I love kids’ films, but every now and then I see one that makes me want to off myself.
The trailer for Escape From Planet Earth looked mega cute and clever: Humans have actually been secretly using aliens to create all our technological, and even some cultural, breakthroughs – iPhones, The Beatles … you name it; aliens are behind it!
Cool idea right? In fact this flick is littered with cool ideas. Sadly, however, they are wedged between slabs of really crappy ones.
This is where Escape From Planet Earth really peeved me off. I’d be wallowing in 10minutes of on-screen tripe then suddenly a really clever joke would pop up out of nowhere – only to descend back into crapolla immediately after. It was all rather mean: my hopes would be raised, only to be dashed…then it’d happen again…and again.
For example, the common ‘villain leaving the henchman to catch the goodies’ scenario was playing out, when I heard the dialogue “Peter! Jackson! Detain him!” and “James! Cameron! Don’t let them get away!” Funny little film references such as this (the characters’ names in succession make famous director names… just in case you missed it!) pop up throughout the film suggesting the writers had some inspired moments.
I think I would have preferred it to just be constantly terrible to be honest.
Full of smart-arse humour that doesn’t really work; it is not just me being picky. I know kids’ films aren’t supposed to be masterpieces but listening to the children’s reactions in the audience (or lack thereof) offered further proof. There was no uproarious laughter so common from kiddiewinks at the cinema – even the 3D only sparked one audible “whooooaaa!”
The one amazing aspect of this film is the soundtrack. It’s uber cool.
Ok, so I sound harsh and if you did take your kids I’m sure they’d enjoy it. But it’s by no means fabulous and they won’t come out raving.
I give it 4 stars.
