Aliens in the Attic
by John Schultz
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DVD details
Actor: Ashley Boettcher, Ashley Tisdale, Austin Butler, Carter Jenkins, Robert HoffmanDirector: John Schultz
Brand: Fox Home Entertainment
Cinematographer: Don Burgess
Producer: Barry Josephson
Producer: Joe Hartwick Jr.
Producer: John R. Woodward
Producer: Marc S. Fischer
Writer: Adam F. Goldberg
Writer: Mark Burton
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-11-03
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Aliens in the Attic
DVD Review: Close Encounters of the Worst Kind
Summary: 2 Stars
I saw a blurb about "Aliens in the Attic" describing it as "the perfect children's movie." My first thought was whoever said that was being sarcastic. But no; I read further, and to my extreme disappointment, I saw that the writer was dead serious. Really? The perfect children's movie? I don't know--"The Wizard of Oz" has been beloved for generations, as have "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Pinocchio," and I'm pretty sure "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," and "The Lion King" will be remembered for years to come. If such a thing happens to "Aliens in the Attic," then let me apologize now for failing to see the wonder and magic it supposedly has in spades. Maybe I'm too grown up to appreciate kid-friendly entertainment.
Or maybe this is one movie that even the kids shouldn't be watching. This is a goofy, sterile, inconsequential film that has no ambition other than to turn the minds of children into mush. It's about as enlightening as a cereal commercial aired during the Saturday Morning Cartoons lineup, and not even half as entertaining. The problems have nothing to do with the premise; believe me, I can buy into the idea of tiny green aliens invading earth as easily as the next guy. But when the most clever scene you can come up with is a ridiculous video-game/kung fu brawl between twenty-eight year-old Robert Hoffman and seventy-eight year-old Doris Roberts, you've officially proven that you possess the imagination of a tree stump.
"Aliens in the Attic" follows a formula where the children are resourceful, the adults are clueless, and the situations are nothing close to possible. And I mean besides the whole aliens-are-attacking gimmick. Consider the moment the local sheriff (Tim Meadows) stops by the house to reprimand the children for making a fraudulent 911 call; the parents (Kevin Nealon and Gillian Vigman) suddenly show up and invite the sheriff to join them for their backyard barbecue, because, obviously, even an officer on duty needs to take a hot dog and burger break every once in a while. The sheriff accepts the invitation, naturally. No wonder the kids in these movies can't take the adults seriously; they make a lot of rules, but they never seem to follow them.
The plot: Reluctant math genius Tom Pearson (Tom Jenkins) is dragged by his Atta Boy Sport father Stuart and Play Friendly Everyone mother Nina on a fishing trip to a lakeside summerhouse in Michigan. Along for the ride are Tom's bratty teenage sister, Bethany (Ashley Tisdale), and his cute-as-a-button younger sister, Hannah (Ashley Boettcher). When they arrive, the Pearsons are joined by Nana Rose (Roberts), Uncle Nathan (Andy Richter), and his three sons--the militant Jake (Austin Robert Butler) and identical twin video game experts Art and Lee (Henry and Regan Young). To Tom's horror, Bethany's boyfriend, Ricky (Hoffman), also arrives. Ricky is a preppy jerk who wins favor with the Pearsons while secretly being mean to Tom. He's also lying to Bethany about something, but she's too love struck to notice.
When Tom finds himself on the roof trying to fix a broken satellite dish, he makes a startling discovery: Four well armed, knee-high, green, goblin-like aliens (voiced by Thomas Haden Church, Josh Peck, Ashley Peldon, and Kari Wahlgren) getting ready to plan an invasion of Earth. Oh no, they've shot a mind-control chip into Ricky's neck, and now the aliens can move his body with a handheld remote! As the aliens scurry through the ventilation system trying to get to the basement, the children immediately form a plan of attack, part of which involves tricking the adults into leaving the house. Not that it would have mattered; earlier scenes between the children and the aliens make it clear that, if anything noisy happens upstairs, the adults are under no obligation to take notice.
What a dumb, vacant movie this is, so lacking in style, originality, neatness, and plausibility, so innocuous, so devoid of anything even remotely fun or exciting. The filmmakers seemed to labor under the delusion that children aren't smart enough for something more fulfilling and mature. A tornado takes a girl from Kansas to a faraway land with witches, an Emerald City, and Munchkins? A boy discovers he's a wizard and goes to a special school of magic? A puppet is brought to life and must go on a mission to become a real boy? A young woman falls in love with a prince transformed into a hideous beast? All nonsense, apparently. But not "Aliens in the Attic." Because it's the perfect children's movie.
No, I won't accept that, and neither should you. Do not subject your kids to this movie. There are so many other choices to better stimulate their imaginations. They deserve something that actually makes an effort to tell a story, free from the maddening clichés of smart kids and idiotic parents and life lessons that don't go beyond the maturity level of a "Full House" episode. I recently had to sit through the mind-numbingly innocent Disney film "G-Force," and I would rather they see that than "Aliens in the Attic."
Description of Aliens in the Attic
It?s summer vacation, but the Pearson family kids are stuck at a boring lake house with their nerdy parents. That is until feisty, little, green aliens crash-land on the roof, with plans to conquer the house AND Earth! Using only their wits, courage and video game-playing skills, the youngsters must band together to defeat the aliens and save the world -- but the toughest part might be keeping the whole thing a secret from their parents! Featuring an all-star cast including Ashley Tisdale, Andy Richter, Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows, Aliens In The Attic is the most fun you can have on this planet!| Specs: |  | Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital / Spanish & French: Dolby Surround Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 1.85:1 |
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| Episodes-Bonus Features: | | **Forced Trailers: Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel, Percy Jackson Theatrical Trailer, Ice Age 3, Night At The Museum 2, Post Grad, Family Catalog Trailer **Introduction to Film with Ashley Tisdale **The Ashley Encounters **Deleted Scenes **Gag Reel **Behind the Zirkonians **Meet The Zirkonians **Trailer Farm: Delgo, Fame, Strawberry Shortcake: Sky's The Limit |
Video game meets movie in this wacky science-fiction action film. When aliens from space invade the attic of a rented lake house, a boring summer vacation takes a turn for the unreal for six kids. Conflict abounds in the extended Pearson family, which includes Nana (Dora Roberts), two nerdy adult brothers (Kevin Nealon and Andy Richter), and their six children. Teenage cousins Tom (Carter Jenkins), an ex-math nerd, and Jake (Austin Robert Butler), a rebellious teen with lots of attitude, clash like oil and water, and Bethany (Ashley Tisdale) and her devious boyfriend, Ricky (Robert Hoffman), don't make the situation any easier. Add in three younger siblings and it looks like it's going to be a long vacation. When four aliens crash on the roof of the house in search of a secret weapon and world domination, things begin to get interesting. Armed with mind-control technology, the aliens are able to manipulate humans with a device that's remarkably similar to a video game controller. Unfortunately for the aliens, the technology works only on adults. Suddenly, the warring cousins and siblings realize they must join forces and rely on one another to save their parents, Nana, and the rest of the world. What ensues is an action-packed battle in which the kids try to outsmart the aliens with everything from fireworks to a remote-controlled Barbie car and a paintball gun. When the kids get ahold of the aliens' controllers, hilarity reins as they make Ricky and Nana do everything from slap themselves to fight as only an accomplished Kung-Fu Grandma can. The action is funny and the kids get fairly creative, but the movie is really just a farce that's full of silly humor, the occasional glimpse of heart, and a somewhat buried message that it's OK to be smart. Aliens in the Attic is kind of like watching someone else play a good video game; the plot is fairly entertaining and the action is fun, but the experience just isn't as stimulating as when you're the one behind the controller. Bonus features include the animated short "Behind the Zirkonians," an alternate ending, three deleted scenes, a 5-minute gag reel, an interactive "Meet the Zirkonians" segment, and fun on the set with Ashley Tisdale in "The Ashley Encounters." (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from Aliens in the Attic (Click for larger image)
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