Blue Fox Entertainment
Spoiler Alert
When Xeno features designs from Jim Henson Company’s Creature Shop, there’s every reason to check out this film. I couldn’t help but think of the Xenomorphs from Alien and even Marvel’s Venom. And what we see works best in shadow, where we’re not meant to see every detail. Parts of the body suggest something more amphibious than skeletal, slimy than decayed, and once you see its face, you’ll either be unsettled or charmed.
Even in the press, this film is labelled a darker riff on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it’s easy to spot the Spielbergian tropes director Matthew Loren Oates is leaning on. The premise of a teen bonding with an alien is competently handled, but rarely feels new. What’s presented is less about Beauty and the Beast and the leanings towards How to Train Your Dragon are noticeable. I like my pets/companions to be more feral.
The story beats land as expected, and when the inevitable federal agents arrive, they’re initially two steps behind before turning into threats too. One has a personality, and I like to nickname him Matchbox Man (the toy cars). He nearly steals the spotlight, but thankfully, Lulu Wilson keeps the momentum going.
This young star carries much of the film as Renee, a teen still reeling from the death of her father and feeling distrustful of her mother’s new boyfriend, Chase (Paul Schneider). She plays the role with conviction, her mix of grief and defiance. Her scenes with the alien she names Croak feel genuine and give the film its emotional centre.
As for the supporting cast, Chase is defined mostly by his drinking and deadbeat behaviour. Her mother (Wrenn Schmidt) wants to move forward, but Renee isn’t ready. At school, Gil (Trae Romano) is endearing but vastly underused. His crush on Renee is hinted at, and is thankfully not explored.
Oates’ focus is more on a family in crisis rather than on an alien adventure. The school scenes underline what Renee’s life is like—she’s hiding depression and carrying the burden of not getting over her grief. Her biological father died; had this detail been revealed earlier, it would have added more weight to her journey. Her world isn’t particularly exciting until Croak shows up, and instead of a dramatic UFO crash, all we get is a meteor streaking over the Earth in one moment. The next scene, with a rancher puzzling over faint debris, requires a leap of faith before Renee finds the creature.
Comparisons to other alien encounter films are inevitable, and while Xeno wants to stand alongside District 9, it never reaches those heights. The film plays things too safe. Kevin Hart’s involvement as producer through Hartbeat is intriguing — it shows a willingness to branch out beyond comedy — but the result feels more cautious than daring.
In the end, Xeno is decent thanks to Wilson’s performance and the craftsmanship of the Creature Shop. What makes this film work are the final few seconds where we feel sympathy for everything Renee has endured. Whether she has PTSD, like the character of a book she was supposed to read, this moment is a beautiful touch.
This detail Oates injected may well be testing the waters on what works and what doesn’t with his debut. If his next project, Dark Light, builds on these foundations, it may well be his signature. From the IMDb synopsis, it seems he favours YA-style tales with strong female leads and he’s really into invaders from outer space lore. That’s promising — and if it’s set in New Mexico again, well, it is home to Roswell after all.
3½ Stars out of 5
Xeno Movie Trailer
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