Planet 51
Astronaut Charles T. Baker, Chuck (Dwayne Johnson) travels across the universe and discover we are not alone. In fact, he finds himself to be the alien invader of Planet 51! The little green residents of the planet mistakenly believe Chucks presence to be a sign of a human invasion, and are positive hes there to control their minds. One little green fellow by the name of Lem (Justin Long) quickly realizes Chuck has come in peace, and decides to help him get back to his ship. The little green government has taken control of Chucks ship and left him without an escape route home. He only has hours to return to his ship or he will be left behind, never to see earth again!
Personally I thought this was a great animation. There really wasnt much I didnt care for about this film. It was a fun for all film set on an alien planet during 1950s with a great atmosphere and humor. It was very harmless and amusing, great for children and adults alike. Children probably arent going to get a good bit of the references, but there are plenty of laughs for them. The characters are just goofy and playful enough to amuse all ages. I appreciated the slapstick comedy. There was a vast amount of cleverness hidden throughout the films background, comics, statements, style, and clichés. The E.T. bit was funny along with the little dog with acid pee that looks like something straight out of an Alien film. I found all the references to other films to be entertaining. Rover, the little rock collecting probe was a very lovable addition. His dog like characteristics and little wagging antenna were cute.
I loved all the characters and their voices. Dwayne Johnson lends his voice to astronaut Chuck, Justin Long voices the teenage Lem who helps out Chuck, Jessica Biel voiced Lemss secret crush, Neera, Seann Williams Scott as Lems best friend Skip, Garry Oldman as the rough and tough General Grawl, and John Cleese as crazy Professor Kipple. Glar, voiced by Alan Marriott, was a funny little guy with all clever one liners leading the alien protesting on Planet 51. All the character with their unique personalities added a little something to the film.
The only real down fall was its predictability, then again it was aimed for children and most of their films are. The plot was a very simple one that would be easy for children to follow, but possibly a little slow for the older audience. The comedy makes up for all that in the end.
Overall, it has great appeal and is very enjoyable. I think it has been incredibly underrated and could have been marketed much better. It is a great family film that really deserves to be watched.
Animation
1080p High Definition/ 2.35:1
The CG animation was very beautiful. Absolutely stunning visuals everyone will enjoy. The colors were incredibly bright and vibrant. The entire planet was full of detail. The aliens were a little less detailed than everything around them, but they were still very clean and bright. The colors will especially grab the attention of the little ones. Ilion Animation Studios really did an excellent job with the animation. It looked fantastic! This is one blu-ray that truly lives up to the true blu title.
Audio
English, German 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English- Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital
Not only was the animation fantastic, but the sound was right up there with it. All the scenes had a great sound to them. Everything was very crisp and clean, from the spaceship takeoffs to the dialogue it all sounded nice. The little things in the background were easy to pick up on too, such as the rocks falling all around you when it rained, that was pretty cool coming from the surround sound. The music throughout the entire film was full of energy and excitement. The excellent music selection really sounded great.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was wonderful! I loved all the updated 50s music. Unfortunately you dont get all of the great songs you get in the film, but you do get 12 good one. This would be a great buy for the kids and not disappointing for the adults either. Its definitely fun for everyone to sing and dance along to.
- “Lollipop” by Sophie Green
- “Long Tall” Sally by John Sloman
- “Tried To Save The World” by Tom Cawte
- “Ding Ding A Boom Boom” by Keith Murrell
- “Gonna Be A Star” by Tom Cawte
- “Be Bop A Luna” by Chris Cawte
- “Greased Lightnin” by Lance Ellington
- “Unchained Melody” by Keith Murrell
- “Mr. Sandman” by Peter Gosling
- “Stick It To The Man” by Tom Cawte
- “Space Oddity” by Keith Murrell
- “Planet 51” Orchestral Suit by London Metropolitan Orchestra
Special Features
Disc 1: Blu-ray Copy
(Exclusive to Blu-ray) Target 51 Game with optional iPhone controller App download from iTunes!
– BD Live Enabled
– 3 Extended Scenes: A Total Disaster, When Aliens Invade, What Do Zombies Say?
– The World of Planet 51
– Life on Planet 51: The making of Planet 51
– Planetarium: The Voice Stars of Planet 51
– Animation Progression Wheels
Disc 2: DVD and Digital Copy