Titan A.E.

Can't recall much about this but do know that it was watchable and one of only a few animated films I have seen of this style. Ignore GordonBennet above; it can appeal to any age.

If you like this film and you are not a young teenaged boy, then you have issues.

pretty rubbish really

Speaking as a sci-fi loving grown up, I absolutely loved this film. I'm not going to claim it's perfect - but I enjoyed every minute and would highly recommend it.

I came into the film without any preconceptions, having heard nothing about it. I was treated to a high-paced sci-fi adventure with some beautiful animation (OK, some mediocre animation, too!); a good script featuring some very snappy dialog; and some excellent ideas.

The overall story is pretty dull stuff, to be fair. Father leaves boy with trinket; boy grows up to be a handsome but unsettled youth; boy discovers trinket is key to saving universe; boy saves universe after climactic showdown.

It's the bits in between the story that really made the film shine. Like the chase sequence through a field of highly-explosive helium trees; or the game of cat-and-mouse in an ice-crystal field which acts like a hall of mirrors; or the scenes which play with gravity and inertia. Then there's the context of a broken humanity struggling for survival an alien universe. And I've not even mentioned the the varied (and unpredictable!) cast of characters!

Ultimately, I think, Titan's AE's failings come down to an identity crisis. As a cartoon, it feels it has to appeal to children. So you end up with a simplistic story line and a film slightly top-heavy on action. But at the same time, there's a very adult intelligence within each scene and plenty to interest a 'hard' sci-fi fan. Is it a kid's film for adults, or an adult's film for kids? On top of this, it tries to paint a rich and diverse universe with a simple 2D palette.

Does it succeed? Well, I think so. It manages to marry the contrasting audiences. I loved it now, and I would have loved it as a youngster.

Do I wish it had been more adult, complex and subtle? Yes - but perhaps that's more my failing than the film's. It's no Blade Runner in terms of depth - but it was never meant to be.

A final thought for sci-fi fans: it was no surprise to see Joss Whedon's name feature in the credits (screenplay). This film bears more than a few resemblances to Firefly.

This was my daughters favourite film growing up, now my 5 year old grandson absolutely loved it. Earth is now called ' Planet Bob' in our household, one not to be missed.

The write-up for this film says 'spectacular animation'... well, I'm not sure I'd agree with that!

If you imagine the classic Disney animated films, which I watched as a child - this is very similar - I wouldn't be at all surprised if it wasn't animated by the same people in fact. Those scary teeth are back with a vengence!

However - once you get used to the far from polished animation, and figure out who the main characters are, it has a good storyline - pitched just right to appeal to both adults and children alike - no swearing - all very pleasant.

I personally didn't like the mix of 2D and 3D animation in it - as far as I'm concerned, you either make The Little Mermaid or Avatar... you can't combine the two!!!

Worth renting though for a lazy Saturday afternoon watch!