"Planet 51"

Planet 51

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Rated PG for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor

Length: 91 minutes

Released: November 20, 2009 Nationwide

Score: 1.0

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott

Director: Jorge Blanco
Producer: Ignacio Pérez Dolset, Guy Collins
Writer: Joe Stillman
Genre: Animation, Action/Adventure
Distributor: Sony Pictures/TriStar Pictures

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Animated family comedy “Planet 51” is an innocent little tale that works well as a timely morality statement about tolerance.

And in this age where anyone who looks foreign can be viewed as a threat, “Planet 51” is a reminder that “different” doesn’t mean “dangerous.” Being labeled as an “alien” is all in the vantage point as United States astronaut Charles “Chuck” Baker (Dwayne Johnson) learns when he lands on Planet 51.

It’s a place that resembles America during the 1950s and the Red Scare era in most every way — except the population looks like sea monkeys, drives hover crafts and most of the men don’t wear pants. They go to the movies like us, and the most anticipated movie is “Humaniacs III,” about an outer space invasion of Planet 51. Their innocence is not complicated by their technology.

When Chuck lands in the backyard of lovable loser Lem (the voice of Justin Long), he isn’t exactly greeted with open arms. He may pass as a dashing hero on Earth (“I’ve got the right stuff,” Chuck declares to Lem), but he’s considered a threatening monster to the kindly folks of Planet 51.

Soon, Lem and Chuck are on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of the planet’s military of dummies. Of course, not everybody is anti-space visitor. Lem’s crush Neera (Jessica Biel) is part of “the cause” that protests the government’s actions.

“Planet 51” is a pleasant enough comedy, working in sly pop culture references from other space movies and TV shows (Chuck declares, “Kill! Crush! Destroy!” a line from “Lost in Space”) for adults to get a chuckle from. Lem’s dog looks like the creature from “Alien.”

The morality play isn’t pushed too strongly — actually, it could stand to be pushed a little harder — but children will get the gently made overall point. In fact, it’s not such a bad idea if the parents sit up and take notice, too.

Lem (voiced by Justin Long) encounters Chuck (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) in the new family-friendly animated comedy ‘Planet 51.’

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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