Titan A.E. is a science fiction adventure that opens in 3028,
when an alien race known as the Drej destroyed the planet Earth in a surprise
attack. But many humans manage to escape just before the planet is blasted into
rocky shards (in an imaginative effects scene that is visually stunning),
including the designers and crew of the Titan, a vast starship that was
constructed with a special mission in mind. But it quickly disappears, leaving
a mystery as to what the actual purpose of the Titan is, or whether it is even
still in one piece. 15 years later, a young man named Cale Tucker (voiced by
Matt Damon), one of the survivors of Earth, and the son of the chief designer
of the Titan, is barely scratching a living at an alien space dock. He meets
with Korso (Bill Pullman), the captain of a starship who worked with Cale's
father on the Titan project. Korso is trying to determine the present
whereabouts of the Titan. The key to its location lies in a ring that Cale
wears, given to him by his father. Once activated, the ring is triggered by
Cale's DNA, and reveals a map that shows the hidden location of the Titan. But
the Drej, mysterious, ruthless beings who are made of pure energy, is hunting down
Cale in the hopes of destroying what may be humanity's last chance at survival.
A mixture of Computer Generated Imagery and traditional animation, Titan A.E.
is an agreeable romp through interstellar space. The script by writers Ben Edlund,
John August and Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer) is well written; a
good case in point of this is the scene where Korso and company try to rescue their
imprisoned comrade, Akima (Drew Barrymore), they run into an intelligent guard,
who doesn't buy their story that they are slave traders. Janeane Garofalo is
properly irritated as Stith, the ship's weapon's officer, and she promptly
knocks out the guard with a well-placed kick. Nathan Lane plays Preed, the oily
second in command to Korso. And the always-great John Leguizamo breathlessly plays Gune, an
alien scientist, as if he were Peter Lorre on speed. Directors Don Bluth
and Gary Goldman keep the action moving at a brisk pace through outer space
scenes that are eye-popping in their exotic beauty. One such example is the
scene set in the Ice Rings of Tigrin, where two spaceships play a dangerous
game of cat and mouse amid a free floating, reflective mass of gigantic chunks
of ice. This scene is simply stunning, and must be seen on a wide screen DVD to
enjoy the full effect.
The DVD is loaded with such features as a director's commentary, deleted scenes,
a "making of" featurettes, and a still picture gallery. There's also a music
video for one of the movie's atrocious songs. This film deserved a grand,
orchestral score to match the majesty of its visuals--instead we are given bland
pop songs to listen to over much of the action. Despite this minor flaw, Titan
A.E. is still great fun; it's a terrific ride that can be enjoyed over and over again.
--SF