Cinema Thirst: Planet 51 (2009) Review

Director:(s) Jorge Blanco, Javier Adad, Marcos Martinez
Producer:(s) Ignacio Perez Dolset, Guy Colins
Rating: PG
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Release Date: November 14, 2009

Planet 51 (originally known as Planet One) is a Spanish-made animated film that tells the story of a planet full of aliens that live in a 1950's era no different from mankind. Fear of attack from aliens known as "humans" is a constant fear and one day, an American astronaut named Charles Baker (played by Dwayne Johnson) lands his ship on their planet and becomes fugitive number one. It's a very interesting reverse of the typical man-vs-alien subgenre of films.

The film plays out a lot like an animated version of Steven Spielberg's E.T. as our alien hero tries to save the astronaut and avoid the constant threat of General Grawl, another alien who wants to capture Charles and experiment on his brain.

As you would expect from a children's movie (especially an animated one) the movie is full of humor and a light-hearted script but sadly, a lot of the jokes don't work all that well. I think I only laughed maybe twice during the whole thing but again, I'm not a little kid. I'm sure that anyone under the age of 12 will be in awe as they stare at the very high quality animation which is actually on par with the type of animation that Dreamworks Animation and Pixar create. That's definitely saying something because the company behind this movie is relatively unknown outside of Spain.

The story doesn't insult the audience's intelligence and is actually quite well written but some of the annoying lines do. I found myself wanting to actually see some of the secondary characters die because I just wanted to be rid of their annoyance. One thing that really got to me is how scared Charles was but then all of a sudden he warms up to the alien character and starts acting like a big shot. The change was way too sudden and didn't play out well at all.

I know this review isn't very much but to be honest, Planet 51 just didn't leave an impression on me like other animated films have and it's very passable. There is a reason this movie is not very well known and it's because of it's weak story and sometimes annoying characters but if you're just going in the theater to see a good kid's movie, you'll enjoy this. You would still be better off seeing Astro Boy or any of the other animated movies out right now instead.

6/10

12/14/09 Colton West

Cinema Thirst: Pandorum (2009) Review

Director: Christian Alvart
Producer:(s) Paul W.S. Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer
Rating: (CA) 14A (US) R
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue
Running Time: 108 Minutes

Released on September 25th in the U.S. and on October 2nd in the UK, Pandorum tells the story of two crew members who wake up in hyper-chambers aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. They are suffering from memory loss and have no idea what is going on but quickly discover that they are not alone.

Is it mere coincidence that Paul W.S. Anderson, creator of many video game to film adaptations decided to produce a film that seems like it was designed to bank on the success of Dead Space? Maybe Electronic Arts was smart enough to keep Anderson's filthy and unholy hands away from the Dead Space franchise so this film ended up being the result? It's highly doubtful but as I was watching this movie, I couldn't help but draw similarities from that game, but I guess the same could be said about any film like this.

For the first section of the film, Pandorum does a very good job of creating a creepy and isolated atmosphere. There is nothing scarier then what you can't see and the distinctive feeling of fear this section of the film brings down on you is a great feeling. Unfortunately, about half way into the movie, Paul Anderson's ego takes over and it turns into a typical action movie with a few horror elements. It's basically like watching the first Resident Evil movie, but in space.

The acting isn't all that bad to be honest. Ben Foster plays his character very well and you can honestly believe what his character is going through. I'm sorry to say that Dennis Quaid doesn't play his too well. A lot of the scenes involving Quaid seemed stupid and over the top. I guess I would say that my reactions to his acting are mixed.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went into this film considering it's promotion and advertising were very minimal, at least where I live anyway. I had no idea what Pandorum was about when I watched it, though I knew it was obviously a horror movie and like I said, it pulls the fear element off brilliant in the first half.

I would suggest just letting this one pass and if you are going to see it, just rent it. It's still better then the Doom movie but if you're really interested in a horror movie regarding space, check out something like Ridley Scott's 'Alien'.

5/10

Cinema Thirst: Astro Boy (2009) Review

Director: David Bowers
Producer: Maryann Garger
Rating: PG
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Cage, Kristen Bell, Donald Sutherland
Running Time: 94 Minutes

Before I start this review, let me says this. I was not a fan of the manga this movie is based on in any way and I have no exposure to the lore or story behind the manga or the anime. My review comes from the perspective of a movie goer, that is all. So if I say something that gets the fanboys chomping at the bits for my flesh, well..Oops.

In my eyes, Astro Boy is a fine example of how American companies don't always screw up something they are trying to remake like they did with Dragonball: Evolution.

Astro Boy tells the story of a man named Dr. Tenma (Nicholas Cage) and his son Toby a.k.a. Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) and the incident that tears them apart from each other and forces Astro to find his place in the world. When a military weapon goes berserk, Toby is killed during the accident and due to Tenma's grief over the loss of his son, he decides to make another Toby. After Toby has been rebuilt and embedded with the memories of his former self, Tenma begins to feel like he made a mistake and disowns the robot. 

The cast they chose for this movie is very star-studded and almost all of them are good at portraying the characters besides Nicholas Cage. I feel like his character didn't have very much personality to him and a lot of the scenes involving Dr. Tenma lacked a bit of emotion because Cage's voice always seemed to be monotone. Everyone else does a brilliant job however, especially Freddie Highmore who brings a lot of depth to Astro and helps flesh out his personality.

The animation is beautifully done for a movie like this and there is even traces of the Japanese anime roots ingrained into the character animations and environments.

The script was a little lacking I will admit. Many of the lines seemed really forced or just stupid when read out loud in a serious fashion but I was able to look past it and found myself quite amused the entire time.

Keep in mind that this movie is very violent and touches on a lot of mature themes like abandonment so if you're a parent buying this film's upcoming DVD release for your child, be weary of that.

Music is something I would also like to mention. The score for this film was done by composer John Ottman who also did the score for 2006's Superman Returns. One of the things that many adventure movies are lacking these days is a soaring and epic score and thankfully, Ottman delivered with this movie creating both uplifting pieces and somber pieces that really made the movie's depressing moments even more depressing. If this review doesn't make you want to see the movie, then at least check out the film's soundtrack because for any fan of orchestra and symphony, you will not be disappointed.

Back to the movie! I read in a Youtube comment a few days ago that "Astro Boy is this generation's Iron Giant" which is quite a large accomplishment if it were true, which it isn't. The Iron Giant was and always will be one of the best animated movies of all time and while Astro Boy does come close, a few of it's flaws keep it from getting that home run. Kids will love this movie, adults will too.

If you're a stuck up fan of the manga or show, just suck it up. Forget the movie was ever made like I do with the Resident Evil movies and quit your complaining. For people who wish to be exposed to an animation that is far different from mainstream CGI films like Shrek and Madagascar, then definitely check this one out.

In my opinion, Astro Boy is one of 2009's most underrated films. 

8 / 10

12/09/09 Colton West

Cinema Thirst: 2012 Review

2012. One of the most well known and infamous dates in our lifetime. The Mayans, as well as other ancient cultures predicted that on December 21st, 2012, some sort of event would take place that would shape the future of our planet.

Is it the destruction of all life on Earth or just another day in our history, no different then December 21st, 2009? No one truly knows, but considering the amount of popularity and infamy this day has across the globe, movies and other entertainment mediums were a guarantee.

Low budget films like 'Doomsday: 2012' have come and gone, but Roland Emmerich's depiction of 2012 is the top of the cake no doubt. The film stars quite a few big timers such as John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson to name but a few as the world struggles to find any method of survival against the impending doom.
Global-wide destruction of catastrophic proportions is tearing the world apart as fault lines shift, California sinks into the Pacific Ocean, and Mega-tsunamis strike every coastline.

As far as the acting is concerned, it's a high-budget blockbuster so don't be expecting Academy Award winning performances. John Cusack, Danny Glover, and Chiwetel Ejiofor are the ones who I believe to have the best performances. John Cusack plays a father of two children and world famous author who has divorced from his wife (played by Amanda Peet) as he struggles to be a good father. His performance in most of the film is very well done except for the occasional stupid line but I don't blame that on Cusack's acting, but rather the sometimes faulty script. There are a lot of lines in the movie that really didn't need to be in there which served as comic relief and in my opinion, a movie about the end of the world isn't exactly supposed to be funny.

Thankfully, the comic relief characters are kept to a minimum and one of them (people who have seen this will know who I'm talking about) is killed off rather quickly which I was quite happy about. It's hard to call the premise of this moviefar-fetched because really, no one knows what is going to occur in 2012 and if you're going to make a motion picture about the end of the world, you need to show it ending.

One thing I rather enjoyed is that one of the events in the movie is actually based on scientific fact and is centered around the super volcano residing in Yellowstone National Park right now.

But let's face it, this movie's biggest selling factor is the special effects without a doubt and as a disaster movie, trust me it is the best in the genre as far as on-screen destruction is concerned and considering this film had a budget of over 200 million dollars, you can only expect the effects to bemind-blowing and I really wouldn't be surprised if 2012 was nominated for best special effects at the next Academy Awards. Very few moments in the film looked unrealistic except for the occasional flaw here and there. Did I enjoy this movie? Yes I did, very much in fact.

If you are willing to suspend your disbelief and leave your brain outside of the theater, you will definitely enjoy this film.

2012 has received mixed reviews from critics saying the premise was "unrealistic" and the acting was "terrible" but really people, you go to a disaster movie to be entertained and this film does exactly that. Just don't be expecting the next movie of the year.

7 / 10

12/09/09 Colton West