Titan A.E. (2000) Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.0 stars
Cast: Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, Tone-Loc, Jim Breuer, Jim Cummings, Janeane Garofalo, David L. Lander, John Leguizamo, Ron Perlman, Charles Rocket, Alex D. Linz Written by: Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon Directed by: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, and Art Vitello Running Time: 97 minutes
In the year 3028, an evil race of aliens made up entirely of energy known as the Drej fear that humanity has become too technologically advanced, upon learning that the humans have recently finished construction on a device known only as the Titan Project. Young Cale (Alex D. Linz), a boy whose father designed the Titan, is whisked away by a few of his father's friends as the Drej begin a harrowing attack on the planet. All of humanity boards various spacecraft in the hopes of getting away from the chaos before the Drej wipe them out. Before he departs alone on the Titan, Cale's father gives him a ring and tells him that the future of humanity will depend on him. They go their separate ways and Cale is able to see his father escape just as the Drej completely obliterate Earth.
Fifteen years later, Cale (Matt Damon) is working in the salvage business, cutting up large derelict spacecraft that clutter space. During a break he runs into Korso (Bill Pullman), an old friend of his father's who has been sent to find Cale, because the ring his father gave him contains a map that reacts with a device in his hand that will track down the whereabouts' of Cale's father and the Titan. Cale is reluctant to go until the Drej show up and try to kill him, forcing him to join Korso's ragtag team consisting of Preed (Nathan Lane), Gune (John Leguizamo), Stith (Janeane Garofalo), and much to Cale's pleasure, the lovely Akima (Drew Barrymore). With Korso and his team's help (and the assistance of some bizarre alien races they meet along the way), Cale must beat the Drej to the final resting place of the Titan so the human race may once again thrive.
Titan A.E. springs from an amazing pedigree. All of the writers and directors on the film have come from an excellent background of animated, sci-fi, and action genre projects, so why doesn't it seem like the film worked as well as it should? It's hard to blame the writers considering where they come from: Ben Edlund is the creator of the wonderful Tick comic and animated series; John August is the screenwriter of the incredibly fun mini-Pulp Fiction homage Go! and the big screen update of Charlie's Angels; and Joss Whedon is the uber-writer behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer (both the film and the TV series), Toy Story, Alien:Resurrection, and the X-Men movie (plus he also did uncredited work on Speed, Waterworld, and Twister). The same applies for the directors: Don Bluth and Gary Goldman have worked together on many decent animated films such as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, All Dogs go to Heaven, and Anastasia (and a few not so good like Thumbelina, The Pebble and the Penguin, and the absurd Rock-a-Doodle) and Bluth alone created two of the most important video games in my life as a child, Dragon's Lair and Space Ace; while Art Vitello has been the story editor on "The Tick", key animator for ILM on Poltergeist, director of the animated series' "The Tick", "Tiny Toon Adventures", "The Real Ghostbusters", and "Disney's Gummi Bears", plus he also produced the "G.I. Joe" animated series that I used to rush home to watch everyday after school.
NOTE: Could part of my problem with the film be attributed to the two men who get the "Story By" credit? Randall (Speed 2: Cruise Control) McCormick and Hans (Anaconda) Bauer are the men behind the original story and I'm glad that it was handed off to the other writers, especially after seeing the mess that Speed 2 was. Both men have only written three films apiece and Titan A.E. is one (while the other unmentioned films by both men are virtually unheard of).
The visuals in the film are amazing and it even plays like it could be the tamer younger brother to the Heavy Metal series, but ultimately it feels a little empty. I never really felt like I was given much of a chance to sympathize with the characters (although the characters in Titan A.E. are far more three-dimensional, both emotionally and physically, than the ones in Lucas' droll "epic" The Phantom Menace). The film basically moves from set piece to set piece without much thought to fleshing out the characters' relationships better. As a result, too many things seem rushed into and forced (particularly Cale and Akima's relationship, which only gets a chance to truly strengthen towards the end of the film). Like Disney's recent Dinosaur, Titan A.E. seems more concerned with showing flashy animation than presenting a decent story (although Titan A.E. is the better of the two films by a large margin).
A big complaint I have about the film is Cale's father giving him the ring. By all accounts, there is no need for him to pass the ring along considering that he now has nothing to do while hiding out in the Titan except to wait for fifteen years for someone to track down Cale (who could have been dead for all he knew) and bring him and the ring. I could understand if two rings had been made, one with the map and one to activate the ship's ultimate function, but that is sadly not the case. Instead, the father gives away the key to unlock the secrets of the ship to his son as an excuse for some Star Wars-like "immature young boy must grow up and save a universe" type story. If any element of the story seemed forced it was certainly this one.
I was impressed by the dark subject matter that was presented in this film. Considering its PG rating and animated style, it naturally leans more towards being a children's film than an adult action film, but there are some very strong elements in it. Characters bleed profusely when shot, necks are broken, and, in the ultimate example, the planet we call home is completely destroyed within ten minutes of the Fox studio logo's appearance on screen. If a better story had been thrown into the mix, I would have proclaimed this one of the best films of the year.
Thankfully, the film does keep the annoying sidekicks down to a minimum (are you listening, Mr. Lucas?) and there are no annoying breaks where the cast progresses the story in song. Luckily Bluth and gang, in another parallel to Heavy Metal, decided to go with modern rock as their soundtrack. Unfortunately, the Creed song "Higher" featured in the trailer is nowhere to be found in this film, but there are some other fine songs by Lit, Powerman 5000, and others. A soundtrack is available for the film and some CD stores are even giving away a free Titan A.E. comic with the purchase of it.
Overall, Titan A.E. should have had a little more work put into it. Although individual sequences stand out (particularly the scene featuring the chase through the ring of ice chunks), the bulk of the movie collapses under its own weight. At just a little over 90 minutes though, the film is never dull nor does it wear out its welcome. I was just hoping for something with a little more substance.
If you're just looking for something to kill time, Titan A.E. is a decent bet whether you're young or old. If you're looking for a thought provoking study on how the human race will evolve and move on from where we currently are, then you may want to look elsewhere. This film is pure summer fluff with some decent talent behind it... and who can argue with that? [PG]
Reviewed by Brian Matherly - bmath2000@hotmail.com AOL Instant Messenger: Widescreen25 The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/
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