Planet 51
User Score
5.2 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 108
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 108
  3. Negative: 43 out of 108

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  1. JamesH
    Nov 25, 2009
    2
    The worse animated film I've seen in quite a while. SO predictable! NOT funny. The movie could not hold the attention of most of the kids in the theater as they were noisy and fidgety. By comparison, when I saw Wall-e in the theater you could hear a pin drop. I'm giving it a 2 because the animation is descent and there is one funny line when the aliens see the human naked. Otherwise it's a ZERO. AVOID this bore-fest!… Expand
  2. GabrielH
    Nov 27, 2009
    2
    Just terrible film, lack of originality and in some parts even insulting. not for kids, sure. Brrrr
  3. JP
    Nov 29, 2009
    1
    I wish there had been someone to tell me not to take my ENTIRE family for Thanksgiving to this movie. The kids looked forward to this show since we saw the previews months ago. From ages 4-11, this movie was terrible. They wanted to leave the theater, I was falling asleep due to lack of dialogue, and the kids were miserable. They hated sitting there with a movie that didn't have ANY direction. The main character who is a self absorbed fool is so degrading to the title "astronaut". It was so bland and unfulfilled, I wanted to apologize to the family for the awful price we paid to sit there and watch this.… Expand
  4. ChadS
    Nov 21, 2009
    4
    It's the hubris of man, or rather, the hubris of an American man, who would have the gall to ask Lem(Justin Long) if he's considered "good-looking" among his kind. The astronaut can't tell. The inference being, none too subtly, that Captain Baker(Dwayne Johnson) deems the young "alien" ugly. Prior to his landing, mankind was rendered in cheesy sci-fi films as a single giant eye, an appropriate metaphor for the narcissism of the homonymic "I"(the astronaut). Dissimilar from "The Eye of the Beholder"(a 1960 "Twilight Zone" episode written by Rod Serling himself), in which a beautiful woman, whose cosmetic surgery goes awry, is considered hideous by the standards of an otherworldly culture, the human species remain the standard bearer of beauty(the astronaut calls them "sea monkeys") in "Planet 51", despite the context where being tall and Caucasian might be hideous to the short and green. Captain Baker lands not only on another planet, but in another era, as the film documents the moment on our own planet when the hangover of the fifties, still felt, arguably, as late as 1964, finally dissipated, due to the rumblings of an oncoming conflict in Vietnam. There's no war in "Planet 51", but there are peace activists(and a protest singer), who insist that the visitor is friendly. The presence of these proto-hippies suggest "The War of the Worlds" in reverse could happen, an odd fit for a film that doggedly rehashes "E.T.". Well, maybe it might. After all, these planetary denizens wanted to dissect the astronaut's brain. Without any back-up, what choice does Captain Baker have, but to hug Lem like Henry Thomas, as in the finale of the 1982 Steven Spielberg classic. He'll be back and give those misplaced protestors something to protest about.… Expand
  5. KgM.
    Dec 1, 2009
    2
    This picture takes an alien planet and imports a 50s motif and therein lies the basic background of the storyline. The problem is it isn
  6. LuisV.
    Nov 20, 2009
    1
    Utterly absurd and unfunny and predictable and dull and insulting. And who the F cares if there really are aliens in the attic !
  7. AngelaO.
    Nov 28, 2009
    0
    What a disaster and what a shame! My son and I had to leave the theater before its ending. It is boring and disgusting!
  8. percy972
    May 26, 2011
    3
    Its a shame that this movie didn't use it's smart plot to a benefit or I would have given this movie a higher rating if it had a better cast and if it was funnier, but like I said it falls too short.
  9. jAbMaN
    Mar 21, 2011
    4
    This family animated film was okay not great. The concept of the alien civilization being in the 1950s was dumb. Even some of the music from the 1950s by dumb pop singers was retarded. The acting was okay too. This movie is for kids only, not adults.
  10. RogerSmith97
    Apr 19, 2011
    4
    This Is A VERY Uncreative Movie... The Voices Are Nah-Nah... But This Is Cute For Kids...
  11. TipsyMcBee
    Nov 13, 2011
    3
    Planet 51 does have a unique concept of an alien race in a 1950's flair environment, but the whole execution of the movie was a complete disaster. The story was quickly forgettable with humour so dull that Dwayne Johnson (voice of Charles T. Baker aka the Astronaut) couldn't save this animated feature to be highly entertaining. With a poor execution and only two scenes that will make you laugh, Planet 51 is at best to be a direct to video film than a theatrical feature.… Expand
  12. Zilcell
    Dec 2, 2011
    3
    Planet 51 may have great animation, but the thin plotted story and uninteresting characters make it very boring. It lacks fun in a lot of ways. The premise was interesting, but was poorly executed.
  13. heyitsmegrif4
    Jan 29, 2012
    2
    It has a very intriguing premise but the whole film is a wreck. With boring voice acting and bad animation along with it not being funny, Save your money and don't see it. i give this movie 19%.
  14. Cubixreviews
    May 14, 2012
    4
    Planet 51 is a poor animation movie. It haves a really stupid story, but sometimes it gets kinda interesting, sometimes, because this move is a let down. Even the animation is amateur and poor.
  15. FilmReviews
    Sep 4, 2012
    4
    "Planet 51" is a letdown that isn't worth to watch. Yes, it haves a good 3d animation, but the story is weird and dumb, and It isn't kids film. This movie is more for teens, because it haves some sexual moments, that aren't graphically absurd, but really not for kids.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
39 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 21
  3. Negative: 4 out of 21
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    50
    A perky though not terribly imaginative feature aimed primarily at youngsters.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    40
    There's nothing funny, provocative or involving about what "Shrek" co-writer Joe Stillman and the team from Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios do with the notion here.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Brian Miller
    40
    Like "E.T." in reverse, this pleasantly mediocre CG animation tale lands an astronaut on a distant planet.
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