Subject: Review: Titan A.E. (2000)

From: Shay Casey <[email-masked]>
Date: 26 Jul 2000 05:49:36 GMT

** out of ****

Year: 2000. Starring the voices of Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill
Pullman, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo, Tone Loc, Jim
Breuer, Alex D. Linz, Ron Perlman. Story by Hans Bauer and Randall
McCormick. Screenplay by Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon.
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Rated PG.

"Titan A.E." is a frustrating movie. You watch it, and you get the idea
that it's trying really, really hard to be a great film, a modern
classic. But then you come up with an unshakable feeling that the movie
just isn't working, and no matter how many stops it pulls out, you
just can't shake that feeling. That's what happened to me
while watching "Titan A.E." It's an ambitious film, but it's
nowhere close to greatness. And the more I think about it, the more its
failures stand out.

The film takes place roughly a thousand years in the future, where an
evil race made of pure energy called the Drej has destroyed Earth. Humans
now exist as an "orphan" species, drifting from outpost to outpost
without finding any real home. Cale (voice of Alex D. Linz) was a young
boy when Earth was destroyed, and his father was one of the principal
officials in charge of evacuating the planet. But Cale's father
disappeared after Earth's destruction, never to be heard from
again. Now a cynical survivor (and now voiced by Matt Damon), Cale
stumbles upon a ship with a partially human crew at a space dock.
He's startled to find that the captain of the ship, gruff Commander
Korso (Bill Pullman), has actually been looking for him. Korso, a friend
of Cale's father, reveals that Cale actually holds the key to the
humans' last hope at finding a new home: His father left him a
genetically-encoded map pinpointing the whereabouts of the Titan, a
planet-sized space station hidden somewhere in outer space.
Unfortunately, the Drej are interested in finding the Titan as well, and
they are hunting Cale down in order to pry the information from him. Not
allowed much of a choice after the Drej attack his current residence,
Cale agrees to go with Korso.

The story sounds fine, like a pretty good opportunity for an exciting
space adventure. It's derivative, sure, but most movies of this
kind are, and "Titan A.E." can hardly be faulted for cribbing ideas when
the films it's cribbing from ("Star Wars," "Star Trek") would have
to plead guilty to the same charge. But that doesn't let it off the
hook for getting its premise all wrong. "Star Wars" took place in a
consistent, expansive universe you always felt that what made it to the
screen was only a small fraction of what was floating around inside
George Lucas' head. "Titan A.E." presents no such depth, because
the writers haven't paid much attention to the details of their own
plot. For example, it's established that the Drej want to destroy
the human race, but we never find out why they want to do that. What
threat do the humans pose to them? Who knows? Supporting characters are
introduced without any reason given for them to be there. How did
Commander Korso put together such a diverse crew? Who knows? Korso
remarks that he's been looking for Cale "for many years," so he can
find the Titan, for which he's also been searching "for many
years." A single person is easier to find in the vast expanse of space
than a planet-sized spaceship? Why not just look for the Titan itself?
Who knows?

The script fails at proper characterization, too. The heroes in a space
opera don't have to be deep, but they should at least be likeable.
"Titan A.E." fails on both counts. The apparent good guys are only good
in the sense that they don't wish anyone else any specific harm.
Cale may be blond and fresh-faced, but he's so bland, and so
self-pitying, it's hard to really root for him. Japanese space-punk
Akima (Drew Barrymore) serves as Cale's love interest, and
she's not very interesting either. Nor is her character consistent:
Sometimes she's tough, sometimes she's helpless, depending on
what the rote story demands. Korso comes off as equally subject to the
whims of the script. His motivations change back and forth without much
conviction by the end, you're wondering if this guy believes in
anything at all. It doesn't help that the big-name cast turns in
mostly uninspiring voice performances. Damon, Barrymore, Pullman, and
Janeane Garofalo sound bored. Nathan Lane and John Leguizamo (as the
ostensibly "colorful" sidekicks) are at least enthusiastic, but still
unfocused. Most of the actors' dialogue is horribly concocted: The
"funny" lines induce cringing, the serious ones occasional giggling.

"Titan A.E." does contain some breathtaking imagery. Visuals, not
surprisingly, are the film's saving grace. Two action set-pieces,
one during the Earth's destruction and another in a field of ice
crystals, are about as exciting as anything you're going to see
this year. But they're oases in a desert, because "Titan A.E."
doesn't make these or any other scenes feel necessary. A
plot-driven film's narrative ought to be a fast-paced, naturally
flowing progression to a satisfying climax, but "Titan A.E." feels more
like a series of individual scenes slammed together in chronological
order. It doesn't move.

What "Titan A.E." forgets about making a fun space adventure is that the
adventure is supposed to be *fun*. Almost every plot point is treated
with such grim portentousness that any and all vitality is sucked right
out of the production. Obviously, a film of this nature can't goof
its way through the story, and some things need to be treated seriously
(like the Force, for example). But there also needs to be a sense of
giddy enthusiasm, an indication that the filmmakers were having as much
fun making their movie as they expect the audience to have watching it.
This film gives no such indication. Instead of being a "Star Wars"-like
joyous romp, "Titan A.E." is a somber march towards a predictable
conclusion. This is not the stuff of a modern classic.

-reviewed by Shay Casey

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