Planet 51: Critic Reviews

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...

The agreeable but flagrantly unoriginal Planet 51 belongs to the mix-and-match school of animated moviemaking.

This has the directionless, recycled feel of a script by committee.

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

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

Planet 51 mainly succeeds at reminding you of all the better movies that inspired it.

This sharp-looking but unimaginative adventure hasn't the wit of similar kiddie flicks.

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.

Definitely a planet worth a visit.

Rest assured that nothing of significance will disturb said infant, neither feelings nor images nor ideas. No danger here; just a faint, faraway tickle of boredom.

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

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

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...

Mediocre, clunky and just so not special.

A high concept gets low execution in Planet 51, a lame-brained toon that even kids will recognize as an insipid goof on sci-fi conventions.

"Singin' in the Rain" references? John Glenn? Cold War duck-and-cover drills? What time capsule yielded this script?

With nowhere to go except toward that incongruous moral, the story is getting thin on the ground, obliging director Jorge Blanco to pad with the usual plush stuffing -- bland action and busy edits.

A playful throwback to the days when cartoons were mostly aimed at children.

Instead of spinning its spoof of 1950s sci-fi paranoia in new directions, the movie trades in potty humor and tired sendups of The Terminator and Star Wars.

"A poorly conceived comedy spotlighting a collection of anal-centric humor that's about as appealing as baseball bat to the face."

In terms of animation, Planet 51 is out of this world. Then there's the story and the characters, which are about as dull as a dirty penny.