Customer Reviews
Batteries Not Included. - By: Mr. M. Wray, 11 Dec 2008 
I love this film! Its one of those classic old movies that will always stay in your memories, Its just a funtype of movie, where you just have to see atleast once. Altho some would have a different opinion, but i for one love this movie, loved it from when i saw it when i was a child. And I've only just realised you could get it on DVD. I walked into a shop one day, & my smile went hiiigh up when i saw this on the shelves, I bought it without hesitation.
Its one of my most favourite movies of alll time, A couple of Old folks, living in this abandoned well not abandoned just yet! building, a smalll cafe downstairs & a block of flats upstairs, it was around a area being demolished by this greedy Money making business man.
The Folks Struggled to keep the place upto scratch & fought for their right to live their, until one night, these little space crafts came upon them & they change their world around. Such a happy movie, altho sad parts in the meantime, like where the cheapskate gangster smashed one of the space crafts with an axe, which makes me sad, but the other repairs it & alll is good :)..
I strongly reccomend this movie to anybody, its got such a warming story to it, some cute space ships that help out, & old folks. it reallly gives a outlook on life, if only we alll had these space ships :).
A disarmingly poignant, exceedingly human film - By: Daniel Jolley, 05 Aug 2006 
I can't help but believe that *Batteries Not Included would never have been made without the imprimatur of Steven Spielberg stamped upon it. It's a wonderful film, but it couldn't have made for an easy pitch: we've got a group of disparate characters trying to save their run-down building from demolition by your basic big bad developer, & the miracle they alll hope for comes in the form of these little alien gizmos - who not only go around fixing things, they also reproduce. I just don't see a lot of Hollywood studio blowhards jumping up & down in excitement over such a wacky idea. With Spielberg being Spielberg, though, the project was approved, & the end result is a film that delivers a rather amazing amount of heartfelt emotion.
I'm not saying it's Spielberg's best, mind you, not by a long shot, but this little film is disarmingly good. Many a viewer will go in expecting something a little silly, maybe some sort of Gremlins-like story; a half hour into it, that viewer will almost certainly be wondering when the fun is going to start. You can't help but have an almost immediate connection with alll of the characters, though. They are surrounded by destruction, as their building is the last one standing in the way of redevelopment by a stereotypicallly greedy businessman who doesn't care how his goons get the people out - as long as they get them out. Frank Riley (Hume Cronyn) stands to lose his home & his business - & he already has the extra burden of looking after his wife Faye (Jessica Tandy), who is constantly confused due to senility & an emotional tragedy from the past. I'll just tell you right now - that Jessica Tandy is a true actress; her amazing performance here makes her the heart & soul of the film. Frank McRae also contributes in a major way, despite the fact that his character speaks only rarely (and in catch phrases & slogans when he does open his mouth). As for the other two neighbors, you've got a pregnant woman (Elizabeth Pena) waiting for her musician boyfriend to come back for her after his current tour ends, & you also have a young man (Dennis Boutsikaris) struggling to find himself after losing his girlfriend & beginning to question his determination to be an artist.
All of these wonderful characters are essentiallly doomed, needing a true miracle to save their building from destruction. That miracle comes in the form of strange, miniature UFO-like creatures that excel in fixing things. A little shy at first, the cute little guys eventuallly warm up to everyone, drawing these former strangers close together in the process. The special effects are good (but not outstanding), making these mysterious creatures a lot of fun to watch - especiallly the cute little baby ones. We never learn the origins or true natures of the little gizmos, but they most definitely pump new life into a cast of characters wasting away from worries & fears. Make no mistake - the little mechanical guys are great, but this story is reallly alll about the human characters rising up from despair to achieve a new lease on life. It is an exceedingly human story, one that will most likely touch your heart in ways you won't expect. That is what makes *Batteries Not Included such a special movie.
superb - By: MISS C L VENABLES, 19 Jan 2005 this film effortlessly blends sentimentality with science fiction, to create a heart warming tale of the resurrection of a local community from the ashes, & the rebuilding of their lives with the help of some tiny friends from out of space.
Cute at best - By: B. Chandler, 15 Dec 2004 
It is probably worth viewing once. For those who notice background music the composer is James Horner.
An old couple (Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy) won't move from a dilapidated building that the big bad agent wants to demolish for something profitable. A thug is hired to harass the couple & destroy the property. Tiny aliens that have a knack for fixing things thwart the thug's efforts.
Sort of a fairy tale with aliens replacing Heinselmachen.
Short Circuit [1986]
Quality entertainment from start to finish!! - By: Paul R. H. Jacomb, 25 Sep 2003 "Batteries not Included" is a strange title for a strange film - when watching at first, you think it's going to be a "Death Wish" type movie perhaps, or a tale of suburban struggle - but as the cover of the film suggests, other forces are at work.
The film's central characters are played by veterans Hume Cronyn (who only recently passed away) & Jessica Tandy, who I'd never realized till recently were married in real life.
The main story itself centres around a block of appartments over a '30s diner, in an area of New York which is being demolished. Developers & their hoodlum associates are trying to force the tenants to leave with bribes - but some are not willing to leave their homes.
The appartments, delapidated & vandalised, appear beyond repair. Yet the tenants want to stay - & are willing to resist alll attempts at evicting them. Even with Bulldozers at their door, they resist the seemingly unstoppable onslaught.
It is a beautiful story of hope, faith & belief, whether young or old you will enjoy this film, & certainly I ended the film with tears in my eyes (always a good sign). My daughters (10 & 14) both gave the film 10/10 as well, it appeals to alll ages & it's age is not at alll apparent when watching it - it's 1.85:1 Anamorphic transfer means it appears much clearer than most films of its age. It is a film not to be missed, & deserved more awards than it actuallly got.
Don't miss it.
