The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
*batteries not included
Family · Comedy · Fantasy · 1987
In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.
Movie details
*batteries not included
“Five ordinary people needed a miracle. Then one night, Faye Riley left the window open.”
1987 Family · Comedy · Fantasy 1h 47m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
6.6 / 10
39.8K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
57 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
54 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
6.7 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
In a soon to be demolished block of apartments, the residents resist the criminal methods used to force them to leave so a greedy tycoon can build his new skyscraper. When tiny mechanical aliens land for a recharge, they decide to stay and help out.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over *batteries not included?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Home
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Leroy & Stitch
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We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
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LEGO Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition
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Jetsons: The Movie
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George Jetson is forced to uproot his family when Mr. Spacely promotes him to take charge of a new factory on a distant planet.
Explorers
Sci-fi · 1985
Middle schooler Ben spends his free time watching sci-fi films, playing video games and reading comic books. Surprisingly, his affinity for all things fantastical yields a real result – when he has a vivid dream about technology, his prodigy best friend Wolfgang manages to create a working spacecraft. Joined by their buddy Darren, the boys take off into outer space and encounter some very odd extraterrestrial life.
Planet 51
Animation · 2009
When Earth astronaut Capt. Chuck Baker arrives on Planet 51 -- a world reminiscent of American suburbia circa 1950 -- he tries to avoid capture, recover his spaceship and make it home safely, all with the help of an empathetic little green being.
Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens
Animation · 2012
Based on the original animated series Ben 10. Ben becomes targeted by an evil Mechamorph Warrior, named "Retaliator," who mistakenly blames Ben for something he did not do and attempts to destroy all aliens.
Muppets from Space
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When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet, his attempts at extraterrestrial communication get him kidnapped by a secret government agency, prompting the Muppets to spring into action to rescue their friend.
Real Men
Comedy · 1987
A womanizing CIA agent and an insecure insurance agent are paired together to make sure a deal goes through with aliens for the future of mankind.
Where it lives
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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Matthew Robbins
Written by
Matthew Robbins · Brad Bird · Brent Maddock · S.S. Wilson
Hume Cronyn
Frank Riley
Jessica Tandy
Faye Riley
Frank McRae
Harry Noble
Elizabeth Peña
Marisa Esteval
Michael Carmine
Carlos
Dennis Boutsikaris
Mason Baylor
Tom Aldredge
Sid Hogenson
Court is in session
Put *batteries not included on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.