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Movies / In Theaters / Planet 51
Planet 51

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Planet 51 (2009)

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Reviews Counted:97

Fresh:22

Rotten:75

Average Rating:4.1/10

Consensus: Planet 51 squanders an interesting premise with an overly familiar storyline, stock characters, and humor that alternates between curious and potentially offensive.

Genre: Childrens

US Box Office: $41,258,445

Synopsis: The tables are turned in this animated sci-fi adventure featuring the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, and John Cleese. In PLANET 51, an... The tables are turned in this animated sci-fi adventure featuring the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, and John Cleese. In PLANET 51, an astronaut arrives on a distant planet, but he's not alone; he's surrounded by aliens who desperately fear invasion by...aliens. [More]

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, John Cleese

Director: Jorge Blanco

Director: Jorge Blanco
Screenwriter: Joe Stillman
Producer: Ignacio Perez Dolset, Guy Collins
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for Planet 51

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Just how much of this will be appreciated by children is questionable, but the film is clearly intended to keep them happy with lashings of colour, movement and cheesy jokes while older, diehard geeks can enjoy all the reference spotting.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
12/09/09
Jim Schembri
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Funny and well designed, but doesn't live up to potential due to uninspired dialogue and heavy hand of marketing.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
12/09/09
Colin Fraser
Colin Fraser
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The screenplay aims wide for every snappy, pop-culture joke that can possibly be cracked. But the viewer’s funnybone remains an elusive target.

Full Review Source: Herald Sun (Australia) | comment Comment
12/09/09
Leigh Paatsch
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Little kids who've never seen this story before might get a kick out of it and its bold colours. Parents will be yawning and looking at their watches. At least G-Force dared you to hate it; this just dares you to stay awake.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment 1 Comment
12/07/09
Michael Adams
Michael Adams
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Much of the detail will go above the heads of its young audience, but adults will enjoy the clever touches, like the Alien Hotline, the upcoming anticipated release of the movie Humanian 3 and the rock-collecting probe called Rover

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/28/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A short-sighted assembly of sci-fi references and scatalogical humor that should nonetheless placate undemanding tots ... for ninety minutes or so.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
12/17/09
William Goss
William Goss
Cinematical

Nothing really gels and Planet 51 just comes across as shrill, rushed and unfunny.

Full Review Source: fantastiqueZINE | comment Comment
12/15/09
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
fantastiqueZINE

While certainly diverting, its overly frantic attempts at humour, pointless homages to other films and lack of charm mean it falls some way short. It’s not terrible but neither is it memorable.

comment Comment
12/13/09
Lynden Barber
Lynden Barber
sbs.com.au
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A charming spoof of cold-war alien paranoia, this is visually inventive and full of action, but could do with more humour.

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
12/11/09
Cosmo Landesman
Cosmo Landesman
Sunday Times (UK)

A thin joke becomes attenuated to breaking point.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment 1 Comment
12/11/09
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Well and truly aimed at kids, Planet 51 is a film they will thoroughly enjoy yet which any accompanying adult will have lots of laughs in too.

Full Review Source: smh.com.au | comment Comment
12/09/09
Giles Hardie
Giles Hardie
smh.com.au
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Glar and his friends are more or less all-purpose protestors, showing up on sidewalks with placards announcing, "We're really upset!" over nothing specific. And that makes them about as amiable and as bland as everyone else on Planet 51.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
12/04/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

There’s enough of a storyline here to keep younger space cadets moderately settled.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
12/04/09
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

A hideously annoying and emotionally blank tale.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
12/04/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It could have added up to something. Alas, any excitement is submerged by the relentless barrage of trite sci-fi allusions and nudge-nudge gags aimed solely at adults.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
12/04/09
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph

The action pans out pretty predictably but such is the verve of the story and the impressive visuals you may find yourself heading off course to catch Planet 51.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
12/04/09
Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

A jumble of kiddie slapstick and pointless chases.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
12/04/09
Jonathan Crocker
Jonathan Crocker
Total Film

The laughs come thick and fast in a sprightly kid pleaser full of slapstick set-pieces and memorable characters, while more grown-up viewers will find themselves grinning at pastiches of the Cold War paranoia of bygone sci-fi movies.

Full Review Source: Radio Times | comment Comment
12/04/09
Terry Staunton
Terry Staunton
Radio Times

An extremely dull and unfunny comedy with pop-culture references where the gags should be, and humdrum voicings.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/04/09
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

While pretty much a cut-and-shut of every animated movie of the past decade, this sci-fi comedy should achieve blast-off with the under-10s. For adults, however, this is as solidly so what? as you can get.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
12/04/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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