TL;DR – A delightfully fun, but also a touch dark, romp about a man finding the alien he once met as a child.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription used to watch this film.

Allen Review Introduction

When you think of Ludo Studio, one thing immediately comes to mind: Bluey. Which is fair enough. However, they have been quietly producing a wave of small but meaningful series. One good example of this was Robbie Hood. While they have produced a lot of TV series, they have yet to make the jump to feature films. Well, that changes today, as we dive into their first offering: a surprisingly odd, and a touch dark, family film.

So, to set the scene, one night while Peter ‘Petey’ Burns (Edward A O’Sullivan) was young, the power went out, and a blue light exploded into the sky. Running down to the beach, Petey found an egg-like vessel pounding music into the night and a little alien dude. It was a wonderful time as Allen, Petey, and friends had a blast before a blue light reached down and stole Allen away, but not before they left a mark on each other. Many years later, Petey (T.J. Power) has grown up and has spent his life trying to reconnect with his friend. Soon, the same conditions that shaped that night will return, and Petey knows this is his final chance to reconnect with Allen.

Aggressively Australian

I have seen a lot of films made in Australia, and a lot of films set in Australia; however, I am not sure I have seen a film so aggressively Australian, and a very specific time in Australia. There was a wave of nostalgia as the camera rushed through that room full of touchstone toys and books. I see you there, Peter Jennings. Then that folder full of Tazos appeared, and I lost it. It was as if part of my childhood reached out from the void, unlocking a memory that I had not thought of in an age. This extends throughout the film, such as when people are fighting on the grass, and the first thing they mention is the bindii, and they were wearing the right State of Origin jersey. It also helps that this film celebrates Coolum, where it was filmed in such a way only locals could.

I Feel His Pain

I did understand where Petey is in his life when they catch back up. When you had something so profound happen in your life, how does the rest of your time ever catch up to that? It helps that the design of Allen is simply adorable. It is in the eyes; you just trust those eyes. There is so much detail there. Allen is a strong combination of puppetry and digital effects, and it works. You would absolutely believe someone throwing their life away for a friend they only knew for a short time. This is so important, because the rest of the film does not work if you don’t buy that. Also, you need to believe that people would take one look at him and go, yep, we need to help this dude out, and break people out of jail.

You Are Not Taking Him to Outer Space

The second half of the film is a surprisingly dark look at not always getting what you want. A lot of the narrative revolves around getting stuck in that arrested development stage where you can’t move on. Now, the film adds some alien elements that amplify those feelings to another level, and I am sure you could read other things into the film, around addiction and how we trust cute things. It helps that the rest of the cast is grounded believably, so when things do take a wild turn, you feel that it comes from a real place. All of this means that the film does get a touch darker in places. Darker than I was expecting, including some not so subtle conversations around saving everyone. However, thinking back, they did tip their hats to this right at the start. Though, the most realistic thing might have been the creepy police officer played by Benedict Hardie, who also was the comic relief. An odd mix for an odd film.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Allen? Yes, we would. I honestly had a blast with Petey, Allen, and the whole gang. I loved the festival atmosphere, the Sunshine Coast setting, Allen’s adorable eyes, and the lingering suspicion that humanity may have doomed itself simply because he’s so selfie-worthy. I mean, we probably would not do that … right …

Have you watched Allen? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Allen, we would recommend Project Hail Mary to you because it also knows the power of using a mix of practical and digital effects to create a fundamentally adorable alien offsider.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Allen
Directed by – Daley Pearson & Jeffrey Walker
Written by – Sophie Miller & Daley Pearson
Music by – Joff Bush, Ack Kinmonth, & Daniel O’Brien
Cinematography by – Toby Oliver
Edited by – Geoff Lamb
Production/Distribution Companies – Ludo & Netflix
Starring – T.J. Power, Charlotte Nicdao, Josh Helman, Emily Barclay, Benedict Hardie, & Elijah Tamati
With – Edward A O’Sullivan, Caitlin Niemotko, Tom Broadmore, Kelly Butler, Christopher Sommers, Kaipo Heke, Chaydon Jay, Steven Bonutto, Gemma Keliher, Sarah McLeod, Anna Straker, & Aljin Abella
Rating – Australia: M;