Titan A.E.

I remember a year ago when I went to see this movie. I think of that day as a turning point in my life in how I view animation.

I am surprised I have not written a review for this movie. After reading through every single bad review by every paid critic on the planet and watching this movie fail because of it (taking Fox Animation with it), I have decided it was about time I added my insight into the pile. Kind of late, but bear with me. I know more now than I did then.

First off, the storyline isn't what the critics have brainwashed you into thinking. If you are a sci-fi fan, I guess it is easier to grasp. In the wide world of science fiction, this movie seems to have struggled to find originality and found enough of it. Set 1000 years into the future, Humans have discovered an extremely advanced technology which drives a race of almost indestructible aliens to destroy Earth in it's entirety. A teenage boy is left with the power to find the key to bring humanity back before it is killed off forever. When I saw this movie, I had a breath of relief. Finally humanity isn't the all-powerful! The movie puts humanity in the act of a downtrodden, confused, holding-on race manipulated and shunned by other races. The emotion I felt from the story in this film and the characters in it is extraordinary.

The animation by far is a turning point in the world of animated features. From the start, you can tell the animation is exceptional. Extra time was taken to make the characters lifelike, as well as the environments they are in, the coordinating of colors, and even the shadows from a tree on the character's faces. It's unbelievable. And the 2D animation mixes so well with the 3D animation - it just adds to the thrill of the movie. The scenes in the movie are exceptional - from the ice rings scene with the reflections to the wake angels scene in space.

The characters are just portrayed so well, like I said. The actors doing the voice-overs put so much emotion into what the characters actually felt, and the characters portrayed it well. There is a nice variety of characters as well, all the way down to the comic relief of Gune and the angry kangaroo-like alien, Stith.

Overall, this movie just blew me away. I couldn't think for days. The animation, the story, the characters - all of it. And I have gotten others to see this movie, and they agree on it. So next time you are in the video store, not sure what to rent, think about this movie. I guarantee it is in stock and it will change the way you see animation forever.

The first time I saw this I was 13 or 14. I saw it in a theatre with some friends. Most of em didn't really seem impressed but I really thought it rocked. I really like Cale's character. He seemed to "click" as a normal guy you wouldn't mind being identified with. And that Goon character was just fantastic. I really liked the scene with the giant ice crystals, and the sound effects during that scene were awesome. And I noticed this movie had a lot of Starwars references, but who cares. Didn't bother me in the least---in fact I like that kind of thing.

I was sort of disappointed at how this one just sort of dried up and blew away (I don't even think it played a whole week at the theatre). Luckily a friend, knowing I liked this movie, gave me a DVD he'd bought and no longer wanted. So, again, I watched and enjoyed this unappreciated great creation. Somehow it seemed even better now.

As usual, I'll leave all the technical discussions to other reviewers (of which there are a multitude). I try to review on an entertainment level only...yeah, I suppose I'm the shallow guy who only sees what's right up front.

Anyhow, if you care a whit about sci-fi, don't miss this one even if it is animated. It doesn't really have that "anime" feel to it. So if you're turned off by anime, check this one out anyway.

BTW, this movie is great for family viewing.

It's 3028 A.D. Earth is attacked by the Drej, aliens of pure energy. Hundreds of ships manage to escape before the earth is destroyed. Cale is separated from his father Professor Sam Tucker who saves the spaceship Titan. Sam gives him a ring which is a map to find Titan. Tucker was the lead researcher on Project Titan which is feared by the Drej. 15 years later, Cale is working on a salvage station with other aliens. Humanity is reduced to lower class citizens. Joseph Korso, captain of the Valkyrie, finds Cale and his ring to search for Titan, humanity's last hope.

The blend of traditional hand drawn animation and CGI works well mostly. The best is the ice crystal world. The hide-and-seek game inside the crystal is both exhilarating and visionary. In general, the story is a little too simplistic with questionable plot lines. Why would the father give the key to the ship to his son? Why couldn't the father do what the son ended up doing? If the father figure out how to build Titan, couldn't he build simple weapons against the Drej? Wouldn't it be simpler to build contraptions that sucks up Drej energy? The whole quest seems manufactured. The simple story has some rip-roaring fun. The characters are interesting. The evil aliens are formidable. The animation is interesting. I don't like the use of rock music. Overall it's a fun ride but not that compelling.

The storyline of TITAN A.E. follows standard mythical canon: unlikely youthful hero from the boondocks is forced to follow his destiny and struggle against overwhelming odds to save his people. No surprises there, to be sure, but God is in the details, and the details is where this film excels. I can't say enough good about the animation and visual artistry--it's the best ever. Hopefully this will raise the bar for animated feature films. After forty-odd years, I have had enough of the formulaic Disney approach.

I would also give TITAN A.E. high marks for acting and for the musical selections in the soundtrack. This film should make a great addition to any enthusiast's DVD library.

I agree that the plot is rather holey, but I was so busy enjoying the film that I didn't notice at the time.

Filled with spectacular visions of other worlds, Titan A.E. brings us into the 31st century and into a whole new level of science fiction. The story is pretty simple, a race called the Drej feel the human race is a threat so they decide to destroy us. The only hope for the survival of the human species is a ship called the Titan. Only trouble is, no one knows where it is. The answer lays with Cale, the son of the inventor of Titan. Once Cale realizes what he's in for, we're off on an intergalactic roller coaster ride. We get chases in swamps filled with hydrogen trees and an imaginative hide and seek game in a field of ice crystals. Traditional hand drawn characters are blended in with amazing CGI renderings of planets, ships, and the vast emptiness of space with very good results. Sure there may be some clunker lines here and there but Titan A.E. gives fans of sci-fi what they want. Well worth the price of admission