Sunday, June 12, 2011

Aliens in the Attic (200-)


I liked this...

...well once I got through the truly awful first half hour or so before the aliens show up.

The plot concerns some kids who go on vacation with their families for vacation and end up having to save the world from the title beasties who are out to take over the world.


Spiritual twin to Spaced Invaders, this film has a first half hour that is among the worst ever put on film. Trust me on this the opening half hour, before the aliens arrive, is one of the worst teen going away on a family vacation films you’re ever likely to see. It’s so horrible that I would have turned the film off had I not been waiting for the aliens to show up.

How bad is it?

Gouging your eyes out with a spoon while chewing on tin foil and scratching your head with a rusty cheese grater is preferable than going through those opening minutes again. (Okay I’m over stating that just a bit).

And then a weird thing happens, the aliens come and the film becomes something else. It’s as if they grafted two completely different films together. This second film, an alien invasion story about the boy and his cousins trying to fend off said invasion without the parents finding out is hysterical. It’s as if the filmmakers had this great idea for a film, but couldn’t figure out how to start it. They simply plodded through the set up in the worst way possible hoping against hope that the audience would stick with them to the good part.

Sadly that isn’t the case I know several people at the day job who have turned the film off before the aliens because they couldn’t stand it. On the other hand I know several others who came into the film during the alien sequences and love it.

I call this a twin to Spaced Invaders because the aliens look and behave similarly(at least the more stupid ones.) Yes it’s a sort of Home Alone with aliens but it’s also damn funny once it gets up and running. Like Spaced it’s not high art but it is funny. (Actually I would say this is funnier than Spaced, but Spaced it a bit warmer and better over all.)

Definitely worth a look especially in an undemanding role.

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