About a teenaged boy suffering rejection angst who messages The Universe to come and take him away because he doesn't belong on earth. The movie overall is "sweet" - no one is too awful, and nothing too terrible happens to him. The production values are so low as to become distracting; i.e., the aliens are not cute or interesting, the halloween dance has a total of about 20 participants, and his "high tech equipment" consists of a laptop and a backyard satellite dish. You have never heard of any of the actors in this, except for the kid nextdoor neighbor. I watched it because TV Guide rated it very very highly - I wonder what they were thinking of.
19 Reviews
A weird mess.
robertsays21828 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is interesting, but also overly weird and at times overly annoying. The actors are fine, but only Malcolm Mcdowells voice performance is the one to watch or listen of the voice acting. The special effects and freakish aliens are cute. The reason it gets a 5 is because the movie keeps you awake wondering what the heck is going on. Now this movie can be stupid at times and of course freaking ridiculous. I was never bored when i watched it, but like i said I was annoyed at times. The picture quality of this movie (meaning what and where the camera is shooting) is beautiful. Nice bright colors. But only a 5 it shall receive.
Did the writer die before he finished this?
Zanatos23 April 1999
The first two-thirds of this movie are so neat and so funny, that it is such a shame when the final third is so downright stupid and remedial. It is about a boy, who feels like an outcast at home and school, that he tries to summon aliens using his satellite dish to take him away from Earth. After a lightning incident, aliens finally do hear him, and some of them come to try and take the boy away after he has had second thoughts about leaving. Some of these aliens (especially the lawyer alien) are very hilarious. But then the writing screws up when the boy his friends team up with the school bully to face an evil zoo-keeper alien. This bully-befriending and cliched evil alien make me wonder if we changed writers within the movie. That feeling ruins "Can Of Worms." Zanatos's score: 5 out of 10
Can of Worms...
doomedmac6 May 2021
A can of nothing different upon the aspects of a movie. (Contains brief spoilers in second paragraph)
chrishewittpiano2 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I have seen this Disney movie maybe four times because Disney plays their movies so much, and have every time thought that is was a bit odd. One thing that I found that made this movie not as good as it could have been, was the "perfect" family that was in the movie. For some reason, the main character, Mike, thinks he has such a terrible life, when that really isn't true. Even though he thinks that he is upon the area of being incommodious to the place he lives in, Earth, that still isn't a reason to want to leave, is it? There is another thing about his life that makes it exquisitely neat that you will find out if you watch the movie. The family seems to be perfect with no flaws in the family except for some whimsical parents. Even his sister is typical. There really was not a lot of thought that went into making this family different from boring. If the writer was trying to express this family like this, he or she could have make the family more interesting even if they had this family planned like this.
The plot of the story is somewhat weird as well. The story does not flow in the end. It shifts to an entirely different kind of story it seems like. Basically what is does is discontinues from what the story had to offer, a movie that took place in a small town. Not somewhere bizarre like where it seems to take place in the end. The movie just sort of turned out not as it could have, and not how I would have expected. This is also the type of movie that someone could like just because they want to, but deep down inside they may think that it is a movie that isn't so good after all.
This movie is overall a little boring, it has some action scenes and some good scenes, but all in all I think it is not as good as some of the other Disney Channel Original movies. I think that is is worth seeing once or twice, but you shouldn't expect a lot from it. There are some funny lines, but some are not. I think that overall, I would give this movie a 6 out of 10, for lacking what could be the most important thing in movies: the will to keep the audience watching.
The plot of the story is somewhat weird as well. The story does not flow in the end. It shifts to an entirely different kind of story it seems like. Basically what is does is discontinues from what the story had to offer, a movie that took place in a small town. Not somewhere bizarre like where it seems to take place in the end. The movie just sort of turned out not as it could have, and not how I would have expected. This is also the type of movie that someone could like just because they want to, but deep down inside they may think that it is a movie that isn't so good after all.
This movie is overall a little boring, it has some action scenes and some good scenes, but all in all I think it is not as good as some of the other Disney Channel Original movies. I think that is is worth seeing once or twice, but you shouldn't expect a lot from it. There are some funny lines, but some are not. I think that overall, I would give this movie a 6 out of 10, for lacking what could be the most important thing in movies: the will to keep the audience watching.
What Is That Disgusting Creature?!?!?!
TheMysteriousReviewer17 October 2023
Can of Worms is not only one of the most stupidest, but possibly the worst Halloween movie Disney Channel has ever created. Even for straight-to-television, it doesn't excuse to be both cringy and very cheesy. Actually, being a cheesy sci-fi film is just the least of the movie's issues. The story is very basic, the visuals are a joke, the characters have almost no brain, the acting is just overacting, and the animatronics are some of the most disturbing in the worst kind of way. Honestly, I suggest to stay away from this one. Trust me, you will be excruciated the first half hour you watch it. If you want to watch a Halloween related movie by Disney Channel, go watch Don't Look Under The Bed or even the first two Halloweentown films and they are actually much more enjoyable. This is truly the sci fi Disney Channel movie that has little to nothing in entertainment. Well hey, at least we won't have to see those freaks again.
A great kids movie
dbookworm227 December 2006
I think this movie is funny. It is a quirky concept for a movie but it's one that kids will enjoy. I saw it for the first time when I was probably 10 on Disney channel. I thought it was great. I still do. It is a kids movie and kids get it. I love it. Sure the acting isn't the best, but hey, its for KIDS. They don't care. They'll love the weird aliens. It's just a good kids movie. Kids like to create stories which don't make sense to anyone but themselves. This movie is just like that. It makes sense to kids and anyone who understands kids. You just need to watch it and not try to think to hard. Just take it as it is, enjoy the randomness. Love the aliens. My favorite is the dog. But that's just me. Kids will like it.
what on earth?
hjc10118919 July 2002
I have no idea what convinced the makers of this movie to make it, but this was the strangest, most discusting, most bizarre movie i have ever seen. The idea of a kid being an alien and not knowing it, and then sending a message to space for them to come get him, strikes me as odd. The acting was poor, and the script sounded like it had been written by a ten year old. On a scale of 1 to 10 i give it a 2.
Not downright awful, but not particularly amazing, either.
tanela12 April 2000
I watched this movie because my favourite actor, Malcolm McDowell does a voice of one of the aliens. I was not very impressed with the story. Young children might find it entertaining for as long as it lasts, but it's not very memorable. The aliens aren't too bad, but the other effects, at the dance and the main character's supposedly high-tech equipment are pretty cheesy. The movie moves very slowly and it takes most of the movie for the premise to set in. If they had either started the movie about half way through and made a bigger deal about the adventure on the other planet, or gone in a totally different direction from the midway point, the movie might have been redeemable. However, it's not. All the characters are pretty shallow. The main character can't seem to decide if he is or isn't an alien. The bully character goes along with their plans just because he is dared which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Anyway, it's a shallow movie.
Scarred me for life
quolzski4 February 2023
Why would anyone actually sit down and decide to make this movie, the monsters are literally the most painful, disturbing things to look at and the cover of the movie is scarier than some covers of actual horror movies. I couldn't even finish this movie because of how bad it was, never watch this movie .. its so bad. The designs of the monsters are so odd aswell, they have human teeth and their eyes are sticking out all weird. I mean, they couldn't even use different teeth for the monsters. The script for the characters are awful too. They talk like a baby wrote it and the only reason I found this movie was because I was looking for new movies on disney plus. Anyways, this is by far the worst movie on there.
cold sweat
briannakrause7 February 2022
When I was a child, only at the age of 8 I woke up in a cold sweat while this movie was playing. Traumatic if I do say. I only saw the last 30 minutes of this movie but I had nightmares for the next two years. All I could remember about this movie was the aliens. Everyone thought I was lying, making things up, and after a while I did too. "It must of been a weird dream that suck with me." is what I thought. Oh was I so wrong. Fast forward ten years, I have not stopped thinking about this movie, my every waking moment, every time someone brings up the Critters franchise I have to relish in the fact that its not the movie that has been haunting my thoughts for twelve years.
I finally found this stupid movie, my character arch is over, I can finally rest.
Also. Mike is literally the definition of an incel and does NOT deserve Katelyn lmao.
I finally found this stupid movie, my character arch is over, I can finally rest.
Also. Mike is literally the definition of an incel and does NOT deserve Katelyn lmao.
Did they change the ending at last minute?
wisteria-1768219 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is classic campy 90s Disney. They even had the typical bratty younger sibling that all main characters seemed to have in that decade. However, the movie had a very anticlimactic ending.
The film makes sure to keep reminding you about Mike's obsession with aliens. So much so, it makes you think the ending would go 'surprise surprise, he really was an alien all along!' You know, like Disney's other 'I'm not like other guys' movies (looking at you The 13th Year). What would be the chance of him happening to guess the exact name (Hanzel) and nature of an alien species if he wasn't one of them?! He even had drawings on his laptop, during his storytelling, that looked EXACTLY like those aliens! The story he was telling even ended with a pair Hanzels sending off their baby boy to planet Earth after their planet was invaded! Mike even says, "He was adopted and raised as an Earthling, but he'll never really feel at home. He'll never feel like he belongs." Unlike what other reviewers said about Mike coming across as the "typical angsty teen," to me it looked more like Mike had this sense of unbelonging his whole life. So, imo the movie builds up an ending where Mike was that alien baby.
In the Thoad's zoo, there was a Hanzel that looked at Mike longingly and like it recognized him. The Hanzel even had a telepathic connection with ONLY Mike on how to set everyone free the zoo! Like, c'mon! How could he have NOT been one of them?! Maybe the writers couldn't decide on what Mike would have wanted to do if it were revealed he really was an alien. In my opinion, even choosing to stay on Earth and the Hanzel occasionally visiting him would have been LEAGUES better than the "he was just a human" ending :/
The film makes sure to keep reminding you about Mike's obsession with aliens. So much so, it makes you think the ending would go 'surprise surprise, he really was an alien all along!' You know, like Disney's other 'I'm not like other guys' movies (looking at you The 13th Year). What would be the chance of him happening to guess the exact name (Hanzel) and nature of an alien species if he wasn't one of them?! He even had drawings on his laptop, during his storytelling, that looked EXACTLY like those aliens! The story he was telling even ended with a pair Hanzels sending off their baby boy to planet Earth after their planet was invaded! Mike even says, "He was adopted and raised as an Earthling, but he'll never really feel at home. He'll never feel like he belongs." Unlike what other reviewers said about Mike coming across as the "typical angsty teen," to me it looked more like Mike had this sense of unbelonging his whole life. So, imo the movie builds up an ending where Mike was that alien baby.
In the Thoad's zoo, there was a Hanzel that looked at Mike longingly and like it recognized him. The Hanzel even had a telepathic connection with ONLY Mike on how to set everyone free the zoo! Like, c'mon! How could he have NOT been one of them?! Maybe the writers couldn't decide on what Mike would have wanted to do if it were revealed he really was an alien. In my opinion, even choosing to stay on Earth and the Hanzel occasionally visiting him would have been LEAGUES better than the "he was just a human" ending :/
Not a movie I'd watch on the channel
mitsubishizero22 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's not awful, but it's not a movie I'd watch again. It's one of you those you just have to see once to believe. It's pretty bizarre (and not exactly in a good way).
The story's about a kid named Michael (Mike) Pillsbury who doesn't feel like he belongs on earth. He's a smart yet awkward, nerdy kid.
He feels so out of place that he even thinks he's from another planet. He's part of the football team (despite clearly not being fit for it because his dad makes him). One night after getting humiliated during a dance, he sends a message in space demanding to be taken elsewhere.
At first he thought nothing of it, but the next day, a dog named Barnabas appears followed by other weird aliens. Each one has their own reason for seeking him. From then on, things get more and more bizarre.
Disney Channel movies are very hit or miss (often the latter) and this is one of them. Despite being a sci-fi film, the aliens aren't focused on until towards the end. Mike can get annoying at times, but towards the end he tones it down a lot.
The acting of most of the cast seems off. The parents are surprisingly cheery even when he's going through all sorts of insanity. It's weird. How are they fine with him having a huge satellite dish in their backyard. They're surprisingly chill when it literally explodes due to a lightning strike. The sister's the typical annoying sister. Thank god she doesn't appear much, because she never shuts up. I get it's a kids movie, but I doubt even kids would stick around that long throughout this film. It's so bizarre that it doesn't really make you want to see the ending. The effects are dated (and kind've hilarious) but for a movie of this quality, they're ok.
The story's just meh. It's not very engaging. At least to me. It gets boring towards the middle. It's another by the numbers tv coming of age movie with aliens, and yet that still doesn't make it stand out in a good way. Given how this rarely aired on Disney Channel, I wouldn't be surprised why.
I'll say this, the aliens were interesting. They're what you'd expect in most kid's entertainment.
Aside from that, this movie's pretty skipable. If you want something crazy to laugh at, go ahead. But if you want something better put together that leaves more of an impact, you'll have to look elsewhere. Maybe even on another planet far away.
The story's about a kid named Michael (Mike) Pillsbury who doesn't feel like he belongs on earth. He's a smart yet awkward, nerdy kid.
He feels so out of place that he even thinks he's from another planet. He's part of the football team (despite clearly not being fit for it because his dad makes him). One night after getting humiliated during a dance, he sends a message in space demanding to be taken elsewhere.
At first he thought nothing of it, but the next day, a dog named Barnabas appears followed by other weird aliens. Each one has their own reason for seeking him. From then on, things get more and more bizarre.
Disney Channel movies are very hit or miss (often the latter) and this is one of them. Despite being a sci-fi film, the aliens aren't focused on until towards the end. Mike can get annoying at times, but towards the end he tones it down a lot.
The acting of most of the cast seems off. The parents are surprisingly cheery even when he's going through all sorts of insanity. It's weird. How are they fine with him having a huge satellite dish in their backyard. They're surprisingly chill when it literally explodes due to a lightning strike. The sister's the typical annoying sister. Thank god she doesn't appear much, because she never shuts up. I get it's a kids movie, but I doubt even kids would stick around that long throughout this film. It's so bizarre that it doesn't really make you want to see the ending. The effects are dated (and kind've hilarious) but for a movie of this quality, they're ok.
The story's just meh. It's not very engaging. At least to me. It gets boring towards the middle. It's another by the numbers tv coming of age movie with aliens, and yet that still doesn't make it stand out in a good way. Given how this rarely aired on Disney Channel, I wouldn't be surprised why.
I'll say this, the aliens were interesting. They're what you'd expect in most kid's entertainment.
Aside from that, this movie's pretty skipable. If you want something crazy to laugh at, go ahead. But if you want something better put together that leaves more of an impact, you'll have to look elsewhere. Maybe even on another planet far away.
This may be the worst movie I have ever seen
brandi-ferrell30 October 2022
I am trying so hard to finish this movie to give it a fair chance, but this is extremely painful. I am trying to watch all the old Disney channel original movies and I had never heard of this one before. I was excited for a moment because I like Erika Christiansen from Parenthood and the kid that plays his friend from some episodes of Gilmore girls but the excitement ends there. All the "aliens"? Are SUPER ANNOYING!! Their voices are annoying and several of them are super disturbing to even look at with their too realistic eyes and mouths attached to weird puppety bodies. Please don't waste your time like I did!
Could have been interesting but sadly no.
tmgndf2 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is pretty boring even though I Kinda do like the alien designs it's mostly just aliens offering something like a life of luxury to sell The main character things and also just to date someone or something like that just offering something to the main character and of course the main character is just confused,the characters are also pretty shallow but they implemented some interesting ideas into two characters the the jock and the main character but never used in a satisfying way.
I'm mentally scared and happy
cutiepie-4186818 October 2020
It was so amazing that it scares me. It's bad but definitely a great bonding experience if you like making fun of movies. The extra terrestrials do get a little creepy but that's about it. It's like being high without being high, it's a journey. And let's not forget the 1992 terrible graphics that just make it immaculate. All over its pretty much only good if you're watching it with other people or you have an hour and 42 minutes to spare.
The Entrapment to Our Escape
c-chavez01492 July 2013
Beautiful movie! Great imagination and way of presenting common issues. As the main character gets trapped in an environment that mimics his home town it does not quite replace it. This speaks to we as a society or individuals offer others a comfort area or object in order for others to feel at home. However, we miss the most important things which are the connections they have to home not home itself. The alien that collects other creatures and provides them an environment which mimics their hometown may genuinely be trying to help these creatures be happy as they can do as they please in their restricted area. However, he does not see that solitude is not for everyone and that objects (such as a house) is not as important as the relationships they have and their day to day experiences. Many times we too wish to just be abducted by Aliens if only for a moment to not live in such a chaotic world or have to face our fears. However, it is not until we realize that our world has more to offer than our presenting problems that we begin to value it. I watched it as child and for several years still remains a great movie. Perhaps now the special effects may not be as powerful but if you allow yourself to see the movie for what it is and perhaps attempt to see it through a child's eye, or through someone who is eager to please others, someone, who wants to get away, or someone who began their journey with something in mind and lost their purpose on the way, you may greatly enjoy the film.
Loved it, but confused
samuelmackey19 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not here to bore you guys with the whole review of the movie like everyone else, but I'm a bit confused. The whole movie hints at Pillsbury not being normal, and maybe even being an alien. As the story goes on, it looks af if he really belongs in the stars. At one point, they run into an alien from one of his stories, which also is able to speak to him telepathically. Although some may say that this is enough confirmation, it really isn't. The story didn't nail the concept enough for a kids movie. Not even a nod to the concept of Pillsbury not being fully human after that run-in.
Cliched, but still fun
Thomas-Musings5 January 2021
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