Back to trending
*batteries not included

*batteries not included

Family · Comedy · Science Fiction · 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 · Science Fiction 1h 47m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.6 / 10

39.6K 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?

The 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.

Leroy & Stitch

Leroy & Stitch

TV Movie · 2006

Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley have finally caught all of Jumba's genetic experiments and found the one true place where each of them belongs. Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley are offered positions in the Galactic Alliance, turning them down so they can stay on Earth with Lilo, but Lilo realizes her alien friends have places where they belong – and it's finally time to say "aloha".

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

Animation · 2022

Looking for a much-needed break, Finn arranges a surprise vacation for his friends Rey, Poe, Rose, Chewie, BB-8, R2-D2, and C-3PO, aboard the luxurious Halcyon. However, Finn's plan to have one last hurrah together quickly goes awry.

Jetsons: The Movie

Jetsons: The Movie

Animation · 1990

George Jetson is forced to uproot his family when Mr. Spacely promotes him to take charge of a new factory on a distant planet.

Home

Home

Fantasy · 2015

When Earth is taken over by the overly-confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated, while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh. The two fugitives realize there’s a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

Animation · 1993

Captain New Eyes travels back in time and feeds dinosaurs his Brain Grain cereal, which makes them intelligent and non-violent. They agree to go to the "Middle Future" in order to grant the wishes of children in New York City. They are to meet Dr. Bleeb of the Museum of Natural History, but get sidetracked with their new children friends and run into the Captain's evil brother, Professor Screweyes.

A.R.C.H.I.E.

A.R.C.H.I.E.

Family · 2016

A recently orphaned 15-year-old who has moved to a small town to live with her uncle befriends a robotic canine with super strength, x-ray vision and the ability to talk and the pair take on a military complex, bullies, kidnappers, romance and the world.

Project: ALF

Project: ALF

Comedy · 1996

Six years ago, the lovable intergalactic fugitive Gordon Shumway, best known as ALF, was on his way back to his new home when the Alien Task Force finally caught up with him. Now, he is being studied at a top-secret military base where he finds allies who feel that ALF's existence should be announced to the world to ensure his safety... especially when they learn that the abrasive Colonel Milfoil wants ALF, and all Alien Life-Forms, destroyed.

Explorers

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.

Flight of the Navigator

Flight of the Navigator

Family · 1986

12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.

Planet 51

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.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Matthew Robbins

Written by

Brad Bird · Brent Maddock · Mick Garris · S.S. Wilson

Hume Cronyn

Hume Cronyn

Frank Riley

Jessica Tandy

Jessica Tandy

Faye Riley

Frank McRae

Frank McRae

Harry Noble

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña

Marisa Esteval

Michael Carmine

Michael Carmine

Carlos

Dennis Boutsikaris

Dennis Boutsikaris

Mason Baylor

Tom Aldredge

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 defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

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.