Mars Needs Moms

Have you read Mars Needs Moms to your little ones? It’s a GREAT story and my little boys just adore the book. When my 5 year old saw that they made one of his favorite books into a movie he was beyond excited to see it. We had the opportunity to view Mars Needs Moms at an Imax 3D theater. The overall message of the movie is nice. Family, above all else, it what’s most important. The special effects were great and the animation spectacular. However, if you are looking for a cute cuddly alien movie for your preschool or kindergarten child, this is probably not the movie for you.

The movie is loosely based on the book. It has the same concept. Little boy is angry with his mom, falls asleep, mom is stolen by aliens from Mars. However, the similarities end there. The characters don’t have that cute, innocent quality of the book and the movie itself is somewhat violent. At one point there is even a firing squad, which was quite scary. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great film for the older crowd, say 8 and up. My little guy screamed “OH NO” throughout the entire movie. That being said, he enjoyed the movie, but told me later that it was “a little violent”.

The highlight of the movie for me was the credits. I have never been to a movie in which everyone stayed for the credits. It was really fascinating. As the credits rolled it showed footage of how the movie was made, with the actors wearing special suits. If you go to this movie, make sure you stay until the very end!

I’d give this movie 2 1/2 stars for originality and special effects. Check it out with your older kids and keep the little kiddos at home (they’ll enjoy the book better!).

We received passes to see this movie in exchange for our honest opinions.