Word: planets
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Planet 51” features several references to well-known space movies, notably “Alien” and “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.” The dog-like alien pet belonging to Lem’s family recalls the eyeless, orb-like forehead of Sigourney Weaver’s original foe, while Elliott’s iconic bicycle silhouetted against the moon in “E.T.” is briefly parodied. By alluding to well-known scenes from past films, these references are perhaps a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of some...
Worlds collide in more ways than one in the intergalactic “Planet 51.” An animated alien science fiction comedy featuring Cold War social commentary and impressive CGI graphics, the film inverts the traditional “aliens attack Earth” storyline by portraying a human invasion of an alien society. Despite a political allegory that is too subtle for children yet too obvious for adults, the film succeeds as an entertainingly cute, if not totally memorable, space comedy...
...alien community of “Planet 51”—brought to life by co-directors Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, and Marcos Martinez alongside screenwriter Joe Stillman (“Shrek”)—immediately calls to mind an idealized 1950s America. White picket fences and pink-lipsticked Stepford alien wives make up the charming atmosphere of their small-town utopia. The film acquires all the makings of a sci-fi romantic comedy when Lem, the teenage protagonist voiced by Justin Long (of Mac commercial and “He’s Just...
...respective talents into the standard roster of kid-movie roles. Sean William Scott (“Role Models”) takes on the wisecracking sidekick, while the inimitable John Cleese is the requisite Evil Professor, whose refined British accent seems wholly out of place in the apparently country-less Planet 51. As the unexpected visitor, Chuck is self-centered and arrogant, and he struggles to understand why the celebrity status he enjoyed at home carries no weight in his new surroundings. As he’s pursued by an army led by the blandly malevolent General Grawl (Gary Oldman), Chuck...
Despite this fairly straightforward unfolding of events, the film remains entertaining. Amid the obligatory smattering of slapstick comedy scenes, whimsically amusing details highlight the differences between Earth and Planet 51. The aliens exchange “high fours,” alien children don astronaut costumes for the premiere of a new “Humaniacs” movie, and Chuck’s “Macarena”-playing iPod is labeled a dangerous and cruel weapon. Chuck’s mechanized companion, Rover, is a source of endearing robot humor that resonates with all audiences, despite being...