Review of Planet 51 (2009) by Michael J M — 27 May 2010
Not at all what I was expecting, this film actually has quite a bit more plot and story than I initially thought it would after viewing the trailer.
Rather than put the human astronaut at the center of the story, the real main character is an alien boy, Lem. I like the way the film shifted the focus to view what was happening from the alien's perspective, rather than from the astronaut's. The biggest surprise for me was that the "alien" planet serves as a mimic of 1950s America in almost every way. So you have rock & roll, old school monster movies, threat of McCarthyism, and one lone hippy who wants to "disagree" for the sake of disagreeing. The movie really tends to be a "new school meets old school" tale rather than a space/sci-fi action movie. The animation is smooth, the humor is laughable in some parts. Overall, the movie is entertaining, but I don't think I will ever have to watch it again. It is forgettable, and that's really what hurts it.
Maybe a rental. If you're desperate for something animated you haven't seen yet.
MyTake: 2/5.
This review of Planet 51 (2009) was written by Michael J M on 27 May 2010.
Planet 51 has generally received mixed reviews.
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