*batteries not included (1987) Online

*batteries not included is a very underrated movie, especially among reviewers on the IMDb. The pros, such as Roger Ebert seem to give it some respect (along with 3 thumbs up). There was nothing sugar coated about the performances of the 5 main characters in *batteries not included. Jessica Tandy gives one of the best performances of her career as Faye Riley who appears to be in the early-to-mid stages of Alzheimer's disease. Hume Cronyn is Faye's husband Frank, owner of a small diner with no customers. Elizabeth Peña is Marisa Esteval, a single soon-to-be mother who clings to her statue of the Virgin Mary for what little hope she has. Dennis Boutsikaris is the cynical artist/painter Mason Baylor, who has a heart as big as his artistic talent, yet no one other than Marisa seems to acknowledge his talent. Finally there's Frank McRae as the former boxer extraordinaire Harry Noble, now living in the basement of the building that houses each character and the Riley's diner. Oh... Harry watches way too much TV... especially the commercials. His only lines (which were few) in this movie were lines from commercials. This movie represents a cross section of people who are on the verge of losing their homes to a real estate developer, who will stop at nothing to get them out of their building. After throwing large sums of money at them (to no avail), the developer hires Carlos (Michael Carmine) to run them out using whatever means are necessary, including force. The characters are developed to the point that you actually care for all 5 of them. Just when it looks hopeless for our friends, small spaceships, compliments of Industrial Light and Magic show up and start fixing everything. And flipping burgers in Riley's Dinner. They also wash dishes, repair broken Virgin Mary statues and stopwatches and they replicate using spare pots and pans and electrical appliances, fused together by at least 1.21 gigawatt's of electricity. Although the aliens are portrayed as mechanical beings with heart, they certainly give hope to the residents, and help bind them together. The visual effects are a treat... especially for those of us who have tired of CGI effects that look more like a cartoon than reality. There's something about filming a real model, built by human hands against a blue screen, then matting it into the film that makes it look more realistic than computer animated visuals. Many have written that this movie tries to suck the viewer in, using emotional techniques, as opposed to making it an intellectual masterpiece. I believe it takes more talent to get the audience to emotionally invest themselves in a movie than to create eye candy. Thanks to great acting, a decent-enough script, good cinematography and an equally emotional score from James Horner, this picture works in every way... even 20 years later. If you haven't seen this movie in 20 years, go ahead and give it a spin. It's as good today as it was in 1987! Prices may vary in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico...

This movie sticks out of my memory from my childhood, because I remember it as a heart-warming tale, touching and tender. Today, I still like it, it continues to be a sweet story about ordinary people who find the extraordinary. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn are very good, and make the acting juice of this movie. Liked it, and am still able to see it anytime!

This film does, as suggested, bear semlence to Cocoon, however it contains a far richer storyline and a generally superior level of acting. This film while not specifically being a comedy tells a relativly amusing story of a group of residents of an old building, targeted for demolition, visited by alien 'devices' (the nature of which remain undisclosed throughout), who help them by fixing everything in their path in exchange for some power and spare parts. As for the level of comedy, well it depends on your sense of humour, I certainly found the funny bits, well, funny, and not in the usual 'in your face' american comedy style.

A true classic. This was the first film I ever saw, and it has stayed my favorite for almost 17 years! Obviously, some may hate it, and some may love it, but its one of those films you have to judge for yourself. OK, so, perhaps the storyline is a bit thin, predictable and slightly unbelievable, but, what film isn't? There are more good points than bad (I'm not giving the good ones away, you'll have to see them for yourselves!) It could do with a bit of updating, maybe a newer version could cover up plot holes and dodgy script, but then it would lose all its charm. And Batteries Not Included definitely has charm, bucket-loads!

In my opinion it should be up there with Star Wars and E.T as a cult classic. It'll make you laugh, cry and hate the bad guy.

I definitely recommend it! Go watch it!

I like this movie a lot. Without getting too corny, I would even go out on a limb and say that it's a bit magical. It's a feel good movie that doesn't get too sentimental or campy. The cast does a average job with their average roles. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn do a good job as the feisty tenants that wouldn't move out. The DVD release of this movie really doesn't have any extras so if you can score it cheap on video then I suggest you do so. That's what I did anyway. Spielberg proves once again that he is the master of the family movie. Interesting and heartwarming for the adults, special effects and fun for the kids. Bottom Line: This movie isn't really looked upon as a classic or anything but it's good to have on the shelf to watch every once and awhile.

While I realize that this movie has been blasted as being one of Spielberg's low points, it does have it's strongpoints.

First and foremost, this movie contains stronger characters (and places more emphasis on them) than most popcorn movies of today. If only a movie like TOMB RAIDER or MUMMY RETURNS (or even CATS & DOGS) were to pay as much attention to characterization!

The sci-fi elements, while cheesy, actually serve a purpose, and work quite well within the framework of the story. It's essentially a feature-length episode of "AMAZING STORIES."

Ultimately, this is a small movie with a small scope and intimate feel. Is it dated? Yes. Is it perfect? No. But it is a charming little movie that might be worth a second look.

This is a fun movie if you're not looking for heavy philosophy and just want some bubblegum for the eyes. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are brilliant - he as the husband who's watching his wife's mind deteriorate, she as the "living in the past" wife. My favourite part is when Carlos walks into the hut on top of the building. The expression on his face when he comes out is priceless.

I must admit, I was a kid when this movie came out, but I never saw it as a kid. I watched it for the first time today--with 20 intervening years since the film came out. And I think that perspective shines a new light into this old chestnut.

If you'll look at the writing credits, you'll notice that the head writer is none other than one Brad Bird, who today works for Pixar. *Batteries Not Included might be sappy for a Spielberg flick, but it is right on target for Brad Bird. Rather than comparing it to E.T. or Cocoon, this movie is more properly compared to The Iron Giant and Toy Story--two movies that successfully bring out the humanity in inanimate objects.

If this movie came out in 2007 instead of 1987, you'd probably see a Pixar logo on the trailer. For now, just pretend it's computer animated and enjoy the show!

This is one of those sweet movies (with a touch of city toughness) that remains as charming today as it did 25 years ago. Called a rip-off of "Close Encounters", "E.T." and "Cocoon" (did anybody dare call "E.T." a rip-off of "Close Encounters"?, which it lightly emulated), "Batteries Not Included" is a family film with an adult touch that is gripping, intense, charmingly corny and a tribute to the love between old people that time cannot tear apart.

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are the two oldest tenants of a small walk-up and run a diner. They are being bullied by real-estate developers, and a money-hungry thug (Michael Carmine) is determined to get them out so he can get a huge cash settlement from the greedy people who have been paying him off. Other tenants break down and sign the relocation agreement, but the stubborn Cronyn refuses. As the threats get worse, Cronyn, Tandy and their fellow tenants get a little help from somewhere in Steven Spielberg's mind. He didn't direct this, but his production company did produce it, and there is the obvious touch of his hand within the special effects.

Tandy's character is suffering from dementia and obviously believes Carmine to be her long dead son. This creates for a touching twist when the film explodes into its dramatic conclusion and gives Carmine some truly multi-dimensional layers to add to his character. The fabulous Doris Belack has an amusing small role, her memory from tons of T.V. soaps (as well as "The Golden Girls" and dozens of movies including "Tootsie" and "She-Devil" embedded in your mind) and the shot at the end is a sign that even in the ruthless corporate world of a metropolis like Manhattan, the meek will inherit the earth and good will ultimately rule over evil.

There is always hope when people are in desperate need of help. Either it may come from the heaven or may not be. But the film is not just with the hope. Its beauty is with characters it has. The mad woman and her husband, the pregnant girl left by the boyfriend, the artist left by the girl friend and a rowdy who is an orphan and longing for somebody who can say "bobbie my little boy". I like it very much. I loved the movie when I was a school going boy ten years ago. I like it the same way now too.

Okay, *batteries not included is not a great film. It's not meant to be! The makers of this movie were obviously not trying to win any awards, but make a sweet movie for all ages about love, acceptance, friendship and family.

Frank and Faye Riley (Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy)own the cafe that's located on the first floor of the building they live in. Among the other tenants is a former boxer (Frank McRae), a pregnant woman (Elizabeth Pena) and a starving artist (Dennis Boutsikaris). They band together and try to stop an angry developer (John Pankow) and his assistant (Michael Carmine (II)) out to run them from the building. They're assisted by some mechanical aliens and discover the meaning of forgiveness and family, acceptance and love.

Good vs Evil. That's where we have here. Big corporation expanding and growing but there's an obstacle in the way. An old building that houses a few people is still standing with a restaurant. The group has their own problems, but they are trying to survive. Thugs try their best to bring them down. Almost succeeding. Then one night, the two visitors appear needing a spot to recharge and found out they liked it. So they stayed awhile.

*batteries not included brings out the best in all of us. With a little faith in ourselves and the people around us, good things can happen. It had been years since I had seen the movie. I loved it then. And now, I still love it. Every day life has its ups and downs, feeling good about something makes a lot better.

Hume and Jessica did superb performances. The rest of the cast did very well. Even mom and pop flyers out did themselves. Can't forget the kids either. lol. The story was well written. The location was perfect.

The overall story is out of this world, but who cares. For a time chance to feel good after seeing it. I'd watch it over and over.

Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn stole the show, as is expected. However, the film is a very fun and nostalgic trip, the remaining cast getting the job done well. While it could use some development, the ideas present and the general whim about the film allow it to stand amongst other contemporary classics.

Naturally, the film also sports great production values, with Spielberg, Kennedy, and Marshall at it once again. Go see it.

I saw this film for the first time back in the mid 90's when i was just a kid. And that led me searching for this movie for good 13 or 14 years coz I couldn't remember the name and only thing I knew was that Spielberg did it. Back then I was living in a area where the technological advances were minimal and very low recourses and very little international exposure. But I knew Spielberg because of E.T and Indiana Jones which I watched before this film. And just like those this one garbed my childhood imaginations and became one of the favorites.

Yes its not a great movie if you compare it with E.T or a Dark knight... But every genre or every type of creation has its audience. It might not win the hearts of the judges at CANNES or Oscars but defiantly it will win hearts of those kids and people who are young at heart and who can enjoy a sweetness of a film.

I rate it a ten coz I loved it so much and coz I searched it for years and I was so happy to find it.

If I had to describe this movie in one word, it would be "sweet." You have to be human to appreciate such sentiment, but I imagine some non-human beings may enjoy it also. What I mean to say is that this story deals with human emotion. Although this is a fantasy, the emotions it deals with are very real.

We see an old couple on the verge of despair, as the evil developers threaten to rob them of their last piece of security, their home. Jessica Tandy, whom we have already grown to love in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Cocoon" (and don't forget "The Birds" from 1963!) is Faye Riley, a pitiful old woman who is losing her mind. Her husband, Frank (played by Hume Cronyn) in his deepest and darkest hour, cries out for deliverance. Before he falls asleep, we see the answer to his prayer arrive.

I am sure that some Christians may not like that the prayers of a poor old man are answered by funny mechanical beings, but I'm also sure that most will agree that God works in mysterious ways. The timing of the arrival is surely deliberate. These people need a miracle, and that is what they get.

Hope for the few remaining tenants reside in the friendship they develop with tiny flying mechanical creatures, which demonstrate intelligence and good will. Besides proving that even machines can be cute, they also prove that faith is a powerful ally to have on your side, which is strong enough to stand up to the evils of the world.

Sentimental? You bet! This is NOT a fault! (Say it with me, people!) This is what makes the story special.

It is never explained to the audience what these beings are, or what planet, dimension, or reality they are from. But for the people who benefit from their friendship, that doesn't matter. What matters is that they get the help they need, just in time to save their only home from being destroyed.

And the way this plan works out makes good commentary on the goodness of all the people involved, as well as some delightful entertainment.

Equally important as Frank and Faye is Harry, a simple minded but good natured man who fixes things. Played by Frank McRaye, he earns the love and appreciation of his peers as he figures out how to serve the needs of their newfound friends.

If you have heart strings, this movie, and all the actors in it, will surely pluck at them. If you are a robot, then I hope this movie serves as an example of how good a mechanical life form can be.

See this movie. You'll be glad you did.

Heart warming fun nostalgic adventure romp between evil developer, residents of a period piece building and ... "batteries not included." It all starts with tenants occupying their last vestige of memories and hope in a large city grown cold to their past tradition and history. The tenants are brought to the end of their rope until ... (see the movie :).

The entire cast was made for each other. From Hume Cronyn as Frank Riley, and Owner Riley's Cafe; Jessica Tandy as Faye Riley (Frank's wife); Frank McRae as ex-fighter Harry Noble; Elizabeth Peña as the beautiful and warm Seniorita Marisa Esteval; Michael Carmine as the not-so-evil Carlos; and last but not least, Dennis Boutsikaris as the struggling artist Mason Baylor. They all performed their roles as if they worked together for years.

The movie itself had an excellent mix of the old with the new. If you have a heart, then this movie is a must see for all members of the family. 10/10

-LD

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/

I rented this movie on a tape way back in 1990 from the local store. I watched it with a couple of my cousins. Even now when we get together, we talk about this movie.

The movie is so simple. Like Oscar Wilde's short stories. It doesn't jolt you or thrill you. It moves you. So you remember it for a long time to come.

Most of the scenes have faded from my mind's screen but the feeling lingers. Like the cookies my Granny used to bake.

Three things that make this movie my favorite: The story (no one has tried to make it complicated). The characters (People we see every day especially in the 80's). The Aliens (I wouldn't want to call them that!).

Do I want to watch it once again? Yes, but I might not. I'm afraid my grown-up mind would put on a critic's glass and the magic might get lost.

"Batteries not Included" definitely had Charm! Or else I wouldn't be searching for it on the net and writing my comment when I have hundreds of things to do.

I love a good tearjerker & this is one of the best. The tenants are at the heart of this. They are all well played, especially Faye (Jessica Tandy) & Frank (Hume Cronyn)The visiting spacecraft are an added delight. The score is brilliant. 8/10

This is, quite possibly, Spielberg's best film. 'E.T.: The Extraterrestrial', 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', 'Jaws'; all good films, but as far as family entertainment goes you can't go past this little gem.

The plot is fairly straightforward. An elderly couple, a struggling artist, a pregnant woman and a former boxer are the last few residents in an apartment building on the verge of being bulldozed by a greedy property developer. They need a miracle. Their prayers are answered by these 'little guys' (flying alien robot dudes :P), who like to fix things and have come to Earth to make teeny little robots of their own (hooray!) and generally make life a whole lot better for the residents and bring them all together.

I first saw this film when I was 10, and I've loved it ever since. It's hard to believe that a film like this has been left stagnating for years without anyone knowing about it. This film makes me laugh and cry even today. The characters are likable and both Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy turn in believable (and wonderful) performances as Frank and Faye Riley. You can't call yourself a Spielberg aficionado until you've seen this film. Great fun for all ages. A must see!

Elderly couple Frank (Hume Cronyn) and Faye Riley (Jessica Tandy) who is suffering from dementia run a small diner in an old apartment building. The NYC neighborhood is being torn down. Thugs led by Carlos hired by property developer Lacey and his henchman Kovacs (John Pankow) are pushing the tenants out. The tenants include pregnant Marisa Esteval (Elizabeth Peña), former boxer Harry Knoble (Frank McRae) and starving artist Mason Baylor desperate to save the building. The cops refuse to help. A couple of small UFOs arrive and change everything.

This definitely has the tone of an old Disney family film. Like those movies, this is strictly family fare which does tackle some slightly darker issues. The tone can be a little awkward at times for modern audiences but it absolutely works for this film. The special effects are terrific for the time. This features Brad Bird who contributed to his first theatrical screenplay in this.

I remember this film from the '80s and recently bought it on DVD, and it is still an original and fresh idea and a very sweet story. The main characters are an elderly couple Frank and Faye. Faye is unfortunately suffering the early effects of dementia and her husband Frank is her carer. These two characters are very sympathetically written and acted and have a believable backstory -- they have lived all their married life in the ageing city building they are in the story, where they run a café, but now developers want them out so they can demolish the building. The other characters are less developed and not so interesting, a retired boxer, a painter, and a pregnant woman who has a long-distance relationship with the father of her foetus, so the focus is really on the elderly couple. It is refreshing to see a film about this kind of relationship, rather than yet another soggy romance or a generic story about kids as a character backdrop to this kind of fantasy story.

The *other* characters in the story are a pair, and later a family, of benevolent biomechanical creatures who construct a nest out of junk on the roof and start repairing broken items about the place and eating others. Some people in other reviews have identified these creatures as 'aliens' or 'spaceships'. While it is speculated initially by the other characters that the creatures may be spaceships for 'tiny aliens' or come from other worlds, when one of them is studied under a magnifying glass by a character, he sees lots of little circuits, and not 'tiny aliens' and since the creatures mate and give birth to offspring this would suggest they are living organisms in their own right. There is also not really anything to support the idea of them being of extraterrestrial origin, and it's probably more likely they are something that came about as part experiment, part natural evolution on Earth, although the question of where they come from is never addressed.

A few people have also claimed this film rips off ET and a film called Cocoon. 'ET' is a story about a boy finding an alien creature. I have not seen 'Cocoon' so I read a synopsis of it, and it is a story about elderly people finding a fountain of eternal youth created by aliens. 'Batteries Not Included' to me is nothing like either of these. It is an urban fantasy version of the 'pixies down the garden' trope with an '80s twist on the pixies. And I enjoyed it when I first saw it, and I enjoyed it again more recently. It's a sweet, quirky story and a clever idea.

It's a shame it isn't a better-known film, but I suspect there are reasons for that, and there are some problems with it as a film meant to appeal to family audiences. Firstly, the story about Faye's Alzheimer's, even though it is a refreshing change, is by its nature grim. Although the story ends happily, I am left with the expectation that Faye's condition will inevitably deteriorate soon to the point that Frank can no longer care for her and they can't continue to live together in the home they have spent their life in. A similarly grim theme is that when the biomechanical mother gives birth to her 'chicks' one of them is stillborn, although it is later revived by one of the human characters, which is sweet, but young children may get upset or not understand the birth scene.

The second problem is the main antagonist, a thug hired by the developer to evict the residents of the property, in that he is extremely violent, breaking into the property wielding axes and cudgels and threatening the residents and smashing up their property. Halfway through the film he unprovokedly attacks, and apparently kills, the father of the little biomechanical family (although he is later repaired by his mate) in a scene that would likely be deeply upsetting for young children, and towards the end he violently assaults a man and sets fire to the building, before somewhat redeeming himself by rescuing Faye from the burning ruins.

In summary, this is a delightful film, but may be unsuitable for young or sensitive children due to the violence in what would otherwise be quite a gentle story, and some darker themes.

Every time I see this film, in part or in whole, I enjoy it thoroughly. It's not a movie where the acting makes me cringe, or there's a character that makes me go "I've seen this guy a million times over". I believe the characters are good and solid. The scenario (not the outcome) is plausible and the situation I am sure many people in their lifetimes have been in.

The movie, I believe, besides being designed to entertain both children and adults alike, was made to make the adults think about what's going on in the world at large: -Are all the big capitalists destroying all our links to the past and the "good old" times, in the name of greed? - Can the residents of a community, no matter how large or small, be heard when they band together and cry out? Many of you may feel that I am reaching but, I think its these larger aspects in some cases that gets a film of this nature made and makes it more appealing on the drawing board. (Plus, I think the answer to both questions is yes.) But enough of the socio-political analysis of the film.

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy give strong solid performances as an aging couple with very real problems in a modern world. I think the issues they have are not uncommon among our aging population and make it a movie that both they and their children can relate to (more analysis, sorry). Their characters are lovable and crushing simultaneously, as Jessica Tandy's character is ill with what I believe was Alzheimer's and Hume Cronyn did the best not to burst the bubble she had wrapped herself in as a result.

With a strong supporting cast of unknowns playing likeable people with believable character flaws, the movies really gains strength. You really take a liking to all of these characters as they just struggle to maintain their everyday life in the play they want to live in. And none of these characters will scare the kids.

Then enter in the X factor - cute palm sized robots that come from who knows where - nor does anyone really care I think. I found these robots to be unique and disgustingly cute - no where before can I recall in all the movies I've watched, have a seen something similar - nor since either. These robots are curious, intelligent, and very entertaining to watch. Additionally, they save the day in the movie. (More analysis) They prevent the movie from becoming an overbearingly strong socio-political movie about the tactics and behaviors of big business versus the small individuals that is constantly replayed over and over in our society everyday.

Either way, its some classic actors, some unknown supporting actors and some very cute robots all coming together to make a film that can be watched over and over for many reasons by both young and old alike.

This was a family film in the '80s and...whatever happened to legit family films? I remember going to the movies to see this and then renting it when it came out on VHS and....my mom liked it as much as I did...and my dad liked it as much as I did.

And as an adult today I still like it for reasons that are not entirely nostalgic...it's a great movie.

Now I take my nephews to a family film and...I discover it's a kids film. It deals with purely childish things and...even they are a little bored with them sometimes. Once they grow out of the "paw patrol" stage in life.

"batteries not included" was actually deep enough to hold interests. It had things for children and adults with a theme that both age groups could like...All age groups could like.

You don't get that anymore, like Hollywood assumes our collective IQ's have fallen and that anything not made for rugrats will traumatize a child over 5.

Watch it with your family...and then feel horrible about what entertainment has come to

Sometimes I wish Steven Spielberg didn't always look to the stars for salvation. In recent years, he's made a concerted effort to rein in some of his wish-fulfilment fantasies when making SF. With mixed success. Minority Report is probably the best of his recent films. It represented a more grittier side to Spielberg that doesn't often surface. AI had great potential but Spielberg forgot what the story was supposed to be about, and indulged his saccharine side to the detriment of the film.

Of course back in the 80s, one of Spielberg's favourite themes was the idea of friendly aliens coming into contact with the human race. First was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Then the inexplicable success of ET. And then the likes of Batteries Not Included.

Now Batteries Not Included wasn't directed by Spielberg. In fact it was one of several that he produced. Films like this, and Gremlins and Back to the Future. All films that were directed by other people but undoubtedly have his sensibilities stamped on them. And indeed in the case of BNI, we once again have a fable about benevolent aliens straightening out our lives.

BNI is by no means a bad film. Its quite likable. But it can't shake a certain predictability that dogs the story throughout. Instead of ET befriending a lonely boy, we have a group of disparate people living in a tenement block that faces demolition. The cast is not bad either. Real life husband and wife Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are great as Frank and Faye Riley, the elderly couple pressured to leave their home to make way for an office block.

We also have Elizabeth Pena's pregnant girl, Dennis Boutsikaris's struggling artist, and Frank McRae's gentle giant of a boxer. All people who have just about given up on themselves. Frank and Faye's situation is not helped by Faye lost in her own senility. Reliving the glory days when her son Bobby was alive and they still lived in a happy home. A desperate Frank prays for a miracle.

And a miracle comes in the form of tiny spaceships. Multi-purpose flying machines that have a knack for fixing broken things. Both mechanically and spiritually. As the boarders band together, and the flying saucers fix up their building, they begin to get back some of the self-respect they've lost over time. And in return, the ships get the chance to start a family of their own. By using bits and bobs from the building to make more of their kind.

What lifts a potentially hum-drum story out of the doldrums is the effects and ideas that went into creating the aliens in this film. The aliens in Batteries Not Included are fairly unique. I've never seen in any other story aliens that resemble the ones in this film. Brad Bird was on the writing staff. A man responsible for excellent work like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. And I'm sure he came up with some fantastic ideas here too.

The chief pleasure of BNI is the way the tiny spaceships actually seem like living beings. The filmmakers do a great job of making them recognisably male and female. They have all kinds of implements for every situation. Everything from miniature cutting saws to personal electrical plugs. And they can even have children. The writers quite astonishingly make the 'courting' scenes between the saucers actually seem romantic. They glide through the air with all the grace of a couple of ballroom dancers.

Really, any scene with the ships is a delight. Like the Mother Ship giving her children flying lessons. Or learning to flip burgers in the Riley's restaurant. Being a Spielberg film, the effects are not surprisingly top notch. They haven't lost any of their sparkle over the years, and the ships soar through the air without any signs of creakiness or shoddiness.

The cast all give quite competent performances but if truth be told are upstaged whenever the ships are around. As things draw to a close, the sentimentality meter starts to lurch dangerously into the red. One of the ships being damaged recalls the sickly tone of the dire Short Circuit 2. Or the building being razed to the ground only to be rebuilt by a whole fleet of tiny ships is a bit hard to swallow. Although that scene where the sky is filled with seemingly hundreds of them is quite a sight to see.

I don't completely buy into the ending that a whole bunch of skyscrapers would be built around that tenement building instead of over it, but nonetheless, Batteries Not Included provides quite an entertaining mix. It has a charm that carries it along. And it might even convince you to sleep with the window open for any late night visitors.

Many reviewers have fond memories of this work, and I have to admit that I do find this quite fun, but there are moments herein which are quite tense and mean, and lead to an overall bittersweetness which permeates the work. I blame that completely on Mick Garris. This work could have been great if it weren't for his inclusion of the "bd guy" element. This work did not need such a device, and it severely took away from the beauty of the work.

Mick Garris has been single-handedly responsible for the bastardization of most of the Stephen King film adaptations.

Directed by Matthew Robbins (Close Encounters writer) and Exec'd by Steven Spielberg, you may appropriately expect a small amount of awe generated by the beautiful effects and the endearing characters. *batteries not included does deliver. Also, these actors were a sure thing. I am sure you'll remember most of them from Ron Howard's Cocoon.

If you enjoy Cocoon or High Spirits, I would suggest this.

It rates a 6.7/10 from...

the Fiend :.