69,576 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

14 critics

PG, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Matthew Robbins

Release Date: December 18, 1987

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DVD Release Date: March 16, 1999

Stats: 1,863 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,863)

  • theylovealexis
    April 12, 2011
    theylovealexis
    A heartwarming story of aliens saving a lost group of souls. I grew up watching this movie and it will always be one of my favorites.
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    A childhood favourite that had me screaming at my Mum, 'I want one'!
  • stormyweather980
    September 11, 2009
    stormyweather980
    For many years, I've been wanting to see "Batteries Not Included," but none of the local video stores carried it, so I had to wait until it came on television. I finally got my chance tonight to watch what my mom calls 'one of her favorites.'
    In "Batteries Not Included," a coup... read morele of miniature UFO's enter a housing complex that has troubled people living inside its quarters. These people are troubled because the building in which they are living, is on schedule to be torn down to shreds, and they don't want to move to a different place. As strange as it may sound, these two tiny UFO's just might be able to help these humans. That is, if they're friendly unidentified flying objects.

    I agree that "Batteries Not Included" is a good movie, but unlike my mom, I wouldn't call it one of my favorites. It has decent acting, it's entertaining, and the special effects are good enough. It's a mix between a drama and a family movie. One part even stood out as being hilarious, and you'll know it when you see it. If you like good movies, I recommend at least renting "Batteries Not Included." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
  • jabcdef
    January 4, 2008
    jabcdef
    Poor SFX. Passable family movie.
  • skactopus
    November 2, 2007
    skactopus
    A sci-fi film with such an original story for its time. Heck, it still is an original story.

    The movie takes a while to get going. You don't get to see the mechanical aliens for a good half hour or so, but before that time you get some good character development and a good un

    ... read morederstanding of the story. You actually start to feel for the characters as everything in their lives has hit rock bottom. Low and behold, their lives are enhanced by these little mechanical lifeforms. I know it sounds a little corny, but the story actually plays out pretty well.

    The lifeforms are adorable and many people will fall in love with them. What this film also does well is focus on the sounds. Not only do the robots look cute, with some good CG for its time, but the sound effects used for the robots are also done well, making for a great all around experience. The only real disappointment about them is that there is no real background as to what they are or where they came from.

    The acting is also pretty good. It is nice to see some earlier roles from the likes of Elizabeth Pena and Dennis Boutsikaris. Michael Carmine does a nice job as Carlos and Jessica Tandy does a good senile Faye.

    This film may be a little slow for some people, but those that are looking for a nice sci-fi drama, look no further. This is a great film for all ages, but be warned since there is a little bit of swearing. Nothing really to worry about though.
  • puffchunk
    October 23, 2007
    puffchunk
    Been a while.
  • Deano78
    July 16, 2007
    Deano78
    A great family film, with cool effects. Has some very funny moments.
  • RossCollinsUK
    March 11, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    Fun family sci-fi story about little UFOs who come to the aid of a New York family facing eviction.
  • purplemegan
    February 15, 2007
    purplemegan
    This was one of my most favorite movies when I was little!
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 18, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    when i was a kid this was a fun movie

View All *batteries not included Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The extraterrestrial elves, who thrive on electricity and replicate themselves out of scrap metal, are no less charming, and the special effects show them off gracefully. Full Review

Alex Orner
January 1, 2011
Alex Orner, Common Sense Media

A good film the whole family can enjoy. Full Review

Stefan Birgir Stefansson
May 8, 2008
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is

those pesky aliens

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 28, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

An entertaining and heartwarming drama. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Aliens help the poor!

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 3, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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*batteries not included Trivia

  • In which film did little robots rebuild a whole building?  Answer »
  • In what movie does one of the major supporting characters only quote lines from television commercials?  Answer »
  • In which movie did small mechanical alien life-forms save the residents of a tenement block from having it demolished?  Answer »
  • What 1987 Steven Speilburg presented film involved mechanicle aliens helping to save an apartment from demolition?  Answer »
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