Rating: PG
Starring:
Carter Jenkins as Tom Pearson
Austin Robert Butler as Jake Pearson
Ashley Tisdale as Bethany Pearson
Ashley Boettcher as Hannah Pearson
Henri Young as Art Pearson
Regan Young as Lee Pearson
Doris Roberts as Nana Rose Pearson
Robert Hoffman as Ricky Dillman
Kevin Nealon as Stuart Pearson
Gillian Vigman as Nina Pearson
Andy Richter as Uncle Nathan Pearson
Tim Meadows as Sheriff Doug Armstrong
Malese Jow as Julie
Megan Parker as Brooke
Maggie VandenBerghe as Annie Filkins
Thomas Haden Church as Tazer (voice)
Josh Peck as Sparks (voice)
Ashley Peldon as Skip (voice)
Kari Wahlgren as Razor (voice)
J.K. Simmons
Special Features:
– Introduction to Film and Special Features with Ashley Tisdale
– Alternate Ending
– Deleted Scenes
– Gag Reel
– Animated Short Behind the Zirkonians
– Meet the Zirkonians Interactive Featurette
– The Ashley Encounters Featurette
– Kung Fu Grandma Featurette
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French and Spanish Languages
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 86 Minutes
The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:
“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!”
“Aliens in the Attic” is rated PG for action violence, some suggestive humor and language.
Mini-Review:
As far as kids films go, you could do worse than “Aliens in the Attic.” It knows who its target audience is and successfully entertains it. What kid wouldn’t love seeing children battling aliens in their house? Think “Home Alone” with extraterrestrials. And what kid wouldn’t be entertained by a device that allows them to remotely control adults? A video game-like battle between a remotely controlled bully and a grandma is easily a highlight of the film. Throw in pre-teen favorite Ashley Tisdale and you have a movie that will be a favorite on Nickelodeon for years to come.
Unfortunately, for adults, there’s not a lot here. Yeah, it’s fun to see SNL favorites like Tim Meadows and Kevin Nealon alongside Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) and Andy Richter, but the movie never quite lives up to the potential that the combination promises. This movie also sticks to the tired old “let’s not tell the adults” plot point. Aliens are invading the Earth and can possibly take over the minds of everyone in the house, but the kids decide not tell a single adult and, rather, handle the crisis themselves. Maybe the movie would have been more boring if they had actually told a parent or the police, but it’s a kid movie cliché that has been done to death. How about a kid’s movie where they actually tell an adult about an impending crisis (and are actually believed instead of the usual ‘ignore the kid’ movie cliché). I wish I could at least praise the alien special effects, but they’re pretty standard, too.
I’d recommend “Aliens in the Attic” to anyone that needs to entertain kids 11 and under for 2 hours. Everyone else should pass on it.
There are some bonus features on this DVD. Despite having a smaller role in the film, Ashley Tisdale introduces the movie and bonus features. There’s an alternate ending in which the invasion is averted in a slightly different way. There are also some deleted scenes, a gag reel, and some commercials for the movie. There’s also a prequel comic showing the Zirkonians in the events leading up to the film.
