Today’s quick review: Escape from Planet Earth. On a mission to Earth, space adventurer Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is ambushed and captured by General Shanker (William Shatner), the head of Area 51. His brother Gary (Rob Coddry), a brainy operator from Mission Control, launches a hasty rescue mission only to fall into Shanker’s clutches himself. Together, the brothers must find a way to escape and stop Shanker from taking over the galaxy.
Escape from Planet Earth is a family animated sci-fi adventure about two alien brothers trying to break out of Area 51. Scorch, a brash show-off, and Gary, a cautious thinker, have to put aside their differences and learn to work together. Escape from Planet Earth gets off to a promising start, with clear stakes, good character dynamics, and a talented voice cast. However, its execution of its ideas leaves something to be desired.
Escape from Planet Earth does a fine job with the basics. The sibling rivalry between Gary and Scorch is a solid foundation to build on, the idealized space adventures of the planet Baab are a fun inclusion, and the broad strokes of the plot work well, a mission that spirals out of control and needs the help of family to get back on track. All of this, plus a few decent jokes, is enough to make the movie a reasonable pick for interested viewers.
However, Escape from Planet Earth has a harder time managing the details. The jokes are fine but never outstanding. They suffer from mediocre timing and a lack of memorable punchlines. The script has similar problems. The conflicts it sets up are promising, but they tend to peter out rather than building to a big climax. Finally, the sense of spectacle is not what it could be, with no major action sequences to show off the animation.
Give Escape from Planet Earth a shot when you are in the mood for a basic but competent sci-fi comedy adventure. A pleasant world and fun character dynamics makes it an enjoyable watch for anyone who likes the genre. But the movie does not do much to set itself apart, and the payoff is not enough to make the movie worthwhile for a skeptical viewer. Approach with caution.
Check out Monsters vs. Aliens for a similar spoof of classic sci-fi. For an animated sci-fi comedy with more personality, try Megamind.
[5.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765446/). I give it a 6.5 for a serviceable story that’s missing some flair.