Having raced your way through all the Christmas classics, you’re no doubt searching all the streaming sites for your next festive fix. With that in mind, why not check out a film that’s not only on Netflix, but also has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes? Oh, and it’s about aliens, naturally.
Take a look at the trailer below:
Alien Xmas landed on Netflix last year, and while it’s only a stop-motion animated short, it’s managed to pick up a faithful fanbase, who say it’s now one of their ‘favourite’ Christmas movies.
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Directed by Stephen Chiodo – one half of the Chiodo brothers, who are best known for Killer Klowns from Outer Space – the film follows an extraterrestrial who is sent to Earth to steal the planet’s gravity. However, when he arrives at the North Pole, he soon decides to break free from the kleptomaniac alien race he belongs to, and instead chooses to help save Christmas.
According to Netflix, the project involved 100+ puppets, 200+ crew members, 18 months, 20 sets and eight seconds of ‘stop motion magic’ a day.
The film also has some serious Hollywood heft behind it, as executive producer is none other than John Favreau, the man who brought us the likes of Elf, The Mandalorian and a few little-known movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After being released in November 2020, it’s earnt itself a freshness score of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, where a synopsis says: “When a race of kleptomaniac aliens attempts to steal Earth's gravity in order to more easily take everything on the planet, only the gift-giving spirit of Christmas and a small alien named X can save the world.”
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There are only seven critics reviews on the aggregator site, but each one has nothing but praise for the stop-motion short, with some comparing it to The Grinch.
John Serba from Decider said: "It’s whimsical without being twee. Some of the jokes will entertain the grade-schoolers, while adults will smirk here and there. I caught a whiff of a couple Wallace and Gromitisms, so that’s a good thing. It’s a little slapstick without being overbearing. It’s a bit of a sloppy plot, but also kind of endearing in its loosey-gooseyness. It doesn’t try too hard to be clever. And maybe most importantly, it’s warm enough to thaw an icy humbug or two."
Meanwhile, Cheryl Eddy of Gizmodo said: "Alien Xmas’ message about consumerism may be simple, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable. There are clever moments throughout that keep the movie from feeling too saccharine; anyone who’s struggled under pressure to assemble an elaborate toy or IKEA furniture will chuckle when X recoils at the epic list of instructions that accompany the “Gyrotron” (especially the inclusion of one tiny Allen wrench). The animation throughout is colorful and sweet—even the stop-motion food looks legit tasty."
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Fans watching at home have also enjoyed the film, with one tweeting last year when it was released: “‘Alien Xmas’ on Netflix is one of my new favorite Christmas movies. This movie is too damn adorable!”
Another added: “Idk who needs to hear this but watch Alien Xmas on Netflix it’s so cute and I have watched it 3 times already and have no shame.”
A third said: “Everyone stop what you’re doing and go watch Alien Xmas on Netflix. It’s so funny.”
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A fourth added: “I can't say enough good things about Alien Xmas on @netflix. There's so much to like -gorgeous animation, clever jokes, POC representation - but the most important thing is how gosh-darn sincere it is. There's no cynicism anywhere.”
You can watch Alien Xmas on Netflix now.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV and Film, Christmas, Netflix
