MOVIE REVIEWS

Planet 51 Junket

What happens when an alien lands on your planet? How would you react to a foreign creature on your planet? Now, what if the alien was one of us?!! How you may ask; let’s take a quick look into TriStar Pictures CG movie Planet 51.

Planet 51 is peaceful planet were everyone lives simplistically and serene; the difference is that all inhabitants are all green, which of course is normal to them. What isn’t normal is that one day a weird spaceship lands on their planet and out comes this weird creature almost out of a comic book… his name Charles “Chuck” Baker and he is an astronaut from Earth. What ensues is a crazy adventure of friendship and understanding to except the alien and those who fear it and want it captured.

“Planet 51”, directed by Jorge Blanco, and written by Joe Stillman gives this movie a fun early age planet approach but this time from the other perspective of the aliens. Where, in the past, almost all movies made the aliens come to us. This time we come to them, but unexpectedly expecting no life on a planet. No CG movie would be complete with the right cast voice actors to help bring the movie to life and for this film a large list of celebrities work together to give “Planet 51” a whole new breath of life. Names such as:

• Dwayne Johnson as Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker
• Jessica Biel as Neera
• Justin Long as Lem
• Seann William Scott as Skiff
• Gary Oldman as General Grawl
• John Cleese as Professer Kripple
• Ryan Rosenfeld as Marv

With big names like that behind a comical and family friendly movie, this is a movie you just have to watch. Did I mention John Cleese is in it?

The Planet 51 junket was held out in outer space or as close as you can get to the stars without suffocating and trapped with us in the void of darkness were Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, and Justin Long joined us to talk about the film and entering voice acting for this featured film. The three talked about the experience working on this brand new 3D CG film but had full confidence in it after seeing some of the sketches, the idea of the movie and the names working on the film, before they had joined. Justin Long talked about his experience working on this film jokingly admitting it was an easy role to fill playing a nerdy comic book loving teen (alien) seeing how he himself was one in the past. Jessica Biel thought for a second and smiled saying it wasn’t that difficult playing a teenage girl (also alien) who fights for the right causes on her planet. Dwayne smiled and jokingly said, having to play a man who was very proud of himself, cocky, and good looking wasn’t tough at all and seeing his track record and physique no one can blame him. The movie was a lot of fun working with being able to express yourself making the character yourself and the freedom of expressing yourself. They also talked about was how the movie was being worked on while the actors were doing voice over work to fit it perfectly, to make this movie that much better of an experience.
 
When asked about their belief of other life “out there” all 3 agreed that there had to be because we cannot believe we are the only beings in this large universe. This led to Dwayne being asked how “Planet 51” could tie in to any type of space program. Dwayne responded that NASA was talking to him and the creators and gave the movie their approval, which is great since Charles “Chuck” Baker is a NASA astronaut and as well, NASA’s Robot makes a CG film debut in this move. Dwayne mentioned NASA was very pleased with all the work put in and gave tips and advice to the movie and really, that has to be very cool when NASA gives a thumb up for such a fun sci-fi space movie. 
 
Dwayne was asked about how this role in “Planet 51” was different from when he had done “Scorpion King”; Dwayne said it was on a whole other level from the movement to the direction he could take it to. Since his body wasn’t being used he could just be himself and enjoy it. Over all, he loved doing the movie because once his daughter saw it was him she was happy seeing it. Justin laughed as well because for him his brother didn’t know he was part of it until he heard the commercials. Lastly, Jessica Biel was asked a question many fans have been anxiously waiting for, the A-team. Talking about the work and enjoying it we can look forward to a great film when it’s released in 2010.
 
The event was very entertaining as all 3 actors, Johnson, Biel and Long, where having fun with everyone, chatting with each other, joking around and teasing each other. Each one was having fun in the interviews, and that’s the best way to show how fun a project like this could be. Planet 51 lands in theaters November 20, 2009 so stay tuned to unWIRED TV for our review on TriStar Pictures Planet 51, as well as the Planet 51 Video games by Sega.