Planes: Fire And Rescue (2014)
TOMATOMETER
Critics Consensus: Although it's too flat and formulaic to measure up against the best family-friendly fare, Planes: Fire and Rescue is a passable diversion for much younger viewers.
Critics Consensus: Although it's too flat and formulaic to measure up against the best family-friendly fare, Planes: Fire and Rescue is a passable diversion for much younger viewers.
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Movie Info
Adventure flies higher than ever before in this sequel to Disney's Planes. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi- Rating:
- PG (for action and some peril.)
- Genre:
- Animation , Kids & Family
- Directed By:
- Roberts Gannaway , Robert Gannaway
- Written By:
- Jeffrey M. Howard
- In Theaters:
- Jul 18, 2014 Wide
- On DVD:
- Nov 4, 2014
- US Box Office:
- $59.1M
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| Buy $34.99 Rent $6.99 |
Cast
-
Dane Cook
as Dusty -
Julie Bowen
as Dipper -
Ed Harris
as Blade Ranger -
Curtis Armstrong
as Maru -
John Michael Higgins
as Cad -
Hal Holbrook
as Mayday
Related News & Features
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Video: Planes: Fire and Rescue Soars on The Carpet
– Rotten Tomatoes
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RT Podcast: Ep. 032 - Alan Tudyk, John Karna
– Rotten Tomatoes
Planes: Fire And Rescue Videos
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Critic Reviews for Planes: Fire And Rescue
All Critics (89) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (50)
Displaying a weird lack of memorable or endearing characters, this animated effort feels like a direct-to-video job from the 1990s.
Vivid and folksy, Fire & Rescue nicely exceeds expectations dampened by last summer's stalled-out Planes.
It is, in almost all respects, a better movie. It's still not particularly good, though.
The meek action plays to the under-10 crowd, but the groaner puns will play only to masochists. Meanwhile, the 3-D ticket upcharge here is a big ripoff - the extra dimension is unnecessary.
The same lame puns wedged into a succession of situations, rather than a story.
As it is in the merchandising aisle, so it is on the big screen: "Planes: Fire and Rescue" is precisely long, competent, and entertaining enough to be sold, and sold well.
Not only are the cliches more deftly packaged this time around, the action scenes - with long, exciting tracking shots of planes flying through valleys and over wild fires - often look like they were directed by James Cameron.
Somehow, this sequel to a rubbish spin-off to a rubbish sequel to a so-so cartoon is actually pretty good.
Like Cars, this is essentially funny-animal animation with chrome and aluminium instead of fur.
This Disney cartoon is running on empty.
It's as if the Mouse House is providing bootlegs of its own material.
Despite the fact that this too-soon spin-off feels like a mere cash-in on the Disney Cars/Planes marketing machine, this sequel is actually a lot more fun than expected.
If it does become faintly dull and preachy, the trim humour and detailing - the CHiPs spoof CHoPs, Motorjito cocktails, the pickup truck with superb pickup lines - soon get it squarely back on the fun runway.
Perhaps these rock-bottom expectations are a good thing, because Planes 2 feels like a significant upgrade on its distinctly run-of-the-mill predecessor...
A solid voice cast (Harris, Holbrook et al) doesn't add much more than cosmetic touches to this bland animation.
The slender plot is very ordinary and the corny gags come thick and fast.
The kids will be satisfied with a thin slice of Pixar topped with Disney frosting, but there's nothing satisfying for the rest of us to chew on.
The target audience of under-10s has every right to feel patronised.
This story of heroism is second rate stuff that's unlikely to light your own fire.
This rotor movie's rote in places, too talky, and overstuffed with characters. Worst of all, one 'copter is a stereotypical Native; second-worst is Dipper, the main female character, a dippy, clingy, quasi-stalker type.
An old-fashioned kiddie flick with a straightforward story, simple characters, a heartfelt message and impressive 3D flying scenes. Smaller children should love it.
Disney have an opportunity to engage children with something profound and real if they continue to pursue hero stories like these.
As with the first film, children will be drawn to the bright colours and simple morals, which makes some of the sexual and racial stereotyping on the sidelines rather regrettable.
Not much magic, but an appreciable level of polish.
The key to the film's relative success is the fact that it simply tells its straight dramatic story with a bare minimum of zany comic interludes.
It's not that there's less than meets the eye in Planes: Fire & Rescue, but rather that it is exactly what meets the eye: all surface, nothing more, nothing less.
Audience Reviews for Planes: Fire And Rescue
Well here we are with the sequel to a poor movie that was a spin off of another half assed kids movie, yet bizarrely this movie is actually pretty good! The first adventure in the skies was basically a very dull very poor 'Cars' spin off that didn't do anything we hadn't already seen in the 'Cars' movie. It was quite awful with seriously lackluster characters truth be told.
Yet despite this something has happened here which has turned the franchise upside down...almost. Yes its all the same dubiously cliched and stereotypcial characters and yes the plot isn't exactly the greatest piece of original writing ever to touch down...but its actually fun! Put simply, Dusty the Air Tractor has ruined his internal bits n pieces with too much hardcore racing. Whilst being the arrogant cocky little sod that he is he crashes and causes a fire which in turn alerts some fire safety inspector truck dude to close the airport due to lack of a decent firefighting crew. In order to restore the airport to its former glory Dusty goes off to Piston Peak National Park (GREAT NAME! and presumably in the Wyoming/Colorado area of this universe) to learn to be a firefighter plane.
From there on its the predictable overused age old scenario where at first Dusty finds it hard mixing in with the fire crew. He slowly gets to know the team, discovers one female plane fancies him but the chief Ranger chopper thinks he's no good for the team, he won't make the grade. After numerous training sequences, whinny sulky moments, some heart-to-hearts and one to ones...a major fire breaks out which means its time to get down to the business of saving the day hero style. Essentially its the underdog schtick all over again with a highly obvious outcome all round for every character...the little plane that could.
I think the main difference from the first movie is the fact the visuals here look really really nice. Don't get me wrong its nothing that's gonna blow you away in a shower of epic CGI rainbows...it just looks very good and way way better than before. The first movie looked like an obvious made for TV flick and very basic. This time its been upgraded with a fresh coat of Turtlewax and its gleaming in every frame, background foreground and all the vehicle characters.
There is a wide selection of characters in here also but surprisingly that doesn't compromise the story. Actually many of the new characters are highly likable and really add a much needed to boost that was lacking before. Ed Harris as the Fire Ranger chopper is as you would expect...stern serious and without a sense of humour, but he's still a likable fella because he fair and righteous (not in an all American way though), and he looks good as a fire engine red chopper. Wes Studi voices a character that seems to be of Native American descent...I'm guessing by the way he speaks as I don't think its mentioned. This might seem incredibly cliched by now...which it is...but again he's a great character. His large green Skycrane design does eerily suit this Indian notion to a tee with its long curved blades that kinda look like long drapes of black hair and of course the helicopter wrap or colour scheme design seems to replicate typical Native American warpaint/face paint (around the eyes).
Gotta give kudos to the cool little team of smokejumpers that are made up of small JCB construction/excavator vehicles. Not only do these guys look quite cute nippy and cool, they are also quite amusing and not in any way annoying! I half expected them to leap into action by combining together to form a large Transformer-esque Constructicon (nerd smirk). There is a large voice cast in this movie, many small and large characters but at no point does it ever feel swamped, its handled well.
Despite the plodding exhausted plot premise at least they have tried to expand the story without retracing their steps. Yeah sure we've seen this kinda of thing before but the fact they make the old characters push forward into new territory creating a fresh angle for themselves (firefighting), and not going back to the old original plot premise of crop dusting/racing (which is hinted at but swept aside), is a big positive. I was sure at one point that Dusty would probably go back to his racing ways (predictably)...but no! he doesn't, he moves on and this in turn generates a nice new chapter for the franchise.
In that I wouldn't mind seeing another entry here. The blend of various vehicles is fun to watch if totally ridiculous at times, why would they need certain buildings like restaurants ? why would they have drinks in glasses at a function? wouldn't every building be humongous to house certain vehicles like large planes etc...Try not to get too technical with this incredibly insane premise as it is after all completely a kids flick and in no way meant to be taken any other way. Miles better than the first movie, leagues ahead with quality and some nice little visual gags for us older folk...Boat Reynolds! 'CHoPs' instead of 'CHiPs' (old 70s/80s TV show, in this universe its based around choppers/helicopters) and 'Howard the Truck'.
Super Reviewer
Lil' Dipper: Shut the hangar door!
I guess there is something to be said for a Disney film like Planes: Fire & Rescue that does not try to go for the modern Disney approach of being a film for everyone, rather than just kids. While there is nothing about this theatrical sequel to a film that was originally supposed to go straight to video that makes it essential viewing or even all that innovative, there is also nothing here that really makes it unwatchable either. I may have some quibbles over the implied lessons that Dusty Crophopper learns at the end of this film, but it really makes no difference, as Planes: Fire & Rescue is kiddy stuff, through and through, which is not a bad thing, just something to take into consideration.
read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com
Super Reviewer
Color me surprised at this massive improvement to the abysmal original. Planes Fire and Rescue is a surprisingly thrilling film with gorgeously rendered environments and suspenseful action. Critics just aren't easily pleased anymore because this is perfectly serviceable entertainment for kids and even decent enough for parents, despite some awkward dialogue. Rating: 65
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Super Reviewer
Planes: Fire And Rescue Quotes
- Dipper:
- I like watching you sleep.
- Dusty:
- Let's kick it up a notch!
- Blade Ranger:
- Rip off his landing gear!
- Blade Ranger:
- You came here to become a firefighter.
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