Plots(1)
All Gary wants is to make awesome home movies with his best buds. All his older sister Samantha wants is to hang with the cool kids. When their parents head out of town one Halloween weekend, an all-time rager of a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night. (RLJ Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (4)
Based on a short from the VHS2 short Slumber Party Abduction, the film is a likeable retro horror B-movie, with a lighter Stranger Things feel and references to older horror films. While the first half comes across as a teen genre flick, with a group of kids who like to play and one dude who bullies everyone and is a first class asshole. It all goes wrong at a house party where everyone is ambushed and kidnapped by aliens who need human skin as fuel for their ship. There are brilliant alien costumes, they look pretty creepy and the practical effects are a delight. The second half is quite suspenseful and there is a bit of gore (the best was the spilling of alien acid on a human), but I was expecting a bit more cutting and a wilder ride. The film looks slightly like it fell out of the 1980s, which will be a plus for fans of older films. The short running time of 85 minutes is an advantage, but I can't pull it off to better than average. 6/10.
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One hundred percent guilelessness deserves to be liked 100%. Jason Eisener proves that he is able to compensate for a very limited budget with wild visuals. But mainly, he manages to pour maximum energy into this movie, which then flows powerfully from the screen. Kids vs. Aliens easily draws comparisons to Stranger Things. But unlike that overly clever series phenomenon, which uses a broad spectrum of styles and emotions (at least in its top-notch first season), Eisener completely subordinates his work exclusively to children’s point of view. Instead of board-game nerds, his protagonists are bratty kids weaned on trash VHS gems, and not Spielberg flicks.
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The invasion of amphibious aliens spewing green jelly through the eyes of a director who loves wrestling, lowbrow genres, and who remains just as childish as his characters. The attempts at quipping are passable, and the action's energy often vainly tries to compensate for the limited budget. The final tragic moment feels as out of place as the overlapping music tracks given the overall tone. However, it easily surpasses the "Humanity vs. Dinosaur Sorcerer" milestone.
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Jason Eisener is back after years with a new hit, and I'm thrilled I got to catch it on the big screen. Unlike Hobo with a Shotgun, he dialed down the gore and cranked up the slime (yum!). The standout here is the fantastic cast of fresh-faced kids who actually talk and act their age, making their performances feel natural and dynamic. Kids vs. Aliens delivers exactly what its title promises in a neat 75-minute package, offering a straightforward antidote for anyone who found the fourth season of Stranger Things too convoluted and drawn out. By the way, the end credits scene might just be the best I've ever seen. I'd give it two thumbs up just for that nod to Shyamalan's Signs, but it goes further, brilliantly tying back to two side characters from the film’s first act.
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