DreamWorks’ Home Debuts Alien-Filled Trailer And A Few Dumb Laughs
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DreamWorks Animation is no stranger to stories about aliens taking over the planet, as evidenced by 2009’s delightful Monsters vs. Aliens. One of their next efforts, Home, is a different take on alien invasions, but not one that raises the bar in terms of intelligence or highbrow humor. I don’t necessarily mean that as an insult, as it’s just a judgment call based solely on the first official trailer, seen above, along with the previously released short/trailer, you can see down below. It certainly makes one feel like a child while watching, I’ll say that.
Directed by Over the Hedge helmer Tim Johnson, Home stars Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons as an alien named Oh who befriends an Earthling named Gratuity “Tip” Tucci, voiced by pop superstar Rihanna. The color-changing Oh belongs to a race of extraterrestrials called the Boov who invade our planet as a way of avoiding conflict with another warring alien race. They ship humans off the planet, but Tip manages to stay behind unnoticed and she and Oh have to save everything once he accidentally alerts the Boov’s enemies to their presence.
Oh is way more boob than Boov to me, and the overwhelming amount of oafishness displayed is off-putting. I know it’s a kids’ movie, and they’re more than welcome to enjoy it, but I’m fine with staying hesitant. The fact that Oh’s name comes from people’s disappointed reaction to his presence should be funny, but isn’t. And hearing the “hands in the air” line comes up, I’m pretty sure my window-rattling groans were felt around the neighborhood. I’d rather not share my thoughts about the guy whose ear farts, as you can probably expect they aren’t glowing.
I can’t knock Home for bringing Steve Martin to the table, though, as he’ll be voicing Captain Smek, the Boovian leader. (The story is based on Adam Rex’s 2007 children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday, and the film’s original title was Happy Smekday.) Jennifer Lopez also shows up as Tip’s mother.
All things considered, I bet Home is a fun enough movie to sit through, with wild animation and a huge cast of aliens. I’ll almost definitely go watch it, with or without my age-appropriate daughter, because if the Boov really are out there in the world, I want to be the guy that recognizes them. Find it in theaters on March 27, 2015.
