Escape From Planet Earth (2013) [Blu-ray]
Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline: Earth's greatest secrets are about to break out!

This fantastic, funny animated adventure crosses all galaxies to entertain the entire family! Sibling rivals from the Planet BAAB, brainiac Gary Supernova (Rob Corddry) works all the gizmos at Mission Control, while his studly brother Scorch (Brendan Fraser) performs all the superhero stuff. But when Scorch is sent on an SOS operation to the Dark Planet (otherwise known as Earth), from which no alien has ever returned - it's up to Gary to rescue him, their planet and the universe. The out-of-this-world fun also includes a stellar vocal cast including Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, George Lopez, Craig Robinson, Sofia Vergara and Jane Lynch.

Storyline: The story takes place on planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA. Written by Websurfer

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on May 28, 2013 -- Digitally animated movies have descended from the heights enjoyed in the days of Toy Story, not necessarily losing their appeal but certainly traversing down from the summit of novelty and richness, past the plateau of charm and general appeal, and into a gray area where plots aren't so important anymore, where cutting edge animation doesn't really wow adult audiences, where the market is so flooded with knockoffs, wannabes, and yes, still the occasional mega blockbuster that films like Escape from Planet Earth seem to become lost in the shuffle, seemingly just another film that hopes to appeal to younger audiences who are still more concerned with bright colors, fast movement, and cheery and silly dialogue, caring not what the studio label at the beginning of the film says or even if the plot shares similarities to other like-styled pictures. While Escape doesn't enjoy the story richness of a Pixar film or the advertising muscle of DreamWorks, it's certainly several steps above the digitally animated equivalent of shovel ware that's starting to emerge (Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil, Adventures in Zambezia). While it won't be mistaken for the next great leap forward in entertainment, Escape from Planet Earth delivers an undeniably slick surface, and even if there's not a lot of depth past the animation, it's scripted and voiced just well enough to emerge as a sleeper surprise that should satisfy younger audiences and hold an adult's attention, too.

Scorch Supernova (voiced by Brendan Fraser) is his world's most renowned celebrity. He's an adventurer and superhero of sorts, loved by all and with the cocky attitude to show for it. He's just returned home to planet Baab after successfully pulling off a perilous baby rescue mission, and once again he's in the media spotlight. He certainly received all the strength and charisma in the family, but his brother Gary (voiced by Rob Corddry) most definitely got all the brains. He's the smarts behind Scorch's missions, a real brainiac who, unlike his brother, has settled down into a quiet little out-of-the-way life with the perfect wife and child. When Scorch is called to visit "The Dark Planet" -- i.e. Earth -- and respond to an S.O.S., his entire world jumps behind him, even though all who have ever dared visit Earth have never returned home. Scorch's arrival and the beginning of his mission are broadcast on television back on his home world, but disaster strikes in from of millions of fans when he's captured by ruthless human military agents. Now, it's up to Gary to mount a one-man rescue operation to save his brother. Little does he know he's about to unravel a super-secret interplanetary scheme that could shift the balance of power for centuries to come.

Escape from Planet Earth certainly won't win the ribbon for top achievement in originality -- the characters look like a cross between those from Megamind and Planet 51, and please forgive the movie if it feels as if it liberally borrows plot elements from movies like Monsters vs. Aliens -- but in fairness it takes all of its spare parts and crafts them into a dependable little excursion into animated escapism that touches all the usual notes on its way towards the expected happily-ever-after resolution. Even as all of the plot strings are neatly tied up as the film moves on to its conclusion, it exudes a real sense of excitement and heart, the former enough to please the younger ones and the latter sure to satisfy jaded older ones. One or two major plot twists come somewhat surprisingly, but otherwise best to expect the expectable because the film delivers pretty much what audiences, yes, expect from a movie like this. There are no chances taken with the story, no ground broken with the animation. It's all done neatly and efficiently and to good enough end result. For a movie that very well could have been a chore, it's instead a surprisingly fun little diversion that certainly won't ascend to the top of all that many fan's favorites lists but instead does all that's expected of it surprisingly well, even considering the overall absence of novelty.

So, in other words, it's really quite generic, but the peripherals around the main storyline elevate the movie several notches above where it probably should be. The picture nicely blends light humor with over-the-top gags, the former often working better -- and more regularly -- than the latter. The youngest audiences probably won't get many of the worldly, adult-centric jokes, but they're woven so well into the movie's fabric that they never seem to stand apart from the rest or wrenched in just to earn a laugh from the grown-ups. The characters aren't particularly interesting -- the bad guy general feels fully cliché and the juxtaposition of adventurer-versus-brain brothers works well enough in context but doesn't really set the characters apart beyond the basics. Scorch seems modeled rather heavily after Skylanders' Flynn (even throwing in a few "BOOMS!"), a self-assured, big voiced hero who's not really worthy of the pedestal on which he places himself and usually needs a lot of outside help to get things done, though he either never recognizes the fact or refuses to believe it. Gary is terribly flat and generic, yet the film manages to build a rather nice, albeit predictable, family ties angle between the two, culminating in a surprisingly heartfelt moment between the siblings near film's end. The voice actors are quite good, particularly Ricky Gervais as a sarcastic computer. Best of all, the animation is really quite lively. It builds a beautifully slick and smooth alien world that's not at all, well, alien to human viewers but that looks throughly convincing and very smartly conceived in a fifties-meets-future kind of way.

Escape from Planet Earth has a lot of fun exploring its characters and universe. Even if the film isn't a bastion of originality, it takes itself lightly. It's a buoyant, bubbly, happy-go-lucky sort of movie that just rolls with limited range and cleverly mixes together its pieces into a movie that feels familiar but at the same time rather fresh. It's not an instant classic of its genre, but chances are younger ones will love it and parents with a Sci-Fi itch to scratch will enjoy it, too. Anchor Bay's Bu-ray 2D/3D combo release of Escape from Planet Earth features tip-top video, excellent audio, and a few extras. Recommended.

[CSW] -2.5- Should be fine for kids but for adults, there are many better animated films.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.

º º