PLANET 51 (UK/Spain 2009) **
Directed by Jorge Blanco

This UK Handmade Films Spanish Ilion Animation Studios co-production is an example of too much gone crazy with the result of a lackluster unimaginative work.

The story has a not too bad premise of an astronaut Captain Charles Chuck Baker (Dwayne Johnson) landing on PLANET 51 to find himself pursued as an alien by its inhabitants.  The planet is not only strangely similar to earth in its goody inhabitants but set in the 50’s down to the mannerism, music and behavior.  The aliens led by General Grawl (Gary Oldman again playing the villain) hunt Chuck so that Professor Kipple (a very unfunny John Cleese) can extract his brains for purposes never let known.

The film plays deliberately into the familiar clichés found in all types of horror, sci-fi and zombie movies.  Kipple believes that Chuck will turn the inhabitants to zombies.  Everyone else thinks so.  The main problem is that everyone except Chuck and the protagonist Lem (Justin Long) is so stupid.  Goofy is ok and funny, but stupid and dumb does not work.  Throw in a romantic element in the form of Neera (Jessica Biel) and the entire film drags on into a boring time.

Apart from the over-colourful animation and lots of drummed up excitement, there is nothing in PLANET 51 that audiences have not seen on this planet earth.