The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
90
Studio and Year: 20th Century Fox - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 86 minutes
Genre: Family/Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Cantonese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
Starring: Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Ashley Tisdale, Henry Young, Tim Meadows, Andy Richter
Directed by: John Schultz
Music by: John Debney
Written by: Mark Burton, Adam F. Goldberg
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 3, 2009
"The Aliens vs. The Pearsons"
Film Synopsis:
It’s summer vacation, but the Pearson family kids are stuck at a boring lake house with their nerdy parents. That is until feisty, little, green aliens crash-land on the roof, with plans to conquer the house AND Earth! Using only their wits, courage and video game-playing skills, the youngsters must band together to defeat the aliens and save the world -- but the toughest part might be keeping the whole thing a secret from their parents!
My Take:
I don't generally watch kid or family films (the Pixar/Dreamworks animation stuff excluded) so I didn't have high hopes when sitting down to get into this one. But guess what??
I had a blast!!
As far as plot, there really isn't much meat here. Aliens come to take over Earth but must obtain something first. That something is under a house in Maine where a family is vacationing, now it's up to the kids to fight the Aliens, courtesy of Home Alone. The movie is set at this one location and it never bored me as it is well paced (maybe it was the under 90 minutes runtime). There are some clever jokes for the adults and goofy gags that had me laughing out loud. The CGI Aliens didn't have the most fluid motion but their interplay and personality's more than made up for it. Doris Roberts as Grandma was just awesome (kung-fu Grandma!) and Robert Hoffman as Ricky was a riot, especially when being mind controlled by an alien device. The cast of Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, Andy Richter and Ashley Tisdale were all nice familiar faces but it was the children that surprised me- they were all believable. There is plenty of fun for the little ones here, when my son is a bit older I bet he will really enjoy 'Aliens In The Attic'.
My rating reflects what kind of movie this is, not how it measures up against Lawrence Of Arabia
. I can confidently say that parents can stomach, and might just enjoy this one. If you are expecting 'Aliens In The Attic' to be anymore than a fun, goofy family movie then it's not for you...that's what the filmmakers aimed for and I would say they hit their target(audience).
Parental Guide:
Rated PG for action violence, some suggestive humor and language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 88
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 92
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Aliens in the Attic is presented on Blu-ray disc from FOX featuring 1080p AVC encoded video @ 22 MBPS and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio.
I feel like I am raving about this movie. I can't lie, the video was top notch. It was sharp, had great shadow details and black levels shined on my system. The only problem I had was that the colors were a bit over-saturated, I won't knock it for that as it was fitting to the story added a bit of bubblegum to the look. There was no real grain to speak of and the CGI aliens added a fun 3Dish look. FOX hit it out of the park as this is definitely eye candy.
The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio track did all it was called upon to do effortlessly(I wished there was more moments to showcase it). The track certainly was dynamic, the surround channels were used with taste and made me feel like I was in that house, and when the LFE kicked in it KICKED IN!! The audio did not disappoint.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Introduction to Film with Ashley Tisdale
- (HD) Alternate Ending
- (HD) Deleted Scenes
- (HD) Behind the Zirkonians
- (HD) Meet the Zirkonians: Interactive Feature
- (HD) The Ashley Encounters
- (HD) Lights, Camera, Aliens!
- (HD) Brian Anthony "Electricity" Music Video
- Fox Movie Channel Presents Life After Film School With Barry Josephson
- Kung Fu Grandma
- Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
I want to add that Aliens in the Attic has a decent dose of bonus features. For the adults, "Fox Movie Channel Presents-Life After Film School With Barry Josephson" was a pretty interesting look at being a film producer.
If you want a mindless popcorn flick to watch with your kids that won't have you looking at your watch and has well above average audio and video- then I think 'Aliens in the Attic' will be right up your alley.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Prismasonic HE1500R Anamorphic Lens
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC07 Receiver
Panasonic BD-35 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (5.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer
