“Aliens in the Attic”

20th Century Fox

Directed by John Shultz

Starring Carter Jenkins, Austin Butler, Ashley Tisdale, Ashley Boettcher, Henri Young, Regan Young, Robert Hoffman, Doris Roberts, Kevin Nealon, Andy Richter, Tim Meadows, Thomas Haden Church and J.K. Simmons

Rated PG

2 1/2 Stars

When a movie studio decides not to screen a film for the critics, it's generally a sure-fire sign that they know that they have a stinker on their hands. So when I paid my way into a screening of “Aliens in the Attic” this past weekend, I was sure that I was setting myself up for an hour and a half of sheer torture.

Surprisingly, it wasn't even mild torture, and while these “Aliens” aren't destined to become a family classic, the film certainly isn't a complete bomb. It may even prove to be an enjoyable diversion for the young ones-particularly prepubescent boys.

The story finds two families renting a large vacation house, hoping for a relaxing lakeside getaway. They don't realize that their house is ground zero for an extraterrestrial invasion. What's more, the little green army men have mind control devices that can make adults do their bidding, but are surprisingly ineffective on kids. So it's up to a pack of young uns to save the world from an alien invasion.

More importantly, it's a story that quickly gets the grownups out of the way and then lets the kid heroes let loose in destructive battle that's more silly than serious (how much of a threat can aliens be when they are trapped in an attic?) The computer-generated aliens are realistic, one of them is even kind of cute, and the special effects laden fight scenes are frenetic, yet kid-friendly. The best of the bunch finds grandma (Doris Roberts) suddenly turning into a karate-kicking action hero.

Check that. The best special effect is actually a real-life performance from Robert Hoffman, who plays a jerky boyfriend who's turned into a puppet slave for the aliens. He throws himself into the role (literally) with a performance that's physically impressive, and quite funny.

So the special effects are okay, the action is nearly non-stop, the pratfall humor is amusing and the moral of brainpower saving the day will please mom and dad (Ashley Tisdale in a bikini in a PG rated film will not). All in all, not a bad choice for a family looking to escape the summer heat.

You could do worse. “G-Force” is probably playing in the next theater over.