The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The latest CGI adventure to come out of the DreamWorks Animation, Home, is a sweet, kid-friendly spectacle, but its lack of innovation and creativity is unlikely to pull the studio that brought us the likes of Shrek, How to Train a Dragon, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar out of its recent and much talked-about slump.

The film tells the story of Oh (voiced by the The Bing Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons); a cute but cowardly interplanetary-being that belongs to a group of equally timid, colour-changing creatures known as “Boov”.

See, Boov are on the run from their biggest intergalactic enemies known as the “Gorg” and now that they have been displaced from their home planet, they – under the guidance of their Captain Smek (voiced by Martin) – are looking to make Earth their new home. The humans, whom they need to dispose of if they are to make room, do not pose a problem to the invaders as they abdcutthem through squiggly tubes and dump them in a large suburban settlement somewhere in Australia.

Trouble comes calling when Oh – whose name comes from the way everyone exclaims a weary ‘Oh’ every time he makes an appearance – accidentally sends a locater signal to “Gorg” forcing him to go on the run. Meanwhile, a young girl named, Tip (Rihanna), is separated from her mother (Lopez) during the move and, after a chance encounter with the mischievous little purple monster, the two join forces to find Tip’s mom and, hopefully, prevent Gorg from getting their hands on Earth.

Loosely based on a 2007 children’s book titled The True Meaning of Smekday, Home is vibrant and silly and its young target audience will appreciate its visuals and its energy, though anyone above the age of twelve might find its syrupy setup a little grating. Directed by Tim Johnson – the man behind DreamWorks production, Antz and Over the Hedge – Home, sitting somewhere between E.T and Disney’s Lilo & Stich, does very little with its sci-fi backdrop, though the developing friendship between an alien and a little girl does offer moments of heart.

Parson’s Oh is adoring and absolutely irresistible and, although he’s a little exhausting at times, his quirkiness will keep the audiences invested, though Rihanna should feel a little short-changed with her considerably less interesting or compelling character.

Even with all of its flaws, there’s still something charming and engaging about its sugary alien-invasion antics that make Home an agreeable watch.