Movie Review: 'Planes' nose dives from the very opening frame

Review: Planes

Cast:  Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Teri Hatcher, Priyanka Chopra, Brad Garrett, John Cleese, Carlos Alazraqui
 

Director: Klay Hall
 

Rating:  **
 

What’s it about: After Pixar’s Cars, Disney now has aimed sky high and made a film about Planes. Unfortunately the effort nose dives from the very opening frame. We wonder if this was meant to be a trial project or a side track to a bigger offering, as the film lacks the signature stamp of the production house. Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) always wanted to be a racing plane and win the Wings Across the World tournament. However, in reality he ends up being a crop duster far away from his dreams.He fails to qualify the first round despite support from  his fuel truck  friend Chug (Brad Garrett) and Dottie (Teri Hatcher).  Luck by chance he gets a second chance at the title to compete against the best entries from around the world that includes Indian Ishani (Priyanka Chopra), Bulldog (John Cleese), Spanish  El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui), and the crowd favourite Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith).
 

What’s hot: Carlos Alazraqui does a fine job with his Spanish voiceover and shares a fun camaraderie with Cook.  If you intend to take your kids to watch it, then they might get a lesson or two to  learn. There are ample morals and veiled messages in the film. Animation is average, but a few scenes manage to impress. 

What’s not: The plot is really flimsy and the 3D simply unnecessary.  We get to meet a bunch of cutesy characters with funny voice overs. But in a day and age where a good script has become the life line for a film, Planes goes back in time and gives us an uninspiring tale. Everything is super predictable, the one-liners, the jokes, the cheesy moments and the ending.  Strictly for kids, adults will be bored with the lack of any witty or remotely engaging banter.  Priyanka’s voice over sounds nothing like she is from India, maybe the sitars and Rahman’s Guru tune was brought in to compensate the same. Why hide the accent Ms Chopra ?

What to do: Planes isn’t a bad film, it’s just average and safe. We wish there was more life, soul and color to this exercise.