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"PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE"
(2014) (voices of Dane Cook, Ed Harris) (PG)


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QUICK TAKE:
Animated Action: In an animated world where airplanes and cars and other modes of transportation have become sentient, a champion racing plane trains with an elite fire and rescue squad when his damaged gearbox forces him to retire from competition.
PLOT:
In an world where vehicles and all modes of transportation are sentient, champion air racer Dusty Crophopper (voice of DANE COOK) learns that his gearbox is failing and that the manufacturer no longer makes that particular model. As a result, he can no longer push himself to maximum speeds and has to retire from racing. His friends from the first film -- Skipper (voice of STACY KEACH), Dottie (voice of TERI HATCHER), and Chug (BRAD GARRETT) -- work hard to try and find a replacement gearbox. But to remain useful to his small town of Propwash Junction, Dusty decides to go train with an elite team of Fire & Rescue planes and vehicles to help out Propwash's lone fire truck, Mayday (voice of HAL HOLBROOK).

He comes under the tutelage of Blade Ranger (voice of ED HARRIS), the team leader who is haunted by a tragedy in his past. Dusty also draws the eye of a frisky female rescue plane named Lil' Dipper (voice of JULIE BOWEN) and is befriended by Maru (voice of CURTIS ARMSTRONG), a headstrong mechanic vehicle, and Windlifter (voice of WES STUDI), a Native American helicopter who dispenses sage advice at different points in the film. Dusty's daredevil, hot-dog ways clashes with the squad's team efficiency and he has to ultimately learn to work in a group.

This becomes especially important when a massive forest fire threatens a landmark resort known as the Fuse Lodge, run by a greedy superintendent named Cad (voice of JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS). All of the vehicles staying at the property are in mortal jeopardy, including an elderly couple of RVs named Winnie (voice of ANNE MEARA) and Harvey (voice of JERRY STILLER) there celebrating their golden anniversary.

OUR TAKE: 4.5 out of 10
There is no doubt that "Planes: Fire & Rescue" is a better movie than the first "Planes" movie, which I thought was about as exciting as a three-hour flight delay. This one has more action, it's paced better, the animation (especially with regards to flames and water) is impressive. Best of all, it features a running time under 90 minutes. I was actually a touch surprised and more than a bit delighted when this flick's closing credits started flickering across screen. I actually said aloud, "Good job!"

Now for the bad news. There's not enough bang for the buck here to justify paying theater admission prices. While the visuals are solid, the problem is the script. There is very little ambition here other than delivering a full-length animated toy commercial. The aisles of Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys R Us have been stocked for the past couple of weeks with a veritable fleet of "Planes: Fire & Rescue" toys. It's enough to give one nightmares of a dark future in which these tiny plastic monstrosities litter the Earth, and an armada of Wall-E robots buzz around sweeping them up while humanity waits to return from off-world.

Dane Cook once again voices Dusty Crophopper, a champion air racer who has suddenly developed a heart ... er, gearbox condition that prevents him from further competition. Eager to stay relevant and needed while his friends Skipper, Dottie, and Chug search for a donor ... er, replacement part (his model number has long been discontinued), Dusty attends Fire & Rescue training in a distant woodland prone to wildfires.

There, he meets a menagerie of new talking, thinking airplanes, helicopters, and support vehicles. Most interesting is the team leader, Blade Ranger (voice of Ed Harris). Blade once starred on a "CHiPs"-like TV show (his partner is voiced by none other than Erik Estrada!), but has long been haunted by an aerial stunt that went bad. He has since vowed to save lives for real. Also in the new mix is Lil Dipper, who immediately crushes on Dusty. She is voiced by Julie Bowen of "Modern Family." Bowen brings the same weirdly shrill energy she has brought to that popular sitcom the last couple of years, immediately working herself up into a motor-mouthed tizzy. Seriously, I've been catching first- and second-season reruns of "Modern Family" recently. Claire didn't used to be this crazed!

At any rate, the problem with "Planes: Fire & Rescue" is indeed the characters. Outside of Blade Ranger, there are very few compelling personalities. Dusty is a bland stand-in for Lightning McQueen, and no one else really registers at all. Compare this to the endearing character and voice work done in everything from the "Toy Story" and "How to Train Your Dragon" movies to the endearing performances in such underrated films as "Bolt," "Turbo," and "Despicable Me," and ... well, there is no comparison.

But I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that this film greatly entertained the target demographic -- mostly boys 8 and under -- who really got into this. To them, we commit this dark future in which the people of the Earth have been completely eradicated and in their place are talking, sentient vehicles with eyes, mouths, and noses. I rate this particular post-apocalyptic vision a 4.5 out of 10.




Reviewed July 16, 2014 / Posted July 18, 2014


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