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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Planet 51

EMAILPRINTTriStar Pictures (Sony)

Planet 51 reviews
39
5.4 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 81 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Adventure  |  Animation  |  Comedy  |  Family/Kids  |  Fantasy

Written by: Joe Stillman

Directed by: Jorge Blanco

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 20, 2009
DVD: March 9, 2010

Running Time: 87 minutes, Color

Origin: Spain | UK

Summary

RATING: PG for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor

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

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum. (Sony Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

Entertainment Weekly Adam Markovitz

Delivers a few pleasant surprises, including a smart story -- a reverse-E.T. riff that plops an American astronaut down in a world of just-like-us-only-green creatures -- and clever characters.

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63

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Although not bowling me over, Planet 51 is a jolly and good-looking animated feature in glorious 2-D.

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50

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

What's missing is originality and story and inventiveness.

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50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

Largely, it’s a jellybean of a movie: bright, colorful, sugary, and with no real content.

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50

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams

This movie, which was made by an animation studio in Spain, isn't trying to make a social statement; it speaks in the international language of lightweight comedy.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A perky though not terribly imaginative feature aimed primarily at youngsters.

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50

Los Angeles Times Glenn Whipp

It's a missed opportunity. The premise is OK enough, even if it is like one of those old "Star Trek" episodes.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Bursting with potential that never gets realized.

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50

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

An uninspired computer-animated feature that may satisfy undiscriminating pipsqueaks and nearly no one else, Planet 51 is a low-IQ E.T. in reverse.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Amy Biancolli

The movie as a whole isn't exactly ground-breaking, and some of the humor tanks. But it has enough action, laughs and candy-hued visuals to satisfy the target audience without plunging grown-ups into despair.

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40

Film Threat Elias Savada

Perhaps Planet 51 should have added a dash of Pedro Almodovar, one of Spain's preeminent directors.

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40

Time Out New York Nick Schager

Neither the film’s main players nor its random period spoofery has any personality.

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40

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Agreeable but flagrantly unoriginal.

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40

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Movie references abound, but there's not enough humor to fuel even 90 minutes.

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40

Variety Todd McCarthy

There's nothing funny, provocative or involving about what "Shrek" co-writer Joe Stillman and the team from Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios do with the notion here.

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40

Village Voice Brian Miller

Like "E.T." in reverse, this pleasantly mediocre CG animation tale lands an astronaut on a distant planet.

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40

Chicago Reader Cliff Doerksen

The script lacks wit, and the in-joke references to cinematic sci-fi classics will soar over little kids' heads without pleasing many adults.

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38

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Young children and adults with high pain thresholds will enjoy the movie during its brief pause on the way to your On Demand menu.

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38

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

Planet 51 is cute, but it's no "Shrek."

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25

New York Post Kyle Smith

Yet the moral at the end is that we should all be more tolerant of different cultures. Is that really true, though, if the culture you're trying to tolerate is trying to open your skull with a circular saw?

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20

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

While expertly executed animation-wise and passably entertaining for very young kids (less so, their parents), is still as dull as the hull on Rocketship X-M.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 81 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael C. gave it a9:
Its not the best animation movie of the year, but its really funny to see, with high quality 3D, simple argument (But simple isn't bad) with some memorable jokes. Ill be really proud if my first animation movie would be like that!! I recommend it.

Antonio M. gave it a9:
This is a very intelligent (and fun) movie, in the line of Shrek-1 (no surprise as Joe Stillman is the writer in both). I went to see it with my 5 years old daughter and she liked it a lot...but I liked it more because I could understand most of the intelligent jokes which the film is literally filled with. From the title (clear reference to Area 51 where the aliens are supposed to be kept secretly by the U.S.), to references to films like Alien, E.T., B series movies (50 feet woman,...), like details in the background (Comics starring a green giant called "Bulked" (Hulk)... Despite not being as round as Shrek-1, it clearly has much more attention to detail to make jokes even on the background as the main action is taking place. As said, a good film for kids but even better film for adults with other movies background. Very intelligent.

Eugene Z gave it a10:
This movie is the SMARTEST animation that I've ever seen (along with “Shrek”-1). It's a parody on our society and behavior, based on prejudice-propaganda-brainwashing, and clear prediction what could happen if “aliens” would come. The movie is funny (and even uses some kind of plagiarism in context to make it funnier) I really like it (as well as my 9-year son) and recommend to anyone. See the movie, enjoy, get some fun and laugh ... on ourselves' reaction that we'll experience if "alien invasion" would ever happen to us.

Jaime M gave it a10:
A very, very good film!!! Don't trust bad reviews made by stupid people who rate Titanic as a 5/5 stars film. TRUST ME!!! You must see this film if you have a good sense of humor, LOVED IT!!!

Francisco O gave it a10:
Great movie, excellent animation.

Miguel P. gave it a10:
Don't take this bad people but it seems that creeps you out that anybody come to play to your playground. I don't dare to say that this is better than a Pixar's movie, although is far better than Dreamworks "Monsters vs Aliens" By the way the movie is pretty well done to be the first serious Spanish animation movie project.

Matt G. gave it an8:
Visually clever and pretty, not great art but definitely great fun.

Read more user comments >

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