YES, YES, I know. That title? That poster? The awful trailer? Aliens in the Attic, a family film from the director of horrors such as The Honeymoonersand Like Mike, really does sound like a contender for the worst film of the year. If the threat of being sent to bed without any dinner is beginning to lose its potency, then you might consider dispatching naughty children to a screening of this movie.
It's actually not that terrible. It's not good, you understand. But in a world that allows GI Joe to stomp unmolested about cinemas, nobody is going to mistake harmless old Aliens in the Atticfor a Status-One calamity.
Happily hugging many creaky alien-invasion clichés to its chest, the film sends a family to a holiday home where, on the eve on a meteor shower, they rub up against a collection of small, reasonably savage invaders. It seems (if I have this right) that the beasties have the power to turn adults into mindless, obedient zombies, but have no such authority over children. The kids take it upon themselves to – depending upon the creatures’ ultimate ambitions – defeat or make friends with the landing party.
The young actors are consistently good. Carter Jenkins is touching as the nerd and Ashley Tisdale, High School Musicalalumna, brings characteristic zip to his very slightly dissolute elder sister. The best jokes, however, come the way of Robert Hoffman, who, playing Tisdale's caddish boyfriend, has great fun when his character falls under the control of the invaders.
Sadly, the computer-generated aliens are unbelievably shoddy. Twitchy in their movements, unimaginative in their facial construction, these creations could not have looked crummier if they had been made of lavatory rolls and sticky-backed paper. Your kids may laugh for all the wrong reasons.
