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PLANET 51Movie Reviews
Animated tale about an American astronaut who lands on Planet 51, believing himself to be the first person ever to set foot there, and discovers a race of tiny green people living in quaint communities reminiscent of 1950s America. Cast:The Rock, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary OldmanDirector:Jorge BlancoRelease Date:November 20, 2009DVD Release:March 9, 2010From:TriStar PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr 31 min
Planet 51 played to fair reviews. • Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "...proves that recreating the '50s with aliens is a cute idea, but cute doesn't sustain an entire motion picture. The idea barely holds for 10 minutes..." • And Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "An uninspired computer-animated feature that may satisfy undiscriminating pipsqueaks and nearly no one else... a low-IQ 'E.T.' in reverse..." More Reviews Below...
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...delivers a few pleasant surprises, including a smart story -- a reverse-E.T. riff that plops an American astronaut down in a world of just-like-us-only-green creatures..."(See all of Adam Markovitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 115 words, 11/20/09
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "Little of this clutter will register with young kids, and adults are more likely to sigh than laugh over the movie's repeated skimming of human culture."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 738 words, 11/19/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "When it resorts to silly bathroom humor just 15 minutes after the opening credits, we know we're in for a sorry experience.... an insipid and disjointed comedy..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 11/20/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...flagrantly unoriginal... belongs to the mix-and-match school of animated moviemaking that operates on the plaintive hope that familiarity is the surest path..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 11/20/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...jolly and good-looking... in glorious 2-D... beautifully animated in Spain, and also uses the voice talents of Jessica Biel, Seann William Scott and John Cleese."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 11/19/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...bland, humor-free... Instead of spinning its spoof of 1950s sci-fi paranoia in new directions, the movie trades in potty humor and tired sendups of 'The Terminator' and 'Star Wars.' "(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 11/20/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "The jokes are far too weak for adults or children, at least on this planet, while the satirical subtext that is the sole point of potential interest is a jumble."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 11/20/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...amiable enough, if less than inspired. When it re-creates key scenes from sci-fi classics the movie is partly paying homage but also stating the obvious."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 11/20/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "With one exception, everything about this animated flick seems reassuringly borrowed and thoroughly familiar and so soothingly 'known.' "(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 738 words, 11/20/09
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "An awkward European-American co-production... mainly succeeds at reminding you of all the better movies that inspired it."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 11/18/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "The characters look like Dr. Seuss by way of 'The Simpsons,' pleasant but nothing special, and they act like E.T. by way of every rip-off since."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 11/19/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The movie as a whole isn't exactly ground-breaking, and some of the humor tanks. But it has enough action, laughs and candy-hued visuals to satisfy..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 11/20/09
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The plot and characterizations may be too predictable for this to become a classic, but the initial twist is terrific, and sci-fi fans should get a chuckle out of the title itself..."(See all of Nancy Churnin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 11/20/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "An uninspired computer-animated feature that may satisfy undiscriminating pipsqueaks and nearly no one else... a low-IQ 'E.T.' in reverse..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 11/20/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...obnoxiously written, with too many cutesy-dirty double-entendres that are meant to appeal to the grown-ups but that only make the movie seem cringingly infantile."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 469 words, 11/20/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "Three directors put a lot of care into crafting this zippy contraption, but it doesn't have the personal vision to make it fly.... it's caught in a time warp..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 11/20/09
Sherry Robinson, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT(cg) "Kids are likely to enjoy the slapstick and the mild potty humor. Adults may just enjoy seeing a movie that takes a stock situation and cleverly flips it."(See all of Sherry Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 440 words, 11/19/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "A genial but generic riff on sci-fi movie history... Children won't get the many sci-fi movie references -- or the cork gag -- and adults probably won't find them that funny."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 11/20/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...proves that recreating the '50s with aliens is a cute idea, but cute doesn't sustain an entire motion picture. The idea barely holds for 10 minutes..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 11/20/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "An awkward European-American co-production... mainly succeeds at reminding you of all the better movies that inspired it."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 11/18/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...a creepy mishmash of sci-fi and fantasy classics that director Jorge Blanco tarts up with an unwholesome preoccupation with pee, anal plugs, and homosexual anxiety."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 11/19/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "The characters look like Dr. Seuss by way of 'The Simpsons,' pleasant but nothing special, and they act like E.T. by way of every rip-off since."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 11/19/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...flagrantly unoriginal... belongs to the mix-and-match school of animated moviemaking that operates on the plaintive hope that familiarity is the surest path..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 11/20/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...bland, humor-free... Instead of spinning its spoof of 1950s sci-fi paranoia in new directions, the movie trades in potty humor and tired sendups of 'The Terminator' and 'Star Wars.' "(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 11/20/09
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...bland, humor-free... Instead of spinning its spoof of 1950s sci-fi paranoia in new directions, the movie trades in potty humor and tired sendups of 'The Terminator' and 'Star Wars.' "(See all of Glenn Whipp's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 298 words, 11/20/09
Stephen Holden, New York Times: FAIR "...flagrantly unoriginal... belongs to the mix-and-match school of animated moviemaking that operates on the plaintive hope that familiarity is the surest path..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 11/20/09
18.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Planet 51's reviews are separated by an average 18.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Planet 51 (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Planet 51's reviews cover 43.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,615 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 400 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 5.2 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Planet 51's reviews on average broke 5.2 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Planet 51's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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