Aliens Ate My Homework

Parents need to know that Aliens Ate My Homework is a live-action adaptation of the first book in Bruce Coville's successful series, Rod Allbright and the Galactic Patrol. In this origin story, Rod Allbright (Jayden Greig), a 12-year-old boy, is visited by aliens who are out to save Earth. The miniature beings, more humorous than scary, crash-land in a miniature spaceship in Rod's bedroom. Expect frequent mild action: ray guns, lightning, characters (including small children) frozen in place as hostages and held captive. (Spoiler alert: The villain is vanquished when he's pelted with muck.) Another sixth-grader bullies the hero and his friend, mashing a large bug into his victim's hair and face. Words like "booger" and "fart" are used to get laughs. Some sad moments relate to Rod's father disappearing three years earlier in a turbulent storm. But overall it should be OK for kids who are comfortable with real vs. pretend violence.