Allen Review: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Allen has a charming idea and a good-natured tone, plus a solid lead in TJ Power. But the alien has no real personality, the villain is flat, and the script keeps spelling out its emotions, so the story feels both predictable and strange.
Rating: ★★½☆☆ (2.5/5)
Platform: Netflix
Genre: Sci-Fi Family Comedy
Directors: Daley Pearson and Jeffrey Walker
Cast: TJ Power, Charlotte Nicdao, Josh Helman, Benedict Hardie
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
Stories about a child and a magical friend usually end the same way: the friend leaves, the child grows up, and the memory stays. Allen asks a different question. What if the child never moved on? That twist gives the film an interesting start, but it can’t hold on to it for long.
Allen is the first live-action film from Ludo Studio, the company behind the hit kids’ show Bluey. It opens in a child’s bedroom packed with 90s toys and games, and the filmmakers make sure you notice the decade.
In Queensland, young Petey spots strange lights in the sky and meets a sweet alien he names Allen. They laugh, listen to music, and draw together, and Allen can even use his mind to work an Etch A Sketch.
Petey promises they will stay together forever. If that sounds like a certain famous film from the 80s, you are right, and Allen knows it. The story follows the same path at first, and Allen eventually goes home.
Here is where the film changes direction. We jump ahead to a grown-up Petey, played by TJ Power, who still dreams of seeing Allen again. He lives with his older brother Jaden, played by Josh Helman, and Jaden’s pregnant wife Carly, played by Charlotte Nicdao. Both of them have moved on and urge Petey to do the same.
This is the film’s best idea. A man who is stuck in his childhood and unable to find a place in his new life is something many people can relate to. It could have made for a moving story. Unfortunately, the film never digs deeply into Petey’s loneliness, even though we know he has waited twenty years.
Of course, Allen does come back, and the story shifts into something darker. Without giving too much away, his reason for returning turns the friendship into something far stranger, and one reviewer felt that the film moves in an odd direction that makes it hard to take seriously. Another critic noted that the idea itself has been used in many films, which makes the plot feel like it came off a conveyor belt.
The biggest problem is Allen himself. He is a cute alien pal, but he doesn’t feel like a real character. He has big eyes and a soft little cry, but that’s about it. After a while, those traits become more annoying than charming. Since the whole story is built on the bond between Petey and Allen, it is hard to care when that bond feels thin.
The villain is also weak. The local police chief, played by Benedict Hardie, feels like he walked in from a generic movie to play the bad guy.
The film wants a soft, nostalgic feel, but it uses very bright colours that make everything look glossy and almost artificial. The script has the same problem. It explains every emotion again and again, with characters repeating the same message about goodbyes and growing up. By the time the farewell finally arrives, the film has explained its feelings so much that there is little left for you to feel on your own.
It isn’t all bad. TJ Power does solid work as Petey, balancing humour and sadness well. Charlotte Nicdao and Josh Helman also feel real as relatives who care about Petey but are tired of his habits. The film also has a kind heart, and it clearly means well.
Allen has a nice idea, a good lead, and a gentle spirit. But a dull alien, a weak villain, and a script that says everything out loud keep it from landing. It may work for younger family viewers, but older audiences may find it too much.
If you want a warmer holiday pick on Netflix, our The Gospel of Christmas review covers a musical with heart and great singing, and our The Christmas Switch review looks at two sisters who swap lives before Christmas. For action fans, our Never Surrender review covers an Indonesian film with great fights that runs too long.