A thrilling adventure of galactic proportions! Reminiscent of 50’s style sci-fi films, Dreamworks 3D action adventure, Monsters vs Aliens appeals to parents and kids alike. (Seriously- a kid movie with monsters AND aliens?!)
Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon), an everyday California beauty is getting married to the local weatherman, Derek (Paul Rudd), when out of the sky falls a meteor full of powerful galactic energy, making Susan a superstrong almost 50 foot woman (yes she’s one inch short of 50 feet). Immediately a secret government agency swoops in to contain her and she is remanded to a top secret facility where they house all monsters and give them lifelong sentences. Susan meets a gelatinous blob named B.O.B (Seth Rogen), an unfrozen fishman known as Missing Link (Will Arnett), Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) a mad scientist who turned himself into a roachman to reap the cockroaches’ indestructible traits, and Insectasaurus (my least favorite character but ultimately they made it work). Susan is re-named Ginormica and spends her initial days experimenting with Dr. Cockroach to shrink back to her normal size.
Shortly thereafter, the evil power crazed alien, Galaxhar (Rainn Wilson) sends his probe robot to seek out the energy contained in the meteor that hit Susan. Steven Colbert as the American President agrees to unleash the monsters on the alien probe. (Colberts short appearance in this film was a little disappointing- and I certainly expected more from Comedy Central’s funnyman.) The monsters are released in San Francisco to work together to battle the alien robot probe. Along the way we experience Susan’s personal journey of self discovery as her confidence grows and she realizes she now possesses incredible strength. (A little girl power never hurts in a kids film)
Once the robot is destroyed, Ginormica and the monsters must then contend with its maker, Galaxhar. Aboard the mother-ship the monsters battle the evil clones (sound familiar?) and use their monster-like abilities to save the world.
Dreamworks has a winner- full of action, one liners, and silly moments for the kids, Monsters vs Aliens is an enjoyable film. Homages to alien and monster movies were clever and witty. I saw this film in IMAX’s 3D theater- and continue to be impressed by Dreamworks ability to make a cartoon look very real. The characters were perfectly casted and Rogen was a hit. There were a few lulls, but engaging overall. There were enough laugh out loud moments to overshadow the less solid scenes. Kids, Parents, and Grandparents alike will enjoy!
