Planet 51 is directed by Jorge Blanco. Starring Dwayne Johnson Justin Long, Jessica Biel, and Sean William Scott. I didn’t have high expectations for Planet 51, and although I felt the movie could have been better. It definitely wasn’t bad. Now as any animation movie they are a treat for kids. As for us adults Planet 51 is no Pixar film, but is quite enjoyable. So if you happen to check out Planet 51 go ahead and leave us your thoughts.

When Chuck the astronaut (Dwayne Johnson) just happens to be millions of miles away from home. He lands in the backyard of Neera (Jessica Biel) during a family BBQ. As he gets off his ship and plants his countries flag into the ground. He gets the shock of his life as he discovers we are not alone in this galaxy. He looks around only to notice all of the green aliens that reside on Planet 51.The aliens quickly worry about the arrival of Chuck and determine that his arrival is the start of an alien invasion of the human kind. They are convinced that Chuck is there on a mission to destroy their beloved planet.

This is an interesting film, at least when you look at it on paper. How many times haven’t we seen the aliens attacking planet Earth? Or, see the Big Apple being destroyed as if there isn’t any other city in the world that the aliens might be interested in. Anyway, for Planet 51 the tables have completely turned, the humans have landed in an alien planet, but to my surprise the aliens appear to be in the 50s – 60s. Still driving around nice classic cars, TV broadcasting is still in black and white, the occasional hippies, the quality of life appears to be much better, and at least that’s my interpretation of things. I was surprised on how well the recreation of a great era was done in an alien like form.

During the movie I am sure many of you were all to catch the few mock ups of various films done in history for example did you guys happen to catch the E.T. scene? Or, how about the classic “Dancing in the Rain” act? All was very nicely done and it wasn’t just thrown in the screen at the last minute. I feel that it’s a good change of pace from all the other animated films out there. Although there is plenty of good things about this movie, I feel that some of the comedy was somewhat forced. The main character Chuck carried much arrogance that he was annoying at one point until the tables turn at end. Don’t get me wrong the film is rather entertaining.

Planet 51 arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.35:1. From the beginning of the movie you can instantly see what to expect from Planet 51 as far as video quality. This CG animated film is simply stunning, normally what you would expect in an animated film in high definition. Details are perfectly reproduced throughout the film. Colors are excellent they are bright and crisp. The image is simply pristine. There is no signs of any anomaly. Simply pure eye candy!

Planet 51 arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Right from the beginning of the movie the sound begins with a boom. The dialogue is clear and clear, the bass is used perfectly when needed especially during explosions where you can hear it loud. The rears are used perfectly during the action scenes, ambiance and atmosphere sounds are introduced throughout the film. Sony did a great job with the audio!

Planet 51 comes with a decent amount of extras that include some cast commentary and behind the scenes featurettes as well as games for the younger crowds. Below is a breakdown of the supplements.

Planet 51: A game where players have to zap robots and asteroids as they try to prevent Chuck from landing safely.

Extended Scenes: Scenes that add to the shortened versions from the theatrical release.

The World of Planet 51: This interactive featurette allows the viewer to check out some of the key locations of Planet 51. Gives you the opportunity to see things you might have missed while watching the film.

Life on Planet 51: This featurette takes a look at the actors during the making of the movie before they sit down for a chat discussing their work along their colleagues.

Planetarium: The voices of Planet 51: This features the cast talking about the film among other things.

Planet 51 Music Video Montage: Excerpts from the film appear during music videos “Aliens Exist” by Blink 182 and “Spaceman” by The Killers.

Animation Progression Reels: This features six different sequences of the film and it allows the user to see different items by splitting the screen in 4 sections.

Movie Traliers: Includes “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”, “Open Season”, “Open Season 2”, “Open Season 3”, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”, “The Waterhorse: The Legend of the Deep”, and “Surf’s Up”

Planet 51 does make a good effort and is quite enjoyable, but maybe it’s because I have kids and I usually watch any animated film now. The story is entertaining and a good flick to watch with your kids. The Blu-ray features a decent amount of supplements that your entire family will enjoy and carries an impressive video and audio transfer. I recommend at least a rent of Planet 51.