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Xeno

Play trailer 2:11 Poster for Xeno PG-13 Sep 2025 1h 43m Sci-Fi Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 13 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A teenage girl and a terrifying alien form a powerful bond after a chance encounter in the desert, sending them on an adventure that questions the nature of good and evil. As government agents close in, the girl discovers the alien is not the extraterrestrial she expected. Compelled to protect her new friend, she uncovers a secret that could change the fate of both their worlds.

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Xeno

Critics Reviews

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Tara McNamara Common Sense Media Brings a modern-day chill to the space-buddy genre. Rated: 3/5 Sep 23, 2025 Full Review Abbie Bernstein Assignment X Part E.T., part monster movie, part domestic drama. Rated: B- Sep 22, 2025 Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times It’s a straight-up hybrid of ā€œStarman,ā€ ā€œThe Iron Giant,ā€ and ā€œE.T.ā€ If you view it through an ā€œimitation is the sincerest form of flatteryā€ lens, the movie more than makes up for its lack of new ideas with a lot of grit, pluck, and a huge heart. Rated: 5/5 Sep 20, 2025 Full Review Sarah Vincent Sarah G Vincent Views Despite the similarities, ā€œXenoā€ (2025) is no ā€œE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialā€ (1982) and is a solid entertaining movie with enough bite to make the stakes feel high. Sep 19, 2025 Full Review Debopriyaa Dutta High on Films What keeps it from being yet another copy is its willingness to dabble in cold, hard cynicism. That isn’t a drawback by any means, [as it is a world where] sweet innocence coexists with the unchecked cruelty of those who fear what they don’t understand. Rated: 4/5 Sep 19, 2025 Full Review Luna Guthrie Collider We need more creators like Matthew Loren Oates, and more movies like Xeno, to help those in-betweeners feel acknowledged, and important enough that people still want to make films just for them. Rated: 8/10 Sep 19, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Paul Good update to ET story with hard edges. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/26/25 Full Review Bethlee S This movie is confused about what tone and audience it wants to have. It's trying to be both an edgier E.T. and a sci-fi horror movie. SO many cliched characters, and even the few "likeable" ones are impossible to care about because nothing they do makes sense. I was actually surprised at how turned off I was by Xeno because the trailer made it look pretty cool. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/24/25 Full Review jesse v so imagine ET but with a xenomorph. But like, there is no real government urgency other than a crew of 10 people, one of which is obsessed with a toy car and talks in riddles. Don't get me wrong, the main character is EXCELLENT at her role, but time moves so slowly that she neglects her pets, parents, and even school towards the end. You can tell the movie was contractually obligated to focus on only 6 characters that can talk. I wish the xenomorph did at the end honestly. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/25 Full Review GuyFiery Think if E.T. was a little more horrifying. And the government was not so nice. This was like that .It held up pretty well, especially with yhe end credit scene. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/21/25 Full Review robert l Great film. Loved the way it explored grief. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/25 Full Review Desiree S In many ways it's like an edgier take on Lilo & Stitch. A lonely girl, with weird interests and a rebellious streak, struggles in an unhappy household but quickly makes a new friend out of a monstrous alien creature intended to be a bioweapon but deep down has a gentler side. One shortcoming the film does have is focusing on the bond between Renee and Croak, as she suddenly falls in love with her new alien pal rather than the bond of trust feeling more earned. They could have focused on how they gradually came to trust each other through several interactions rather than just a quick golden flash of light instantly bonding them. Still a good film worth a watch, and commits to the theme of "loving a monster", by making the monster actually look hideous and grotesque, as opposed to something cute and marketable like Stitch or E.T. The message of "appearances don't matter" is stretched to its extreme. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/08/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Xeno

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Movie Info

Synopsis A teenage girl and a terrifying alien form a powerful bond after a chance encounter in the desert, sending them on an adventure that questions the nature of good and evil. As government agents close in, the girl discovers the alien is not the extraterrestrial she expected. Compelled to protect her new friend, she uncovers a secret that could change the fate of both their worlds.
Director
Matthew Loren Oates
Producer
Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, Luke Kelly-Clyne, Shana Marie, Jesse Jensen
Screenwriter
Matthew Loren Oates
Distributor
Blue Fox Entertainment
Production Co
Tabooma, Heartbeat Productions
Rating
PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Violent Content/Bloody Images|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 19, 2025, Limited
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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