Aliens in the AtticMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Aliens in the Attic."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 42 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The movie is awfully close to a video game with its own specific rules, but its characters are appealing and funny, "Aliens" doesn't have a mechanical feel that drags down most video-game movies. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    Perfectly calibrated for the pre-adolescent set, highlighting broad physical comedy and themes of kid empowerment and featuring one of the stars from "High School Musical." Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly |

    A pointless but ultimately harmless family adventure that doesn't mentally assault the 12-and-over set. (Extra points for being 100 percent fart-joke-free). Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Performances are unremarkable but acceptable pretty much across the board, and the vocal talents -- particularly Thomas Haden Church as the belligerent Tazer and Josh Peck as the lovable Sparks -- are well cast. Read full review

  • 42
    The Onion A.V. Club | Tasha Robinson

    Like those mild old Disney comedies of the '60s and '70s, it seems perfectly content with being a harmless distraction. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times |

    Robert Hoffman as the boyfriend, who spends most of his time under the marionettelike control of either the aliens or the human children, provides the film's occasional funny moments. Read full review

  • 38
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Aliens in the Attic is conveyor-belt family product, an action/adventure/sci-fi/comedy made from the bland corporate DNA of Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. It appears designed for families who never leave the mall. Read full review

  • 30
    L.A. Weekly |

    Cheap, shoddy, crass and depressing fun for the whole family -- by which I mean 8-year-old boys. Read full review

  • 30
    Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov

    The real problem with this Aliens encounter is that it's patently a Nick at Night midweek movie that inadvertently got greenlighted for a big-screen opening. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    Nowhere near as bad as "Coneheads," but still isn't worth your time. Read full review

View more reviews for Aliens in the Attic on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Silly teens-versus-aliens adventure is sure to delight kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this alien adventure comedy stars Disney Channel and Nickelodeon veterans like Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) and Austin Robert Butler (Zoey 101), so expect tweens and younger elementary schoolers to be interested.There's a heavy dose of physical humor and action, as well as some mildperil, but it's fairly mild compared to other tween-targetedfilms. The language includes frequent use of insults like "stupid," "idiot," and "tool," while the consumerism focuses heavily onelectronics (Nintendo, Mac, X-box, etc.).
  • Families can talk about the movie's cartoonish violence. Will younger kids be frightened, or do you think they'll understand from the start that the aliens aren't all that evil?
  • Parents can also discuss the kids' secrecy. Kids: is it generally a wise idea to keep important concerns from your parents?
  • An important issue is raised when Tom, a "mathlete," says he'd rather hide his intelligence and tank his grades than be labeled a nerd. Why is this a dangerous message? Why does Tom change his mind?
  • There's a noticeable amount of brand placement in the movie. What message do all those corporate logos send kids?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true1 Educational value: The educational value would be higher if the premise didn't involve keeping parents and other adults in authority out of the loop. But kids do learn the importance of family, teamwork, and that you should never pretend to be "dumb" just to look "cool."
  • message true3 Positive messages: The cousins get along and learn to work together to save their parents (and all of humanity, for that matter). With youngest cousin Hannah leading the way, all of the cousins decide to help the kind, non-threatening alien.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: The cousins are all, in their own way, positive examples of brave, selfless kids willing to sacrifice their own safety for the greater good. They're creative with their problem-solving skills (how to effectively keep the aliens at bay).
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: The violence is mostly cartoonish -- although they're menacing, the aliens aren't scary. Most of the violence involves potato and paint guns, as well as other handmade weapons that the kids devise. The alien trio can control adult humans by shooting a small device into them, which leads to some humorous fight scenes a la The Matrix. A few possibly disturbing scenes involve Jake being tied and dragged away by the aliens and the aliens being temporarily expanded into giants. There's no blood, and no one dies.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: Heavy flirting between Bethany and her boyfriend Ricky, who picks her up while she's wearing a bikini and talks about "hooking up" and her "playing nursemaid" to him. He later says her friend is "smoking hot." The cousins talk about whether Ricky has gotten "to second base" with Bethany.
  • language false2 Language: Mild insults are hurled frequently: "idiot," "stupid," "tool," "loser," "princess" (said to a guy), "dumb," "shut up." Other language includes "crap," "oh my God," "what the..." (not completed), and "heck."
  • consumerism false4 Consumerism: Many recognizable products are featured or mentioned: Coke/Diet Coke, Apple/Mac, Mentos, Trunki kids' suitcases, Altavision Grand Prix, Nintendo DS, X-box, the movie The Mask of Zorro, etc.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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