Review of Planet 51 (2009) by Wayne B — 02 Sep 2010

This movie will be most appreciated for those closer to the 50's and the 60's in America. This movie is foremost a prime example of the fruits of a formal education in 'Formula' (necessary for careers in Hollywood, and in this case, its imitators)- from the musical score to the facial expressions, from filling-out the storyline and scenes to evoking emotions. Though it is formula art to be sure- everyone skillfully creating what they were hired to create- under all the formula (and with a little help from formula-deflection by the audience (similar to suspended disbelief), there are genuine thrusts at the heart and mind, and a viewer of such mettle can walk away with a lot here, never mind that the movie extols the libido ideals which we?ve grow weary of having thrust in our faces (and which had been the main reason for the movie?s negative critical reviews), and that it requires the audience to complete the heart/mind connections that it reaches for but consistently misses (due to the alternate values). Ironically this in itself gives this movie merit- it is an accurate reflection of our current focus on heartless, mindless libido (most purely represented by teens and their undeveloped mindset and resulting pop culture). This is demonstrated in the movie?s parting line, ?Your 50?s were fine, but give me a call when you get to the 60?? and in the pause it could be interjected, ?because it will be so screwed-up you will need help?, but instead we get that over-extolled, (and now gratuitous)(and twisted) ??Cause that?s going to be funnnnnn!?

In summary the movie extols libido over heart and mind (though it makes efforts toward the latter two). Overall it is shallow and formulaic (although consciously, and with a lot of fun), with a deep psychological thrust here and there, It is a good representation of our ongoing pop-culture mindset, for all the value that representation has. The movie gives us the main merit of science fiction- that of presenting future problems and offering solutions.

Too bad it was drenched in the over-extolled values it was drenched in, done in the over-used and abused genre it was done in, and released when it was. It would have been a better summer movie. If you can see through its faults then I recommend it, if you can?t, it may do more harm than good.