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.