Aliens In The Attic (2009/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture: B
Sound: B Extras: C- Film: C-
Though it does not come out and try to be so in obvious ways,
John Schultz’s Aliens In The Attic
(2009) wants to be another E.T., but
the competent-at-best Mark Burton/Adam F. Goldberg (who penned the
underwhelming Fanboys) tries to be
just another formulaic kids comedy before veering off into that direction. At least this does not pretend to be
original, but it also has nothing new to offer and no matter how happy your
unknown young actors act, that cannot change the source material.
When the CG-animated title characters show up, they are
looking more like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than anything else, but I
was only so impressed with the animation or the fact that Thomas Hayden
Church, Josh Peck and
J.K. Simmons were called in to do some voice work. Passable at best, we have seen worse, but
this is not very ambitious and slight.
The 1080p 1.85 X 1 AVC @ 22 MBPS digital High Definition
image has a good look, but is not that great and detail can be an issue. Director of Photography Don Burgess delivers
his usual professional camerawork, but this can’t save this. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix
is not bad either, but nothing too impressive, even when the surrounds kick in
at best. Composer John Debney turns in
another score that is not up to his best work, but then, look what he had to
score.
Extras include a bonus DVD-ROM disc with Digital Copy for
PC and PC portable devices, while the Blu-ray adds introduction to the film and
special features with Ashley Tisdale, Alternate Ending, Deleted Scenes, Gag
Reel, Behind The Zirkonians animated
short, Meet The Zirkonians
Interactive Featurette, The Ashley
Encounters Featurette, Lights,
Camera, Aliens! Featurette, Kung Fu
Grandma Featurette, promo Music Video and Fox Movie Channel episode of Life After Film School promoting the
film with Producer Barry Josephson, whose career has not been filled with the
most inspired work.
- Nicholas Sheffo
