Xeno Parent Guide

Renee (Lulu Wilson) is a lonely teenage girl with a dysfunctional home life. Between her mother Linda’s (Wren Schmidt) depression and her mother’s alcoholic boyfriend, Chase (Paul Schneider), she needs solace, which she finds in her reptiles.

Then Renee stumbles across an extra-terrestrial being in the desert.

After forming a supernatural bond with the creature, which she names “Croak”, Renee makes it her mission to keep it hidden and safe from harm. Her classmate, Gil (Trae Romano), soon joins her in the task of protecting Croak, which proves difficult as federal law enforcement officer, Jonathan (Omari Hardwick), is determined to keep the world safe from this alien.

Sadly, Xeno struggles to find its footing as it straddles the line of multiple genres, without fully delivering on any of them. It’s clear that the intended message of the movie is to be empathetic and not judge a book by its cover; however, there’s little substance behind this theme. The filmmakers are asking the audience to feel a connection to the characters without putting in the time or work to develop a rich emotional world. Additionally, the villains in the story are completely one-dimensional, which stunts the emotion the film tries to elicit. Tonally, Xeno is inconsistent, fluctuating awkwardly between teen-focused storytelling and darker, more mature themes. This creates a confusing viewing experience, leaving the target audience unclear. While the film attempts to blend classic sci-fi elements with heavier, real-world issues, it fails to deliver the suspense or emotional depth such a blend requires. Instead of feeling moved or absorbed in the story, I often found myself laughing at the film’s absurdity. While the movie’s intention is admirable, I was left wishing for a better execution of both the story and its themes.

The film touches on complex themes such as alcoholism, domestic violence, parental death, depression (and medical treatment), undocumented immigration, and deportation, giving it a full slate. It also contains a variety of negative content, including a surprising amount of violence (featuring torture and mild gore), alcohol consumption in an addiction context, and some profanity.

Given this production’s multiple problems, it’s difficult to recommend. Particularly because the friend-from-space genre is so familiar and so full of better options. Why sit through Xeno when you could enjoy The Iron Giant or E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial? These movies provide out-of-the-world entertainment without the baggage Xeno carries.

About author

Alisha Bagshaw

Alisha Bagshaw is completing her BCST in Child and Youth Care Counselling and is working toward a career in psychology and policy advocacy. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and subjecting her husband and friends to in-depth (and usually unsolicited) synopses and thematic analysis.