Luis and the Aliens Christian Movie Review (2018)

Guidance: Talk Together

This animated sci-fi comedy stays light overall, but it includes repeated bullying, a distracted father who neglects his son, mild cartoon peril, and potty-style humor. For Christian families, the bigger conversation is less about surface content and more about loneliness, family responsibility, and how hope and truth are handled apart from Christ.

Why This Guidance Level

The film is a gentle family animation on the surface, with ratings that reflect that, but it still brings a few meaningful concerns together: school bullying, comic but real parental neglect, mild chase-and-impact action, and crude kid humor. Most families will likely find the content manageable, yet the emotional and worldview themes give parents good reason to talk things through rather than treating it as entirely carefree viewing.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The story reflects a real longing to be seen, believed, and loved, especially in Luis’ relationship with his distracted father. It also shows the pain caused when adults fail in their responsibilities. At the same time, the film places hope in unusual experiences, personal vindication, and extraterrestrial wonder rather than in the steady love, truth, and redemption found in Jesus Christ. Parents may want to discuss how human loneliness points beyond adventure to the deeper hope we have in Christ.

Truths Reflected

• Children need attentive love and care from parents.
• Mocking and excluding others causes real hurt.

Tensions to Discuss

• The film’s sense of wonder is tied to alien contact and personal proof rather than to God’s created order and truth in Christ; that may be worth discussing.
• A father’s obsession repeatedly crowds out his duty to love and provide for his son, which conflicts with a biblical picture of faithful parenthood.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• Occult material does not stand out here. The supernatural element is science-fiction alien contact rather than magic, spellcasting, or spiritual practice.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Sexual content is not a meaningful issue in this film. Relationships stay in the realm of family and school interactions.

Identity Themes

• A bully mocks Luis by calling him “Louise,” using a girl’s name as an insult. That moment treats femininity as something shameful, which Christian parents may want to challenge directly with their children.

Violence & Intensity

• Action is mostly comic and animated: kids toss Luis’ shoe around, there are crashes and squealing tires, and later alien-arrival chaos brings alarms, blasting, and frantic reactions. It looks more like family-adventure peril than harsh violence, but younger children may still notice the tension.
• Outside the excerpted scenes, the film is also known for light cartoon roughness such as shoving, slapping, and punching in a playful animated style rather than realistic injury.

Language & Humour

• Language is mostly teasing and childish put-downs rather than strong profanity. Parents are more likely to notice insults like “Louise,” “dawgs,” and “royal pain with a booger brain,” along with broad potty-style jokes and crude humor aimed at younger viewers.
• Some humor leans into bodily-function comedy, including belching-style alien humor and jokes built around words like “urologist” and “waterworks.” If your family avoids crude comedy, this is worth noting.

Other Content Notes

• Luis is left waiting after school, and the principal asks, “Did your father forget to pick you up again?” At home, his father is so absorbed in alien theories that he ignores bills, forgets basic care, and barely listens to his son. This matters for Christian families because the film normalizes a painful pattern of parental neglect even while showing its consequences. Parents may want to discuss what faithful love and responsibility look like in a home.
• Bullying is a recurring social pressure. Marlon steals Luis’ shoe, calls out “Hey, Louise!” and laughs at him, while adults also speak sharply about Luis’ home and family. The ridicule is not extreme, but it is repeated enough to shape the emotional tone.
• Luis’ mother has died, and that loss sits quietly under the story. The film does not dwell on grief in a heavy way, but the absence helps explain Luis’ loneliness and desire for connection.

Notable Moments

• School bullying: Luis is singled out in front of other kids when Marlon grabs his shoe and mocks him.

  “Hey, Louise! This yours?”

• Father forgets pickup: An adult openly recognizes that Luis has been left behind before, highlighting a pattern of neglect.

  “Why are you still here? Did your father forget to pick you up again?”

• Obsessive father dynamic: Luis tries to talk about unpaid bills and practical needs, but his father brushes him aside to focus on aliens.

  “There is intelligent life out there somewhere! And your father has to find it.”

• Alien panic comedy: The arrival of aliens triggers frantic public warning played for laughs.

  “Attention citizens! Aliens have landed on Earth!”

Discussion Prompts

• Bullying and human dignity: How do you think Luis feels when other kids call him “Louise” and laugh at him? What would it look like to treat someone with kindness when others are mocking them?
  • Biblical guidance: God calls us to use words that build up, not words that shame or tear down.
  • Scripture: Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 18:21
• Parents, responsibility, and care: What is missing in the way Luis’ father cares for him? What should a loving parent do when a child needs attention, provision, and time?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture presents family care as a serious responsibility, and children are meant to be nurtured, not overlooked.
  • Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:8, Ephesians 6:4
• Where we look for hope: Luis and his father both want something bigger to make life better. Where should Christians ultimately look for hope and truth?
  • Biblical guidance: Wonder is good, but our deepest hope is not in extraordinary experiences; it is in Jesus Christ, who is the truth and our sure hope.
  • Scripture: John 14:6, 1 Peter 1:3
• Loneliness and being seen: Why do you think Luis is so drawn to friendship and adventure? When someone feels lonely, how can we reflect Christ’s love to them?
  • Biblical guidance: God sees the lonely and often cares for them through loving community, compassion, and faithful presence.
  • Scripture: Psalm 68:6, Galatians 6:2