REVIEW: Kids vs. Aliens [2023]

January 18, 2023

2–3 minutes

Jason Eisener, Kids vs. Aliens, RLJE Films, Shudder

Rating: NR | Runtime: 75 minutes
Release Date: January 20th, 2023 (USA)
Studio: RLJE Films / Shudder
Director(s): Jason Eisener
Writer(s): John Davies & Jason Eisener

You should just do what you want.

Fiction becomes reality in Jason Eisener’s Kids vs. Aliens as sister/brother duo Sam (Phoebe Rex) and Gary (Dominic Mariche) move from fighting anthropomorphic dinosaurs in the latter’s DIY action flick to actual aliens lurking in the water and woods behind their house.

While you might think the shift from choreographed wrestling moves to life-or-death sword battles shouldn’t be that heavy of a transition in a romp like this, however, it is when a little romance gets in the way. Because Sam is a teenager now. No matter how much she loves horsing around with her younger brother and his friends (Ben Tector’s Miles and Asher Grayson’s Jack), it only takes one smile from Billy (Calem MacDonald) to sell them out for the potential of love.

Thankfully, Eisener and co-writer John Davies waste no time showing just how much of a douchebag Billy is so we can quickly shift away from the familial squabbles and invest in the us-versus-them acid bath war that’s brewing whether they wake-up to the fact or not. As Sam and Gary’s house is being destroyed by the rager Billy cons his way into hosting, the big green men from an effectively shot prologue arrive to take as many kids back to their spaceship as possible.

The result leads to some pretty gruesome practical effects as skin melts, monsters are born, and Sam is finally able to show Gary she’s just as capable wielding a blade as she is her patented dropkick. Add some nice atmospheric cinematography and it’s easy to get lost in the carnage.

In a similar vein to PG: Psycho Goreman, Kids vs. Aliens provides a rollicking good time with tweens swearing up a storm as bodies fall left and right. And while I assumed it would embrace that sense of fun absurdity, I didn’t anticipate how impressive the stakes might prove. There’s one kill that literally made me gasp in surprise. I only wish Eisener and Davies supplied a complete story—especially since its 75-minute runtime leaves room to do so.

The climax is memorable and the conclusion chock full of intrigue, but this trend of ending original IP on a cliffhanger in hopes of sequels continues to be a blight on the industry. Hopefully the seemingly ultra-low budget means subsequent chapters won’t be difficult to fund, but watching it unfold without that guarantee is a major letdown.