Looking for a half term flick? Try these two treats for young film fans.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (U)

Those cheeky Chipmunks are back in time for half term with their latest encounter.
Love is in the air in the fourth instalment of the Alvin And The Chipmunks series... but not for long if the helium-voiced furballs get their way.

Walt Becker’s road movie provides an excuse for singing rodents Alvin, Simon and Theodore to want to sabotage the flourishing romance of their surrogate father Dave (Jason Lee).

Of course, the mischievous trio learn the error of their ways en route to a sentimental reconciliation that emphasizes the importance of family over fame with all the subtlety of a swift kick to the sternum.

The chipmunks swing their hips to Gloria Estefan’s Conga at the mere mention of Miami and a detour to New Orleans provides the perfect excuse for a toe-tapping rendition of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ disco-flavoured floor filler Uptown ‘Munk during Mardi Gras.

Dave (Jason Lee) has been dating Samantha (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) for several months and decides to introduce his sweetheart to his surrogate children. Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) should be delighted, except Samantha’s teenage son Miles (Josh Green) bullies them mercilessly when the parents’ backs are turned.

Wedding bells toll disaster - the trio will be stuck with Miles - so the chipmunks hatch a cunning plan to sabotage the proposal.

The trio plus Miles embark on disaster-prone misadventures. Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip is cast in the mould of previous films, so youngsters who enjoyed the slapstick humour, squeaky singing and bouts of chipmunk flatulence will be delighted.

For your chance to win family tickets to see the film see page 39 of the KM Group's What's On this week.

Goosebumps (PG)

Comic whirlwind Jack Black ramps up his manic energy to gale force 10 in this fast-paced fantasy adventure based on the series of children’s books by RL Stine.

Directed with gusto by Rob Letterman, Goosebumps is a wicked delight, packed full of spooks and scares that should have adults jumping out of their seats almost as often as little ones.

Explosions of comic book violence, including a slip-sliding tussle between the Abominable Snowman and high school children on an ice rink, are orchestrated with black humour and vim.

Darren Lemke’s lean script barely pauses for breath between the eye-popping set pieces, but still finds time to flesh out a compelling teenage love story that remains the right side of sickly sweet.

Digital effects are impressive, seamlessly integrated with live action to conjure scenes of large-scale destruction including a runaway ferris wheel and a town under attack from a giant praying mantis.

It’s huge fun – especially in 3D when some of the ghoulish things that go bump in the night appear to leap out of the screen.

Letterman opens with the calm before the computer-generated storm as Gale Cooper (Amy Ryan) arrives in Delaware with her teenage son Zach (Dylan Minnette) to take up the position of vice-principal at Madison High School.

Their new next-door neighbour is the mysterious Mr Shivers (Black), whose daughter Hannah (Odeya Rush) is an enigma.

Zach and his socially awkward friend Champ (Ryan Lee) break into Mr Shivers’ home and discover that the truculent father is actually renowned author RL Stine.

Goosebumps careers wildly between action, comedy and touching drama, with a generous smattering of pithy verbal gags that will go above the heads of children and strike a bullseye with parents.

Black leads from the front, plying the wide-eyed lunacy that has served him well, with Minnette as his straight man and foil, whose prime concern is rescuing the people he loves. A tricksy treat.

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