Search - Planet 51 on DVD

Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL
Reviewed on 9/13/2021...

As an adult watching a cartoon, I always listen for the grownup jokes that the kids would never understand and this movie has them. I LOVED it!

Robin W. (flabbyoldbird) from TAYLORVILLE, IL
Reviewed on 2/20/2011...

My grandchildren just love this movie. We even enjoy it. I would give this 5 stars.....

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Know Your Films and Music Before Watching :3

Spider Moose | 01/08/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film was very enjoyable if you know the references to the 1950s films along with other scifi films; being a cinema major and music junkie I knew majority of the films that were parodied making it extremely funny. However 99% of the people (including critics [Which are usually film school drop outs always bitter]) didn't get the references and made it less enjoyable for them. The reason why the film didn't do good was that it was released during the same weekend as New Moon (UHF did the same with Indiana Jones 3) and was too specific of a market. It's a great film if you've seen all those cheesy films but not for kids. The film was made for them but kids won't get this however mom and dad would find it to their enjoyment. For adults think of it as a kids film but with clean jokes for you. John Cleese from Monty Python is in there along with the "Rock" as the astronaut which both have perfect roles. The music had lots of remade hits from the 1950s. So before you watch it make sure you know lots of the films and music otherwise you may not be able to appreciate the film for what's there. It's definitely a film to kick back with a beer and some of your friends who are into the retro films to get a good laugh from. Highly underrated since most people didn't understand it."

Underrated gem...too subtle for some?

JHD | United States | 02/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Planet 51' was the last thing showing at our local theatre that I hadn't already seen. The previews and lobby displays (mis)led me to believe it was just another throwaway kids' cartoon, full of forced cuteness, predictable gags, and cardboard characters; but I had time to kill and the ticket was at matinee price, so I finally went in. Am I ever glad I did!



The obvious send-up of 1950s American culture is fun, and so is the shoe-on-the-other-foot twist of the human being viewed as the fearful alien menace, but if that's all a viewer takes away, he or she is missing a lot. There was plenty of unexpected satire that had me laughing out loud through much of the film. There is also a profound message that centering one's society around perpetual fear can cause more harm to a culture's core values than the thing being feared; however, the message very carefully doesn't get in the way of the humanity (alienity?) of the story.



The music was well done and really enhanced the fun. Visually, I loved the film. Character design wasn't anything particularly special, but the look of the planet itself was gorgeous. This is a cartoon, after all, not an overblown CGI extravanganza like Avatar, so you shouldn't expect photorealistic rendering of every tiny detail. The beauty of this kind of artwork is in the imaginative forms and colors, the simplicity of shapes and lines that enhance the story, not overwhelm it.



Actually, having brought the subject up, I suppose many comparisons and contrasts could be drawn that make Planet 51 a kind of Anti-Avatar. Here, the humans are neither conquering villains, nor paternalistic hero figures. People--er, beings--from both sides have to do their part on Planet 51 to bridge the misunderstanding of cultures and enable goodwill to prevail. That may not be the kind of dramatic plot it takes to engage some viewers' attention these days, yet it's exactly the sort of solid but gentle storytelling one should expect from the offspring of George Harrison's Handmade Films.



Plus, so far as I can tell, no one has yet suffered depression after viewing Planet 51. :)"

Smart, harmless fun

Y. Gil | Israel | 12/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a bit surprised to see the chilly reviews of most of the critics (the movie got an average C in the Yahoo critics review). I saw the movie with my 8 years old and we both enjoyed it a lot. It is a fun little movie which includes parody on many sci fi movies as well as on the 50's Americana. It's true that there are many references and puns pointing to other movies but in my eyes this was part of the fun and not 'unoriginal copying' as some critics claimed. I was especially proud when my son identified the scene from Singing in the Rain! My own favorites were a killer, acid-urinating pet formed after the monster in 'Alien', and the paranoid general in sun glasses which reminded me of Jack D. Ripper from 'Dr. Stragelove'.

I saw some complaints about the 'simplicity' of the graphics, it's true they are not in the league of 'Shrek' or 'Bolt' but they do just fine in the context of the movie. Overall I will not claim this is a ground breaking movie in any way, but I enjoyed it more than 'Monsters vs. Aliens' which covers a somewhat similar teritorry and which we saw earlier this year."