Star Kid  

A diminuitive, 12-year-old boy named Spencer (Joseph Mazzello of Jurassic Park and The River Wild ) has been hit with every whammy possible: he's new in town, he's motherless, his preoccupied father and bored sister have no time for him, he's speechless each time he's near a girl he likes, and the school bully would like to dance on his head. Blessed are beleaguered boys in movies, however, for sometimes high adventure awaits. In Spencer's case, things get better when he finds a seven-foot-tall, alien robot suit that becomes one with whoever climbs inside it. Locked inside the metallic visitor, our little hero is capable of super feats and naturally goes after his tormentor. He also inadvertently leaves a lot of wreckage in his path from unfamiliarity with the suit's size and controls. This family film's message, of course, is that nothing can really make one stronger than learning to face problems within one's own skin. Then again, most people don't end up having to fend off hostile extraterrestrials who come to Earth to steal the suit for their own nefarious purposes. Written and directed by Manny Coto, this charming story relies a bit on some clever, well-executed special effects (the look of the robot's face as seen from inside itself is particularly ingenious), but it is largely driven by its actors' abilities. --Tom Keogh

he's speechless each time he's near a girl he likes, and the school bully would like to dance on his head. Blessed are beleaguered boys in movies, however, for sometimes high adventure awaits. In Spencer's case, things get better when he finds a seven-foot-tall, alien robot suit that becomes one with whoever climbs inside it. Locked inside the metallic visitor, our little hero is capable of super feats and naturally goes after his tormentor. He also inadvertently leaves a lot of wreckage in his path from unfamiliarity with the suit's size and controls. This family film's message, of course, is that nothing can really make one stronger than learning to face problems within one's own skin. Then again, most people don't end up having to fend off hostile extraterrestrials who come to Earth to steal the suit for their own nefarious purposes. Written and directed by Manny Coto, this charming story relies a bit on some clever, well-executed special effects (the look of the robot's face as seen from inside itself is particularly ingenious), but it is largely driven by its actors' abilities. --Tom Keogh  (less)