PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE 3D
DIRECTOR: Roberts Gannaway
VOICE CAST: Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Ed Harris, Wes Studi, Curtis Armstrong, Teri Hatcher
CLASSIFICATION: PG
RUNNING TIME: 83 minutes
RATING: 2 stars (out of 5)
Theresa Smith
YET ANOTHER Cars spin-off, yet another marketing ploy designed to interest little people in new lunchboxes.
In contrast to the Princess line, Planes: Fire & Rescue is aimed squarely at little boys. Too bad the little boys who attended the preview I was watching didn’t seem all that impressed. It is never a good sign when the kids fidget and talk to each other or mom, and not the screen.
It is also never a good sign when you leave the cinema wondering, who was the audience was meant to be and what was that? What just happened?
The film is brightly animated and contains a few groan-inducing puns (though nowhere near as many as Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2), and keeps moving forward, but the storyline is very adult-themed, albeit extremely cliched.
Everything about this sequel to Planes is meant to distract you from the paint-by-numbers, boring script. There are several new characters to be found, plus all the old ones from the Propwash Junction Airport, and there is always something happening on the screen.
What there isn’t is characterisation, imagination, soul or a reason to shell out for the 3D.
Little ones will catch the whole David versus Goliath vibe, but do they really need to be hit over the head like this with a lesson in morality? Kids can handle subtle every now and then. (Show them Porco Ross or Spirited Away some time. You will enjoy it, too). And do not get me started on the illogical nature of this created universe with its anthropomorphised machines.
This spin-off sees Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Cook), the plucky little racing plane from the first Planes film, severely damage his gearbox. This takes him out of racing contention and he decides to retrain as a fire and rescue plane to help his friends.
While being trained he makes all sorts of new friends and learns an important lesson about what it means to be a hero.
It’s not a total dud, because this is aimed at kids who are still entranced by the idea of drawing a thing with eyes. But, this isn’t even vanilla ice cream, it is flavourless.
But, it will keep tiny tots occupied long enough for you to nip to the kitchen and answer the phone in peace.
If you enjoyed Planes you will like this.