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"Planet 51" takes off like a rocket with its glitzy and alien look, but it never achieves orbit because of a sputtering plot and lackluster performances.
The film looks at what it would be like for a planet of Sea Monkey-looking inhabitants, who seem to be stuck in the '50s, to get a close encounter of the Earthly kind. Their isolated world of backyard barbecues, comic book reading and walking their mechanical dogs is sent into a turmoil.
Visiting astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker is a narcissist voiced with false bravado by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. His right stuff is a great smile and a big ego. Baker touches down into the life of geeky Lem (Justin Long), who just wants to find the nerve to ask his neighbor, Neera (Jessica Biel), to go on a date. Instead, Lem's pressed into being a hero.
The spherical design of everything on "Planet 51" is interesting -- for a few moments. But it's not interesting enough to distract from the movie's failings, especially compared to other recent animated offerings.
"Planet 51" doesn't have the heart or smart writing of "Wall-E." It is light years away from being as visually stimulating as "9." And it never reaches the same continuous comedy orbit of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."
