The
story takes place on planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch
Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien
population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing
feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head
of mission control at BASA (Baab Aeronautics and Space Administration).
When BASA’s chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS
from a dangerous planet, which is Earth, Scorch doesn’t listen to Gary’s
warnings and goes off for another exciting mission. However, once
Scorch lands on Earth he finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by
the evil General Shanker (William Shatner). As the interplanetary stakes
rise, it’s up to Gary to save his brother.
Escape from Planet Earth has been in development at the Weinstein Company since 2007 and finally got released in February with little-to-no marketing, and I can see why. Compared to the animated films released by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks, it pales in comparison. However, compared to earlier animated films released by the Weinstein Company like Hoodwinked and Doogal it is a huge step forward. That’s still not saying much though. There are a couple of good jokes, and some of the characters are well-designed and voiced with standouts being Jane Lynch, William Shatner, Ricky Gervais, and Brendan Fraser. The prison-like setting where Scorch, Gary, and the other aliens are kept and much of the humor is reminiscent of films like Paul, Monsters, Inc. and Monsters vs. Aliens.
Nevertheless, the characters are poorly written and many of plot arcs fall flat. The film is filled with a plethora of pop culture references and satire that will pass right over kids' heads. At the same time, the plot is presented in such a muddled and emotionally unsatisfactory fashion that older audiences will dismiss the film. It also doesn’t help that the Weinstein brothers forced 17 rewrites on the script. Ultimately, Escape from Planet Earth had potential, but it’s just another forgettable animated film.
Escape from Planet Earth has been in development at the Weinstein Company since 2007 and finally got released in February with little-to-no marketing, and I can see why. Compared to the animated films released by Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks, it pales in comparison. However, compared to earlier animated films released by the Weinstein Company like Hoodwinked and Doogal it is a huge step forward. That’s still not saying much though. There are a couple of good jokes, and some of the characters are well-designed and voiced with standouts being Jane Lynch, William Shatner, Ricky Gervais, and Brendan Fraser. The prison-like setting where Scorch, Gary, and the other aliens are kept and much of the humor is reminiscent of films like Paul, Monsters, Inc. and Monsters vs. Aliens.
Nevertheless, the characters are poorly written and many of plot arcs fall flat. The film is filled with a plethora of pop culture references and satire that will pass right over kids' heads. At the same time, the plot is presented in such a muddled and emotionally unsatisfactory fashion that older audiences will dismiss the film. It also doesn’t help that the Weinstein brothers forced 17 rewrites on the script. Ultimately, Escape from Planet Earth had potential, but it’s just another forgettable animated film.
Escape from Planet Earth - 2.5/5
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