Monsters vs. Aliens

The opening moments of Monsters vs. Aliens briefly filled me with dread. As I'm sure you know, the movie is being released in select theaters in 3D, but many (such as myself) are forced to watch it in standard 2D. One of the first images we see in the film is a guy playing with a paddleball, bouncing it toward the screen. This is supposed to make audiences in 3D theaters gasp as the ball seemingly flies toward them, but sitting in a standard theater, I immediately started to have bad flashbacks of last year's gimmicky Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.

Fortunately, not long after this, we are introduced to the main character and the movie's heart, Susan Murphy (voice by Reese Witherspoon), and that's where things start to pick up. When we first meet Susan, she's the blushing bride-to-be of vain and egotistical local weatherman, Derek (Paul Rudd). Susan's wedding dreams are shattered when a strange meteor suddenly falls from the sky, crushing her. She's dirty and disheveled, but seemingly okay, until she takes that fateful walk down the aisle. The substance within the meteor causes Susan to mutate into a 50-foot-tall version of herself. The military is immediately called in to subdue the frightened woman, and she is sent to a top secret government facility where monsters, mutations, and other freaks of nature have been held in captivity for the past 50 years. The head of the program, General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), introduces Susan to her fellow monsters, mad bug scientist Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), The Missing Link (Will Arnett), and the literally brainless blob-like creature B.O.B. (Seth Rogen).

Kids have a natural attraction to monsters, and aside from Pixar's Monsters Inc, it's an idea that hasn't been explored to its fullest when it comes to CG animated films. It does lend the film an interesting theme, and is certainly preferable over yet another talking animal movie. The monsters on display are a zippy, fast-talking bunch that are sure to delight kids and make adults smile. They provide more than enough comic relief and some obvious satirical references to classic science fiction films like The Fly and The Blob. But it is Susan who grabs our attention, because she is seeing the movie through the audience's eyes. She is thrown into this strange world of creatures after becoming one herself, is given a new monster name by the government ("Ginormica"), and has to deal with leaving everything she knows behind. Directors Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2) use her as our entry into the film's world, while keeping the human element at the center. Susan is a strong enough character for us to get behind and, along with February's Coraline, helps the argument that some of the stronger female roles so far this year are popping up in animated films.

I just realized I've come this far into the review without mentioning the "Aliens" of the title. The monsters are called into action by the President of the United States (comic Stephen Colbert in a funny minor role) when an alien mothership appears and begins depositing giant robot drones bent on destroying major cities. The alien warlord Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) and his clone army have come for the substance that was in the meteor that caused Susan to grow into her current form. With it, he can destroy the Earth and conquer other planets, I guess. The movie doesn't go into a lot of detail, and the plot doesn't really matter all that much. The movie is built around a lot of stunning visuals (which, despite obviously being designed for 3D screens, are fortunately not too gimmicky), and well done action set pieces, such as when the monsters battle one of the robot drones around the Golden Gate Bridge, trying to keep innocent people out of harm's way. I also admired a clever sequence where Susan uses cars like roller skates as she speeds down the street, avoiding danger. The action and the chaos never becomes overpowering, and though the storytelling is slight, the likeability of the characters and the rapid-fire gags keep us involved.

If there's a word that can describe this movie, it would be "fun". The strong voice cast seems to be having a wonderful time, especially Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, and Stephen Colbert, who gets the most laughs in the film. (This movie and role is certainly a better use of his talents than his forgettable turn in last year's The Love Guru.) This is not exactly a great animated film, and it never aspires to be. It's a light and frothy action fantasy for kids that works despite its shortcomings in the plotting department. The action is fast-paced and frantic, without being confusing, and it has a likeably offbeat sense of humor to itself. It's true, a number of gags fall flat, but I was never let down by the spirit of the film and the overall sense that the movie was working on a purely escapist level.

The best complement I think I can pay Monsters vs. Aliens is that when the film ended, I thought to myself I wouldn't mind paying to see it again in 3D so that I can see how the movie is meant to be. I also wouldn't mind seeing the further adventures of the characters, should the movie be successful at the box office, which almost seems to be a given. (What kid can resist a movie with this title?) While it's not up to the standards of the best recent animated films, there's a lot of fun to be had here.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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