Planet 51

Offering little that's memorable except a reversal of the traditional human/alien roles in space exploration, this unimaginative animated film takes viewers to Planet 51, where happy little green people with four-fingered hands, webbed feet, and antennas have a culture and social structure that are strongly reminiscent of America in the 1950s—particularly in terms of fear of extraterrestrial invasion. Alien Lem (voiced by Justin Long) is an awkward, insecure teenager who works at the local observatory and wants to be an astronomer; he'd also like to impress next-door neighbor Neera (Jessica Biel) but can't quite work up his confidence. That's when Earthling Astronaut Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker (Dwayne Johnson) lands his spaceship and, after initially thinking the place might be friendly, finds himself and his little canine-programmed “Rover” (who bears a strong resemblance to WALL-E) being pursued by a menacing alien general (Gary Oldman) and a mad scientist (John Cleese). Luckily for the frightened and bewildered human “invader,” Lem, buddy Skiff (Seann William Scott), and Neera come to the rescue. Blandly scripted as a reverse E.T. riff (including a spoof shot of the bike against the moon) by Joe Stillman (Beavis and Butt-Head Do America) and insipidly helmed by first-time Spanish director Jorge Blanco (with Javier Abad and Marcos Martínez as co-directors), this lowbrow, derivative creation with its rubbery figures and tired humor seems more suited for the Saturday morning TV cartoon slot. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a collection of “Animation Progression Reels” (16 min.), a production featurette (12 min.), “The World of Planet 51” montage (3 min.), “Planetarium: The Voice Stars” (3 min.), extended scenes (3 min.), a music video montage (2 min.), a “Run Rover Run! Obstacle Course Game,” and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Target 51” game, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an underwhelming film.] (S. Granger)