Quiz show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly make their big screen debut in Alien Autopsy. Based on the true story of a Roswell video hoax, this comedy "delivers some queasy laughs", but left most critics nonplussed. A tepid performance at the box office also indicates what we already suspected - that Ant and Dec's schoolboy antics appeal mostly to the sofa-bound.

Alien Offcuts

Director Jonny Campbell (who made the transition from TV to films with this) provides optional commentary for 23 minutes of deleted scenes. As you might imagine there's more light-hearted banter with the lads, but the footage also includes a dramatic subplot in which Ray (Dec) tries to sabotage Gary's (Ant) chances of getting into law school. It culminates with a blazing row that wouldn't be out of place in an episode of EastEnders. Campbell admits that it didn't fit "tonally", but we can blame it at least partly on bad acting.

An alternative opening is presented separately, but it's hardly worth the bother. Instead of fading up on Bill Pullman (as Morgan) pressing the buzzer for Qwerty Films as in the theatrical cut, the extended version actually sees him step up to the door AND THEN press the buzzer... The outtakes reel feels like an afterthought as well. Nothing very funny happens, but it's clear that someone gave Dec too much orange squash during the lunch break.

Back Down To Earth

You may already have seen The Making Of Ant & Dec's Alien Autopsy when it aired on ITV. The toothsome twosome take us on an amiable albeit frivolous trip through the making of the film, even crossing the Atlantic where their taste of the Hollywood high life involves lounging in a trailer that looks more like a portaloo on wheels. "I feel like I'm in prison," quips Dec. "But I'm in the movies." There are also notes on making a fake alien (take some silicone rubber, a boiled sheep bone and some sticky back plastic...), a backstage pass to the premiere and soundbites from the rest of cast and crew. "Anthony and Dec?" muses Harry Dean Stanton, "They're popular in London, right?"

Unfortunately there are no deeper insights to be had from Campbell's audio commentary. For the most part it's like a filmmaker's travelogue where he names all the locations and talks about the weather. "The Limehouse Link," he reckons, "gives a sexy feel to the driving stuff..." Overall there are precious few tips on low budget filmmaking; the most pertinent being that he shot the 2005 scenes on two handheld Super 16mm cameras for a "grainy texture to underline the reality", while the 1995 scenes were shot on regular 35mm.

A cumbersome alien shoot-out game rounds off the extras menu. All together it hardly adds up to a meticulous dissection of the film.

EXTRA FEATURES

Alien autopsy is released on DVD on Monday 3rd July