Aliens In The Attic

Review by Sean Lynch

As wonderful and awe inspiring as the new wave of kids flicks like Up and Ice Age are, I'm sure I'm not alone in suggesting that no matter how impressive the 3D CG may me - they simply don't hold a candle to the classics of the 80s and 90s.

Modern day kiddie flicks just a slickness to them that takes you out of the story. The audience never feels like it's part of the adventure.

We loved Goonies because we could see and feel the environments, and more importantly, it was an adventure that was a secret from the characters (and our own parents)... these places existed.

Same goes with Honey I Shrunk The Kids, it was a unique adventure that parents wouldn't believe, but better yet, it was an adventure in which the audience could almost touch the rough textures of that giant ant... because it existed.

Hell, we even believed Gremlins existed - why - because they physically existed.

So while Aliens In The Attic isn't breaking any new ground (and suffers from opting for CGI monsters instead of animatronics), it does capture something Alvin & The Chipmunks didn't:

A sense of fun, a sense of adventure and a sense of unique experience (that is, quite simply, kids sticking together to keep this magical experience a secret from their parents) - it's the closest thing you'll get to empowering a child's imagination.

Co-scripted by one of the writers of Madagascar and the Academy Award-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbits, Aliens In The Attic is a classic adventure about kids on a family vacation who must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions - while the youngsters' parents remain clueless about the battle.

Those who know their comedy will find the inclusions of Kevin Nealon, Andy Richter and Tim Meadows an added treat - while kids will be more than happy with their more than capable (if not slightly to old) heroes.

And, for those teetering on teen (you know, the ones that feel "too old" to be going to a movie with their parents), the inclusion of a scantily clad Ashley Tisdale (aka: Sarah Michelle Gellar V 2.0) will more than make up for any embarrassment of being dragged along to this by your parents.

While not perfect, there are some great performances (Doris Roberts is excellent) and some genuine laughs throughout Aliens In The Attic - but most importantly - there is a real sense of imaginative adventure here.

You could do a lot worse this school holidays, because quite simply, this is the cloest you will get to good old fashioned family fun.

3.5 out of 5

Aliens In The Attic
Australian release: 3rd September, 2009
Official Site: Aliens In The Attic
Cast: Carter Jenkins, Austin Robert Butler, Ashley Tisdale, Ashley Boettcher
Director: John Schultz