Aliens in the Attic (Blu-Ray)

Twentieth Century Fox | 86 minutes | 2009 | PG | Directed by: John Schultz |
Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

The Pearson family is on vacation, having rented a beautiful house in a rural locale, perfect for patriarch Stuart (Kevin Nealon) and his fishing passion. Stuart, his wife, and their children are joined by his brother and his kids, his mother, and much to everyone's surprise, his daughter's boyfriend. So there is a full house to be sure, but it is a little more full than anyone suspects. As the family deals with all kinds of internal issues, a menace lurks upstairs, preparing to launch an assault. When the satellite dish goes down and a couple of the kids go to repair it, they encounter tiny green men, and a tiny green woman. These aliens do not come in peace though, they're the scouting party for a full invasion. Can the Pearson kids manage to repel this assault, all while trying to keep it a secret from their parents?

Aliens in the Attic might not be a great movie, but it does have two positive traits, Ashley Tisdale's hotness and Doris Roberts in a wire-work martial arts conflict. But Tisdale isn't given much screen time and as humorous as Roberts' kung fu antics are, it isn't enough to keep Aliens in the Attic on the rails. The movie isn't bad either, per se, but it remains on the bland side and delivers consistent entertainment. There are some decent laughs to be had, but this will appeal mostly to children and adults will quickly lost interest, but that is to be expected in this case. But it should be worthwhile to younger viewers, who will appreciate how resourceful the kids in the movie are, as well as the aliens and slapstick humor. So not a home run for the entire family, but Aliens in the Attic is passable and should entertain the younger viewers in your home.

Aliens in the Attic is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie looks fantastic in high definition, a clean, clear, and impressive presentation. The image shows off remarkable detail in some scenes, the kind of eye popping stuff we love, but sadly not all scenes look that good. But the entire movie has great depth, even if it isn't always elite level visual detail. No concerns with colors or contrast, as both elements perform flawlessly. In the end, we have one heck of a visual presentation, which is good, since Ashley Tisdale deserves to be seen in 1080p HD.

A better than expected DTS HD 5.1 option is on deck, one which really takes advantage of the film's more potent audio sequences. The film is usually driven by dialogue, but there is also quite a bit of action, so the surrounds are active more often than not here. None of the audio will blow down your doors of course, but its nice to have some solid presence in a film of this kind. No issues with dialogue either, while the music adds even more presence. So not a five star audio explosion, but a great soundtrack that makes the most of the material. This release also includes Spanish and French language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, and Thai.

A collection of promotional featurettes can be found here, but none have much substance. The Life After Film School episode is passable, but again not that in depth. You can also check out an alternate end sequence, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a music video.