Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Not-so-static ‘Attic’

“Aliens in the Attic” is clearly made for kids and fans of “High School Musical’s” Ashley Tisdale, and its trailer tells moviegoers what to expect, so discerning adults might want to take cover. Still, if grownups have no choice but to accompany their kids, or find themselves watching it for whatever reason, they’ll get a decent chuckle or two out of the mostly tween-aimed experience.

It’s about a high school mathlete, Tom (Carter Jenkins), who forsakes his nerdy ways to be cool, not knowing that his smarts can help avert an impending alien invasion. Tom and his siblings and cousins become unlikely, underage soldiers when a small strike team of extraterrestrials attacks their summer house.

It’s exaggeratedly cartoony; most of the adults are pretty gullible and people unrealistically say “heck” instead of “hell.” It speaks to the tech-savvy, videogame-playing kid; among the highlights is the mind-controlled death match between the dumb jock (Robert Hoffman) and Tom’s grandma (Doris Roberts). The whole thing’s pretty pointless and silly, but despite the repetitive childish humor, it doesn’t get gratingly annoying. It’s not great, but it kills time just fine. Still, your kid will probably love it to bits.

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