Luis and the Aliens (2018) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
32 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
amusing comedy for kids
janinerau22 November 2018
Obviously a low budget film - but a good one. It turns a boy-meets-alien story into a witty knockabout comedy, that passes by in a breeze. My kids laughed a lot and i had a smile on my face over the entire running time. Of course the animation is far away from Disney, Pixar & Co, but i wonder how their movies would look, if they were made with a budget of only 5 mio instead of 100 mio dollar. My respect to all the small production companies in the world.
15 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Not too shabby
kbsmokajc26 February 2019
I don't understand the hate it was entertaining and touching
10 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Solid fun ride for everybody who likes stuff like Monsters Inc.
Horst_In_Translation12 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Luis & the Aliens" is a new German animated movie from 2018 that runs for approximately 1.5 hours and was written and directed by Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein and if you have seen their Oscar-winning short film from almost three decades ago now, then this movie here is something you really would not expect in terms of style, maybe story too as it is really mostly aimed at younger audienced I'd say. but this should not be seen as a criticism. Not at all. There were quite a few fun moments here from start to finish. The protagonist here is not one of the aliens, but a little boy who struggles in all kinds of departments in life, for example in terms of how his widower dad struggles to find time for him because he is too busy looking for aliens. Or with (his lack of) friends. And with 2 or 3 other issues too. You will recognize them when you see them. of course the longer the film goes, the more these issues get solved. This is also the consequence of the actual aliens, while the plot keeps revolving around them, getting less and less of an impact the longer the story goes. At the end, even there are other aliens in the center of it all and a primary antagonist whose role and background really needs a long time to get clear and the way she turns into a scary monster eventually may be a bit over the top. Same for the ice vendor who turns out to be another alien, even if there are indicators throughout the film that made me think it could actually happen. But yeah, these creatures did not add too much for me. A huge rushed-in antagonist was not needed that much. The story has enough other plot points where it delivers and it could also have worked as a coming-of-age story for example without fighting evil. In any case, the three initial alien characters were definitely my favorites here. But my main criticism also comes with them because they really could have made more of them. Two of them are not too different, even if they are fun and the attempt to make this difference stayed an attempt really as one is depicted as full of doubts initially, also when it comes to going to Planet Earth at all, but he transforms quickly and just joins in with everything the others do. And as for the thirs, this one really offered huge potential without a doubt and they came a bit short there too as the scene with the girl at the supermarket is maybe the very best in terms of fun I'd say. I wish there could have been more like this. People of diversity will enjoy the Black background of the principal (another character that added virtually nothing, his hair-cutting scene is the best example how unfunny and pointless it was) and the Asian love interest to the main character. She was kinda cute though, even if nothing about her was as fun as the running gag about her mate constantly failing in filming the action and aliens. well, she was in it for the beauty, not the humor I guess. One question that kept coming up halfway into the film was really how the snob boy never realized how these parents and housekeeper never looked even close to what his real parents looked like, but it seemed he believed them to be real? No way. Still, these morphing parts were kinda fun. The cmotional component is also in this film, especially in terms of father-son relationship, but it's none that is really on an amazing level, but not bad either. Overall, one of the better 2018 animated films for sure and I give this one a thumbs-up. Especially a positive surprise looking at how disappointing German films from this genre have been at times in recent years. See it if you love animation and get a hand on this movie. Worth watching for sure. Oh yeah and make sure that you don't miss out on the most harmless Harry&Sally reference you will ever come across in terms of that third lady watching the two (especially Sally) and her reaction afterward.
17 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Good movies to watch
ssantanuberaa3 November 2018
Animation is not as good as other popular animation in this modern age. But still so far it's good to watch. This movie has a good story.
11 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Silly but fun
alv79029 December 2018
The animation was on the basic side, and the aliens were silly, but it does have a nice story and, above all, it was funny. I laughed several times. The theme of Luis reconnecting with his father was heartwarming if a bit cliched. Rating: 7/10
6 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Dang... This was actually pretty good
lmathc29 September 2019
This movie was much better than it had any right to be. I was expecting some nasty animation and poor acting but was pleasantly surprised. It's not on par with Pixar or anything like that, but it was well done nonetheless. The story is interesting if a bit predictable, the acting is generally good and there were some actual funny parts, which is difficult to pull off in an animated B-Movie like this. I have to make note of one thing though: The punky teenage bully in the movie has a lingo that fails so miserably in its attempts to be hip and with-the-times that I couldn't tell if it was a parody of itself or not. Other than that, though, a solid movie.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
"The Three Amoebas"
Kamurai257 October 2020
Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

It's sort of discovery of aliens in "Men in Black" meets the goofy animation of "Home".

There's not a lot to this one but some goofy fun, despite a weirdly serious plotline that gives it just enough substance to prevent me from saying it's a rather silly movie. Instead it's a decent movie with a lot of rather silly parts to it.

Probably great for younger audiences, but just nuanced enough to be acceptable for an older audience.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Cute..
elmoslively12 May 2019
Fun film for the very young, but some of the voice work is weak. The story and animation doesn't really stand up to modern animation protocol. It's just adequate compared to Disney/Pixar et al.
2 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Poor. TV movie - low budget
Soris2328 August 2018
Louis, the snotty family's mum and the girl reporter were the only believable characters. The rest of the cast were not. Poor acting voices - my 5yr old can read with better tone and flow than most of these actors did. Poor script - the dialogue was embarrassingly poorly worded most of the time, especially when they attempted to be funny. Plus it made a toxic looking cleaning bottle from the kitchen look like an appealing thing to drink! My 5yr old did not smile or laugh once. The only reason for the three stars; the three actors that managed to do a good job despite the poor script, the visuals were nice and it kept my son watching for the most part. I'd be impressed if a child had written this script - so I take it all back if that's the case.
12 out of 35 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
The aliens are coming (to get you)
kosmasp22 May 2021
Not really .. do not be afraid ... although why would you? This is a kids movie. It does have some nightmarish scenes, but overall it is a family movie. Watch it with your kids if you think they might be too scared of some imagery that they have to deal with.

Overall this is not a Pixar movie, it makes less sense than ... well I reckon there are many other movies that don't make sense. How can the Aliens be so knowledgable of earth, yet know so little when it is convenient? Because comedy and humor, that's why. Don't mind those things and just go with the flow and you'll have fun. Even if it is predictable to the point where you can guess anything happening in this ... that's why I said watch it with your kids too ... they are probably not as savvy as that ... or maybe they are but they don't care.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Kind of Boring
milanomk6 March 2021
The animation was terrible and the actor's voice sounded awful. There is a scene where one of the three aliens drink detergent, young children might be encouraged by the scene and drink it as well. I could barely even smile, the only bits that were only a bit goofy was when the aliens turn into different characters by eating hair! Still I didn't laugh. Most alien stories share the same plot and even they are better. The only bit I liked was the plot twist.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Funny and Engaging
pokemon_trainer_lucas21 June 2019
I went to see this film because I had nothing better to do, but I was really glad that I did go, because it was great! The graphics were good and the characters had strong personalities, in particular the aliens. I was sat next to a kid at the cinema, and he loved it! One thing I should note, though, is that he got very scared at the end when the social worker turned into an alien and started attacking people, so even though it's a kid's film, I'd advise you don't take very young children as they may get scared.
14 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Made an Account for this Review
crowministry17 January 2024
I feel that comparing this movie to Pixar is unfair, as this is a smaller foreign studio who works independently and Pixar is a multimillion dollar production company. Of course the animation may be awkward in some places but for the overall film, it works! The story is pretty good and the gags got me laughing! I also appreciate the sort of nostalgic feel it has to it and towards the end everything sort of fell into place. The lip syncing could be improved but overall a great watch! It definitely kept my attention! I really appreciate the characters designs as they differ from that you'll see from mainstream productions. I'd even go so far as to say it's got a better plot to it then whatever Disney's released within the past year.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
An alien adventure that is less than exciting
TheLittleSongbird12 November 2018
Was not sure about seeing 'Luis and the Aliens', due to it looking terrible when it was advertised in cinemas, indicating a competent looking film with a lot of cringe-worthy humour, annoying characters, no charm and with no surprises or excitement to the story. Saw it though as a huge lifelong fan of animation and as someone trying to see as many 2018 films as possible (which has been a worthwhile and interesting if very hit and miss experience).

Just to make things clear for anybody in the future coming to slam anybody for disliking the film, which is unfortunately sadly going to happen, this review is not coming from somebody with the prejudiced intent to dislike the film and trying hard not to when watching. Actually genuinely wanted 'Luis and the Aliens' to be much better than it looked in the trailers, and thought it could do seeing as there have been numerous examples of films with bad or misleading trailers that manage to be between the decent to wonderful distinctions. Am also, despite being a young adult, a child at heart and am on the most part very generous when it comes to reviewing animation, so do feel it's right for me to judge the film as a "family" (not kids, animation is for family not just kids in answer to the overused and abused "it's a kids film" cliché thrown around constantly) film.

On that front, 'Luis and the Aliens' fails. There are definitely far worse animated films out there, at least effort was put into the animation itself and the film didn't insult my intelligence as much. There are also infinitely better animations, which won't be named in order to be fair. Not quite one of the very worst films of the year (though towards the bottom), but of the 2018 animated films it's one of the worst by quite some way to me. Was really hoping it would be much better than the trailers indicated, but sadly it is exactly what was indicated.

'Luis and the Aliens' has a few redeeming values. The best asset is the animation, which was clearly the asset where the most effort was put into. Although the alien designs are generic the colours are bright and bold, there are moments of nice visual touches and the backgrounds are attractive and richly detailed.

Music is also suitably peppy and a few of the voice actors come over credibly, Luis in particular is voiced with a lot of spirit.

However, there are several big drawbacks. Although mostly the animation was fine, the character designs could have done with smoother movement and more care, found some of them stiff and blocky. Most of the voice acting has very little emotion or engagement, either sounding bored or grating on the nerves. The writing is every bit as bad, very stilted and childish and enough to make older audiences feel insulted. Even the most unassuming youngster may very likely feel embarrassed.

Excepting Luis, none of the characters were interesting, entertaining or had likeable traits. The aliens are irritating and the antagonist is as flat, un-threatening and vaguely characterised as one can possibly get. Development for them is not just sketchy, it's practically non-existent. Did not mind that the story was predictable and slight, quite a lot of films have stories that are both yet they still manage to be halfway decent because everything else makes up for it and they are at least still interesting. With most elements here executed badly and that there is practically nothing to the story, it is less forgivable and it feels like an over-extended modest-at-best budget animated show stretched to feature length. The sporadic action is unexciting, while the humour is embarrassingly juvenile, the storytelling is so by-the-numbers and colourless and there is a complete lack of warmth and charm.

Overall, not a complete disaster but not really an alien adventure worth experiencing, other than as an animation fan or a 2018 film completest. 3/10 Bethany Cox
5 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Cheap, ugly, and not fun
Phil_J_G2 August 2020
I had hoped for a decent animation but this film failed to deliver. The characters are ugly to look at, and the aliens just look like jelly moulds. The detail and shading looks cheap / made-for-TV. I rarely stop a film halfway through but for this, I made an exception. It has no merit, charm, humour and lacks interest. Sure there'll be people who love it but I've seen many animated films better than this. Watch a rerun for the tenth time of "Flight of the Navigator" as you'll have a better time than watching this Luis stuff.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Deadly boring
Snootz31 August 2018
When an animated film-- supposedly a comedy-- hasn't generated even a chuckle by 20 minutes in, you can be pretty sure that's going to be the trend the rest of the film. Even young children are likely to give up on this groaner.

Edit: at this time my review has 4 out of 11 helpful. Which most likely means 4 honest viewers and 7 associated with the movie. ; )
8 out of 42 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Unexpectedly hilarious .
lovingganma8 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Took my Garanddsons to see this movie. They told me at the cinema it had been out 3 weeks, but I'd never heard of it and probably wouldn't have bothered to go if I'd read some of the reviews . As there were only 6 of us at the showing I was doubtful . But I was pleasantly surprised and laughed til I cried , something I haven't done since Hitel Transylvania 2. There were some sad moments and probably s bit scary for little ones , but only at the point where the social worker (an alien in disguise) turned into a monster. But she was soon overcome . Brilliant on the whole !
21 out of 25 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
There is no reason for this movie to exist.
CriticalOfEverything8 November 2018
This movie is truly terrible, there are no redeeming factors at all. The animation is awful but at the same time it isn't painful to look at, but that makes it worse. The voice acting is absolutely atrocious and coupled with it's terrible script makes it all the more aggravating to listen to, and the plot is unbearably cliche and unoriginal in every sense of the word. This story has been told so many bloody times before, except it was actually done pretty well a few times. Every attempt at comedy is embarrassing and every time there was comedy I cringed so hard to the point where I couldn't even look at the screen. I have no idea why these types of movies even exist. You know, the incredibly low-budget and cliche animated movies that only exist so you can put it on to stop your child from crying for about an hour? If you want to entertain children then give them something that's actually good like a Pixar movie. Even with some of Pixar's worst, besides Cars 2, there is a lot of effort put in to it to make sure it's acceptable and not offensive to the young viewer's brain. I really cannot recommend this to anyone. Watch something that's actually worth watching. This movie is obscure, and it needs to stay that way.
4 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
1/10
What were they thinking
jeffcarter197729 August 2019
I've just sat through some of this movie, and there are two scenes which make me wonder what the filmmakers were even thinking. There is a scene where the Aliens drink detergent - not a strong message to send to kids, and one where an Alien smacks a child and locks him in a room. The animation is roughly on par with an episode of Fireman Sam, and the story is awful.
1 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Not that Bad really!
rendrag-14 September 2018
I gave this a 10 simply because of all the bad ratings.

Is this fantastic compared to disney/pixar, hell no, but it hardly deserves to be trashed.

like GadgetGang in Outer Space (2017) people are failing to see that both movies have a bit of fun and silliness and is suitable for the whole family to enjoy.

if kids don't laugh at this then i suggest their parents have tainted the kids with action movie BS.

Let kids be kids and teach them to enjoy being a bit silly every now and then.

Oh and if you haven't seen GadgetGang in Outer Space (2017), do so, I've watched it 4 times and laughed each time.
29 out of 41 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Love this
kishankumarsajan23 November 2018
I love the twist begin after 30 min after of film. Love this one
10 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Surprisingly hilarious
Lyndylupin25 September 2019
Great fun for children, but enough jokes for adults to enjoy. Ok, so it's a bit formulaic, but look past that and it's quite a hoot.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Brilliant!!
lisamariannejackson4 June 2019
Chose this film to watch with my grandson and loved it!! Great idea and my grandson says it's really funny. And he's right :-). Definitely worth watching again.
6 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Humans and aliens are great friends!
robinhitchcock-6129427 August 2018
I enjoyed the heart warming.film from the beginning to the end. The aliens were so cute and funny.
11 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Amazing movie!
lendvaipeti-20029 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I REALLY LOVED this movie. It was a fun family experience. The only thing we didn't like was when Luis eats one of the aliens in great joy. The blood and gore was a bit too much. Seeing the brain of the poor alien was a surprise.
11 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed