Monsters vs. Aliens (DreamWorks Animation, 2009) Published: March 27, 2009 Written by Cherish Hamutoff All is not well in the universe. When cupie-eyed Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is bowled over by some space gunk on her wedding day, she grows up: one inch shy of 50 feet. After her immediate capture by the so-top-secret-that-even-if-you-say-the-name-of-the-“area”-you-will-be- killed government group headed by General W. R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), Susan wakes up in a prison filled with a crew of motley monsters reminiscent of famous movie creatures from the 50’s: the half-human, half-insect, but fully brilliant Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie); tough guy - or ape? or fish? - The Missing Link (Will Arnett); indestructible blobby B.O.B (Seth Rogen); and a grub seven times taller than Ginormica (Susan’s new name) – Insectosaurus. When the evil, narcissistic alien Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) discovers the missing space gunk is on Earth, he comes “in peace” (meaning: no one will survive). The lightly inept President (Stephen Colbert) is without a clue of what to do…and so the Monsters are called in to fight the Aliens. When it’s not winking at the audience with its “look how clever we are to reference pop culture” jokes, Monsters vs. Aliens is an enjoyable, colorful 3D ride. Kids in the audience gasped and squealed as we seemed to step into the picture and almost get hit by space rocks or a ping-pong paddle. However, as if to get it out of the way, the 3D makes a splash at the beginning and quickly becomes background to the story – a smart choice because it can distract. Animation is top-notch throughout. Also top-notch is the vocal talent; the cast list reads like an A-list Hollywood party, and they do not disappoint. Witherspoon is moving and funny as our hero Susan/Ginormica, Rogan is sweet in his spaced out dude, and Colbert makes a brilliant not-so-brilliant President. What does disappoint is how the monsters become so secondary to Ginormica’s story that they seem to sometimes disappear. They have bits here and there and pop in with a quip, but we never learn much about them or see them really join in the journey. This is Susan/Ginormica’s story. Some of the jokes are too jokey and although there are laughs throughout, there are few hilarious moments - it is mostly sweet and hokey. It sets itself up nicely for a sequel, and although it lacks some of the heart or spark or magic of previous DreamWorks pictures, it is a charming picture worth seeing. Rated: PG Running Time: 94 minutes Directed by: Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman Starring the voices of: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd |