By Robbie Graham
How genuinely refreshing
to see Hollywood filmmakers sticking their necks out on a UFO movie in which the
US military is depicted as the hostile force rather than the alien
visitors.
The new trailer for Escape from Planet Earth would seem
to indicate that Hollywood still has some faith in the non-hostility of
potential extraterrestrial intelligences despite Tinseltown’s long and
successful history of aggressively demonizing life beyond Earth (UFO buffs will
note the references to modern human technology being seeded -- or in this case
literally produced -- by ETs... Philip Corso, anyone?).
Here’s the official blurb
for the movie:
“The 3D animated family
comedy Escape from Planet Earth
catapults film goers to planet Baab, where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova
(Brendon Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. A master of
daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his
nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary, head of mission control at BASA. When BASA's
no-nonsense chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a
notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary's warnings and bounds off for
yet another exciting mission. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish
trap set by the evil Shanker (James Gandolfini), it's up to scrawny,
risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing. As the interplanetary stakes rise to
new heights, Gary is left to save his brother, his planet, his beloved wife Kira
(Sarah Jesscia Parker) and their adventure hungry son
Kip.”
Okay, so the trailer
makes it clear that we shouldn’t be expecting cinematic greatness, but the
concept of aliens in peril at the hands of paranoid human officials puts Escape from Planet Earth in the
company of E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Super 8, and only a handful of other
films of this ilk to have been produced in the history of the UFO subgenre. More
like this, please, Hollywood. You can do it if you try.
Escape from Planet Earth is due for release Feb. 14, 2013.
