A group of children must protect their holiday home from little green men, writes KATE SOLOMON

AFAMILYholiday turns into a battle to save Earth in this fairly average tween rumpus. Our hero, Tom Pearson, is a teenage geek-in-denial, purposefully failing all his classes in an effort to fit in. He leads his younger siblings and cousins in the fight against the knee-high aliens sent to begin the attack, discovering family harmony and a practical use for his maths skills along the way.

Unfortunately, Aliens in the Attic suffers from trying to cram too many leading characters into its 86 short minutes. A troupe of six children, six adults and four aliens to get to know is too much for any film. Luckily there's a lifetime of stereotypes and caricatures to fall back on, so while the characters lack depth, they are familiar enough to follow.

The quality of the acting from the young cast is impressive, especially given that they are relatively unknown. The biggest name is Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical fame. As older sister Bethany she reprises her role as self-absorbed teenage princess, a performance she has definitely nailed.

Lovable geek Tom, played by Carter Jenkins, and macho cousin Jake (Austin Butler) complement each other well, but it's the physical comedy from

Robert Hoffman when under the influence of the mind control device that stands out. But it does little to take away the rather creepy aspects of his character who lies about his age in an attempt to get physical with 16-year-old Bethany.

There's not much to say about the aliens, unfortunately. The special effects are passable, but the character design is unimaginative (echoes of the dreaded Crazy Frog) and their ineptitude is disappointing. The ending, which wraps up quite hastily, clearly hopes to evoke ET but lacks the grace or emotional connection of Spielberg's opus.

As films based around family holidays go, Aliens in the Attic is definitely not up there with the greats. But it is watchable at least, and even entertaining in places. Though it belabours the point that it's cool to be clever and whacks you round the head with the 'listen to your father because he's usually right' message, it's a pleasing enough diversion - especially for those with an unruly brood.