Aliens in the Attic

PG for action violence, some suggestive humor and language

reviewed by Christopher Lyon

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The Story

A vacation with the extended family turns into a mash-up of “Home Alone” and “Die Hard” as a group of kids and knee-high aliens inside a big lake house hunt and hide from each other without adults ever having a clue.

Tom (Carter Jenkins) isn’t thrilled to be stuck on vacation with his older sister Bethany (“High School Musical’s” Ashley Tisdale), his sister’s boyfriend Ricky (Robert Hoffman), his kid sister Hannah (Ashley Boettcher), or his cheery parents (Kevin Nealon and Gillian Vigman). Throw in Nana Pearson (Doris Roberts), divorced uncle Nathan (Andy Richter), Rambo cousin Jake (Austin Robert Butler), and Jake’s younger twin brothers—and there’s just too many people to deal with.

But then the wise-cracking aliens land on the roof and announce they’re here to enslave or destroy the humans. They quickly shoot a dart of some kind into college-aged Ricky and take over his body with what looks like a video game control pad. The kids learn that only adults can be controlled in this way and immediately decide to battle the aliens themselves to save their parents from harm.

They’re helped by one of the four aliens—the cuddly one, nicked-named Snuggles by Tom’s little sister—and the race is on to keep the remaining three from summoning the alien horde or killing any of the adults.

Content Issues

Lots of comedic violence earns the PG-rating here. Bethany’s annoying boyfriend gets the brunt of it, as he is abused throughout the film with hard falls, punches, slaps, and kicks. The CGI aliens get their share, too. Bethany (Ashley Tisdale) wears a revealing bikini and her boyfriend likes to strut shirtless (which she clearly enjoys). He obviously expects to get physical with her, but she resists him when he asks for an aggressive kiss. God’s name is used for swearing, and the kids brazenly and repeatedly deceive their parents.

Worldview Talking Points

With no major stars or significant marketing tie-ins, this lightweight kids sci-fi film didn’t make much of a dent at the box office on its opening weekend. It’s only mildly entertaining as a kid’s film, but it does have some fun elements, including some broad physical comedy and a “kids can handle it” sense of adventure.

It’s not a hardcore message movie, but “Aliens in the Attic” does reveal some worldview ideas that kids are likely to notice. Those include the intentional (“Don’t hide your smarts!”) and the implied (“Sometimes you’ve just got to lie to your parents.”).

• We hope a few of the questions below might provoke a helpful conversation with your child about these and other ideas poking around the edges of the story.
• Tom doesn’t want to go on this vacation with his extended family, at first. Do you like the idea of spending a week with your cousins by a lake somewhere? Why or why not?
• We find out that Tom has intentionally done badly in school because he’s tired of getting picked on for being smart. Have you or anyone you know ever tried to hide something you’re good at to be more popular?
• Are the smart kids at your school looked down on or are they just as likely to be popular as anyone else? Are there kids who get made fun of for what they’re good at (e.g., music, math, sports, etc.)?
• Christians sometimes try to hide the fact that they are spiritually smart about Jesus and God’s Word. Why would someone try to do that? Can we ever really be ourselves if we’re “playing dumb” spiritually? (Parent: Think about reading Colossians 3:10 together to see what it says about our “knowledge” as Christians.)
• Tom knows Ricky, his sister’s new boyfriend, is up to no good with his sister. What do you think Ricky really wanted from Bethany?
• Why do you think Bethany liked Ricky, even though he wasn’t an honest, good guy?
• Should Bethany have listened to her brother’s opinion about Ricky? Should he have made more of an effort to tell her the truth about Ricky? What could he have said to her?
• What standards do you think guys and girls should have for the people they date? Should it make any difference what the people in their families think of potential boyfriends and girlfriends?
• Do you like the idea of doing a big, dangerous, hard thing with a group of kids without any other adults involved? Why or why not?
• How would you have attacked the aliens? Would you have trusted Sparks/Snuggles? Why or why not?
• At the start of the film, both Tom and Bethany are trying to lie to their parents about what time she came home and about his changing of his grades. Why do you think they chose to try to deceive their parents?
• Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things God hates. Lying shows up twice on that list. Why do you think God hates lying so badly?
• Do you think the kids made the right choice in not telling the adults about the aliens? Why or why not? Is it ever okay to lie to your parents—or anyone else—even for a good reason?
• Of the kids you know, what percentage would you say tell lies to their parents? Why do you think it’s so easy for some people to justify lying?
• In Colossians 3, Paul writes that Christians are becoming like Jesus, so we should stop telling lies. We’re new people. On a scale from 1 to 10, how big of a deal do you think lying is to God?
• In the film, the twins put all their years of gaming to good use in the fight against the aliens. Do you think your experience with playing games might one day pay off in “real life” somehow? If so, how?
• Are there any other things you do as play that might someday benefit you or someone else in a job or helping others or something?
• What would you say is your favorite alien or science fiction movie ever? Top three?

 

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