An alien invader's space ship touches down on the lawn of a home in a peaceful suburban neighborhood. Sound like the premise for a schlock 50s Sci Fi movie? Well, there's a twist: the alien is one of us, and the suburban neighborhood is on a planet that is decidedly not Earth.
The invader, Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker (Dwayne Johnson), is somehow surprised by the fact that the world is inhabited by an indigenous race of decidedly anthropomorphic green beings. "Planet 51" is, in most ways, well behind us in the technological and socio-political curve. The town and its residents have the look and feel of the early 50s (well, except for the floating cars). And their reaction to the invasion is mostly wide-eyed horror and awe.
The good captain enlists the help of Lem (Justin Long), a teenager who works in the local planetarium, as he attempts to get back to his ship. Baker only has a few days to escape the planet in time for his rendezvous with an orbiting craft that will take him home (or leave without him, as the case may be).
The animated tale is rife with butt jokes and references to Sci Fi films that have come before it. Lem's friend gives him a cork to protect him from alien probes, Captain Chuck recites variations of lines from "Star Wars" in his dramatic play with one of the local kids, and an alien "dog" looks remarkably like one of Ridley Scott's Aliens, complete with elongated head and acidic urine that dissolves metal. Even Lem's name is an homage to the space program itself (Lunar Excursion Module). While the animation is of high quality, and some of the jokes are mildly funny even for the older crowd, the story isn't all that original ("Starman" anyone? Or perhaps "The Day the Earth Stood Still"?). Also, the film's pacing gets bogged down at times, making the 90-minute run time feel longer.
At its heart, "Planet 51" is a morality tale about the evils of xenophobia - of fearing or hating something or someone simply because it is different from us. By flipping the traditional alien invasion scenario on its head, the film-makers do give us a fresh perspective on the issue, but ultimately the characters are not well developed enough for us to truly care about them, and the genuinely funny or insightful bits are few and far between.
My nearly-6-year-old son accompanied me to the screening and he did enjoy himself, giving the film his rapt attention for the duration. But he was more enthralled with the stuffed Batman toy that I won for him in the theater's claw game than he was by the movie - this (the claw game) being the primary topic of conversation on the subway ride home.
"Planet 51" will provide an interesting diversion for the younger crowd but I expect most adults will be disappointed. The film lacks the story-telling power of a Disney/Pixar classic and will also certainly lack the staying power. I'm pretty sure we're not going to be seeing a "Planet 52" any time soon, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
