REVIEW: Monsters vs. Aliens

STARRING: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 03/27/09 DATE SCREENED: 03/04/09 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

These days we don’t have to wait long between 3D films. Monsters vs. Aliens is the latest animated feature to take advantage of the new advances in 3D technology. I’m certainly not complaining, as 3D has been a welcome addition to the movie theater experience. It’s something that has been able to get people away from their TV sets and into the theater.

From the opening scene, there is no doubt that Monsters vs. Aliens will have top notch 3D effects. It's like you are right there in space as a meteorite careens towards earth. The meteorite ends up landing right on top of Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), as she prepares for her wedding. This doesn’t kill her, but once the ceremony begins, and before she can say “I do”, she begins to grow into a giant whose head bursts through the church ceiling. The government is right there investigating the meteor, so they tranquilize her and take her into custody. She awakens in a government facility, where she shares what is basically a large cell with other “monsters”. The monsters include a blue blob called BOB (Seth Rogen), an intelligent scientist roach called Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a walking amphibious creature called The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and a giant caterpillar. Susan would have ended up spending her whole life in captivity renamed Ginormica if not for another alien ship landing on earth to retrieve the meteor. When the military is unable to disable the ship, the monsters are called upon by General Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) to do the deed. After accomplishing their task, the monsters are free to go, but quickly learn that they aren’t accepted in society. Most people scream at the sight of them. Ginormica’s finance is the biggest prick of them all. But they don’t have long to worry about that, as another larger alien invasion is on the way and only the monsters stand in the way of earth’s annihilation.

Monsters vs. Aliens is a movie the entire family can enjoy. The story is very basic, even pushing the typical message about how society needs to be more accepting of people who are “different”. Despite the forgettable basic plot, the movie is a lot of fun. There are jokes for the kids and the adults. Seth Rogen steals the show as BOB, as he delivers most of the funny lines that the kids will be repeating on the way home. Adults will appreciate the more subtle things, like a missile painted with an “E.T. go home” logo or the President playing music from Close Encounters. The 3D actually malfunctioned for 15 minutes at the screening I attended, so I can say without hesitation that the 3D adds to the fun of the movie. See this one in the theater and take the kids, but make sure it’s the 3D version.