Review: 'Planet 51'
Plot: This time the human is the space invader.
Bottom line: A passable kids' film, with nods to the 1950s that might amuse a grandparent chaperone.
Cast: Justin Long, Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel
Length: 1:30
A different kind of alien lands on 'Planet 51'
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc/Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc | "Lem" voiced by Justin Long and "Chuck Baker" voiced by Dwayne Johnson in Columbia Pictures' animated comedy PLANET 51. In theatres on November 20, 2009.
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Trailer: Planet 51
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Scenes from the movie 'Planet 51'
In quiet Glipforg, where the picket fences are white and the cars tailfinned, an alien ship plops down on a well-trimmed lawn. As horrified families look on, an enormous creature emerges. It's . . . it's . . . human!
As you probably know from trailers and posters for the animated "Planet 51," the roles are reversed: The townspeople are noiseless green beings with bulbous strands of hair, while the alien is an American astronaut named Chuck Baker (given voice by Dwayne Johnson). As jokes go, it's a good one.
But now what?
Well, now you have a familiar storyline in which a young science nerd, Lem (Justin Long), befriends the newcomer and defends him against the hawkish General Grawl (Gary Oldman) and the sadistic Professor Kipple (John Cleese). We'll meet Lem's goofy friend Skiff (Seann William Scott); his secret crush, Neera (Jessica Biel); and a puppyish robot named Rover. And in the end, everyone will learn not to fear the unknown.
Part of the premise is that "Planet 51" seems stuck in 1951. The choice is aesthetic (two-tone bowling shirts, golden oldies like "Unchained Melody") but also thematic: The Glipforgians' naiveté, paranoia and provincialism recall our own during the Cold War. They fear the alien's mind-control powers (he doesn't have any) and completely trust the evening news (they shouldn't).
Written by Joe Stillman ("Shrek 2") and made by the Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios (doing its best Disney impression), "Planet 51" is amiable enough, if less than inspired. When it re-creates key scenes from sci-fi classics like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," the movie is partly paying homage but also stating the obvious.
