PLANET 51 — ★1/2 — Animated feature starring the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long and others; rated PG (vulgarity, violence, slurs, profanity, brief drugs); in general release
"Planet 51" doesn't have enough plot for a 10-minute animated short, much less a 90-minute feature.
And unfortunately, what it does have plenty of is crude, lowest-common denominator humor.
In fact, it's hard to think of any animated film of late — aside from perhaps the "Shrek" movies — that contain as much in the way of flatulence, bodily function and other lowbrow jokes and sight gags.
What makes that so noticeable is that the film boasts some state-of-the-art, computer-generated animation. But when paired with this script, that's just a huge waste of time and effort.
The film's title refers to a planet inhabited by green-skinned, humanoid creatures who appear to be stuck — at least judging by the fashions and the music — in the 1950s.
A human astronaut, Chuck Baker (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), has landed there and is surprised to find that it's inhabited.
First contact with the "aliens" hasn't gone so well, though. Chuck is in hiding from the local militia, while he tries to get back to his space capsule.
But to do that, he'll need help. And the most likely candidate for that is an alien teen, Lem (the voice of Justin Long).
Joe Stillman's script and the animated imagery both contain references to — among other things — the Alien, Terminator and Star Wars movie franchises, as well as "E.T." All that does is remind us of how much better those films were, though.
Also, the robotic "rover" looks a little too similar to the star of one last year's biggest animated hits. (Disney-Pixar might want to have a word with them about the design.)
And what's worse, only Johnson sounds like he's having a good time. (There are definitely bored tones in Long and Jessica Biel's voice performances.)
"Planet 51" is rated PG and features crude humor and references (flatulence and other bodily functions, as well as anatomical details), animated violent content and imagery (laser blasts, creature attacks and vehicular mayhem), some comic and slapstick violent content, derogatory language and slurs (based on planetary heritage), creative use of scattered profanity, and some brief drug content and references (painkillers, anesthetics and hypodermic needles). Running time: 91 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com