Escape From Planet Earth [Blu-Ray]

Director: Cal Brunker

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Jessica Alba

Release Date: Available on Blu-Ray & DVD June 4

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 6/10

Disc Rating: 10/10

 

Plot Summary:

Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet.

Those of you who frequently watch these animated features I’m sure are well aware that they can quite commonly be either hit or miss. Some of them are fantastic films, and some of them are pretty horrible. ‘Escape From Planet Earth’ is one of these titles that is right in the middle ground and while it’s not overly memorable or fantastic, it’s certainly an entertaining film with some clever ideas and a few pretty hilarious moments. For those of you with kids, it’s certainly better than a lot of titles you could pick out to watch, and it should keep most of the family entertained throughout, though don’t be too surprised if the kids enjoy it a little more than the adults.

‘Escape From Planet Earth’ features a good number of known actors contributing voice talents, including Rob Corddry, Brendan Fraser, Ricky Gervais, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, Steve Zahn and a number of others, and some familiar talented actors never hurts to brighten up the film a bit.

The film focuses on a pair of brothers, one the hero, one the planner/technician. When the hero brother ventures to Earth, he becomes captured by our military and imprisoned on Area 51. Now his brother who has never actually been in the thick of the action is forced to journey to Earth himself in order to try and break out his brother. It’s a pretty fun film and has some fairly clever moments. If you come across this one to rent or watch on TV it’s certainly worth it, though I’m not sure how much repeat viewing the film would get unless of course you have kids, in which case it certainly couldn’t hurt to pick it up.

VIDEO:

The Blu-Ray release of ‘Escape From Planet Earth’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio on the 2D version. The 3D version is also mainly a cinemascope presentation, though it’s presented as a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio on the 3D disc in order to let some sparks, flying material and other such effects roll off the screen and into the black bars which I thought was actually a pretty clever idea. Both the 2D & 3D versions of the film look very nice though I only had a chance to skip through the 3D version, so this review is based mainly on the 2D version. ‘Escape From Planet Earth’ is yet another impressive video presentation from Anchor Bay Entertainment & The Weinstein Company, just as we have come to expect from them.

AUDIO:

Both the 2D & 3D versions of the Blu-Ray feature a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack which is quite nice. The audio is always clearly distinguishable in the center channel, and while the rear channels are not constantly active, they certainly have their moments where they hit full force and contribute remarkably to the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Special Features on the Blu-Ray release include feature commentary with director Carl Brunker, ‘The Making of Escape From Planet Earth’ ‘Alternate & Deleted Scenes’ ‘How To Make An Animated Feature With Director Carl Brunker’ & a number of Music Featurettes.

Film Rating: 6/10

Disc Rating: 10/10

‘Escape From Planet Earth’ will be available on Blu-Ray & DVD on June 4 from Anchor Bay Entertainment & The Weinstein Company.