Film Review: Escape from Planet Earth

Escape from Planet Earth. Rated PG (mild animated violence). 89 minutes. Directed by Cal Brunker. Screenplay by Bob Barlen and Cal Brunker.

Verdict: A family-friendly adventure for the little ones.

With much to redeem it, but little to make it truly memorable, Escape from Planet Earth wins points for blissfully filling the gap in the market for films specifically aimed at younger children who might have occasionally found the recent animation offerings (such as The Croods) a little too dark and frightening. Escape from Planet Earth is a challenge-free zone, boasting an abundance of colour and movement that will keep its target audience buzzing with expectation and excitement.

While the alien population of Planet Baab are celebrating the success of the latest daring rescue mission by their hero Scorch Supernova (voiced by The Mummy’s Brendan Fraser), an SOS is received from the ‘Dark Planet’ (Earth). With Scorch’s geeky brother Gary (Rob Corddry) sacked from his position at Mission Control, Scorch departs on a rescue mission to the dangerous planet, only to discover that the evil General Saunderson (William Shatner) plans to exploit Baab’s reserves of weapons-grade ‘blutonium’ and use his new weapons to rule the galaxy.

Barlen and Brunker’s cheerfully derivative screenplay contains a couple of direct hits for the adult members of the audience, but it is essentially a laughter-free, action-packed caper with a fine thread about the importance of family. While Gary is seen as the under-achieving brother, he is also happily married to Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their son Kip (Jonathan Morgan Heit) is typically torn between the love he has for his serious, responsible dad and his admiration for his famous irresponsible uncle’s exploits. Scorch, on the other hand, is more concerned with his heroic adventures (and their commercial value) than he is about settling down and raising a family of his own.

Brunker and cinematographer Matthew Ward (who are both making their feature debuts) certainly have futures in the world of animation, with some of the sequences (such as the one where Gary’s spaceship crashes onto Earth) delivered with supreme confidence and skill. But as is increasingly the case, it is Barry Jackson’s (The Ant Bully) production design that beautifully accounts for all the wonderful sci-fi inspired possibilities that remain the most memorable aspects of this charming, family-friendly, big screen adventure.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.

Film Review: Oblivion

Oblivion. Rated M (science fiction violence and infrequent coarse language). 125 minutes. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. Screenplay by Joseph Kosinski, Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt.

Verdict: A verbose, fatally-flawed script mars a potential classic.

With his directorial debut TRON: Legacy (2010), Kosinski was revealed to be a filmmaker of our time. His masterful use of state-of-the-art motion picture technology that powered the story rather than distracted from it (or replaced it entirely), marked him as a director to watch. Darren Gilford’s flawless production design and Claudio Miranda’s (Life of Pi) superb cinematography ensured that Kosinski’s vision for his film was brought to the screen in breath-taking visual style. Expectations for the trio’s next big-screen adventure were high, so the only question that needs to be asked in relation to Oblivion is why has it all gone so wrong?

Film Review: The Host

The Host. Rated M (science fiction themes and violence). 125 minutes. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol. Based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.

Verdict: Love conquers all when you have a soul.

In the popularity stakes at least, something is going terribly right for Stephenie Meyer. Her best-selling Twilight books, and the big screen adaptations that followed, have guaranteed Ms Meyer a generation of devoted fans and followers around the globe. The interesting question, though, will be whether those same fans will give this film version of Meyer’s best-selling novel the same amount of fiercely loyal devotion.

Film Review: The Croods

The Croods. Rated PG (mild themes). 98 minutes. Written and directed by Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders.

Verdict: A visually dazzling adventure about the importance of learning from one another.

While live action filmmakers are often preoccupied with futuristic worlds riddled with explosive conflict and war-mongering, animators have been equally preoccupied with the distant past. From The Flinstones (1960–1966) to the Ice Age films (2002–2012), there is something liberating about imagining pre-historic possibilities – perhaps that the imperative for the results to be as ‘life-like’ as possible is eliminated. What we get instead, are pure flights of fantasy and imagination – hallmarks of the great, animated adventures of recent times.

Film Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

A Good Day to Die Hard. Rated M (action violence and coarse language). 98 minutes. Directed by John Moore. Screenplay by Skip Woods.

Verdict: A pensioned-off John McClane does not a great Die Hard film make.

We first met Bruce Willis’s charming and ever-resourceful New York City cop John McClane in Die Hard (1988). It was Christmas Eve, and as a fearless band of German terrorists took the occupants of the Nakatomi Plaza (including McClane’s wife Holly) hostage, our reluctant hero matched wits (and improvised explosive devices) with the Germans and went on to win the day. Billions of box office dollars later, the fifth film in the series explodes onto the big screen – and while it is far from perfect, it is a virtuoso display of big action set pieces that will shake you to your core.