Monsters vs. Aliens

OPENING: 03/27/2009

STUDIO: DreamWorks

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
The Weird Will Save The World.

Opening Statement
In my review of Kung Fu Panda, I suggested that Dreamworks might be getting on the right track with their animated films. Sadly, Monsters vs. Aliens is a wheezy, unimaginative outing that represents a significant step back.

Facts of the Case
Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is a happy woman. She’s about to get married to the love of her life, a local television weatherman named Derek (Paul Rudd). I mean, things aren’t exactly perfect and Derek can be a little self-serving at times, but she figures it will work out okay in the end. Unfortunately, something terrible happens on her wedding day. A giant meteor falls from the sky and lands on top of Susan. Miraculously, the impact does not kill her. Instead, it causes a strange chemical reaction turning Susan into a 50-foot-tall woman with super-strength. Right on cue, the U.S. Military swoops in, shoots Susan with a tranquilizer dart, and whisks her away to a secret facility housing other “monsters.”



Susan is frightened, at first, but her time in this strange prison is made a little more bearable by the unusual friends she makes. One of is Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a brilliant scientist who just so happens to have the body of a cockroach. She also meets the Missing Link (Will Arnett), a half-ape/half-fish evolutionary oddity. Finally, there’s B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous, seemingly indestructible blob severely lacking basic intelligence. All of these misfits yearn for freedom but alas, it seems they will never get to be part of the real world again.



A ray of hope arrives in the form of an evil alien squid named Galaxar (Rainn Wilson) who sends a destructive robot to Earth in search of a substance called Quantonium. The President of the United States (Stephen Colbert) attempts to reach out to the robot, by playing the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The robot responds with violence. This is the bad news. The good news is the monsters can earn their freedom, if they defeat the alien robot. Under the command of the blustery General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland doing an R. Lee Ermey impression), Susan, Dr. Cockroach, Missing Link, and B.O.B. will attempt to save the world.

The Evidence
I viewed Monsters vs. Aliens in IMAX 3D, which is supposedly the optimal way to experience the film. The movie was made using the new Tru3D process, and the IMAX theatre provided pristine picture and sound. For the first ten or fifteen minutes, I marveled at the sheer spectacle of it all, and found myself having a rather good time. However, once the gimmicks and initial thrills wore off, I was disappointed to discover the movie lying underneath all the technical achievements wasn’t particularly good.



Monsters vs. Aliens is one of the most straightforward and simplistic animated features I’ve seen in some time. If you can’t figure out the plot, well, you probably shouldn’t be going to the movies. Basically, aliens attack and monsters fight them. Limp pop culture references are made, along with a tired message about being confident in yourself and getting rid of people in your life who try to bring you down. It’s rarely a good sign when a screenplay is co-written by five people, but Monsters vs. Aliens isn’t messy, just thoroughly routine. Your decision to see the film should be based on the answer to the following question: Are you willing to pay ten bucks to see CGI battles in 3D? If yes, then you’ll be entertained by a generous level of noise and chaos. If you’re hoping for another heartwarming story with memorable characters like Kung-Fu Panda, you’ll be sorely disappointed.



The most surprising thing about Monsters vs. Aliens is the sheer lack of humor throughout. The voice cast is loaded with very funny people: Colbert, Rudd, Wilson, Rogen, Arnett, and Laurie have all made me laugh heartily on numerous occasions. Here, their respective brands of side-splitting comedy are buried under a pile of thoroughly ordinary writing. The screenplay doesn’t go for as many laughs as you might expect but, when it does, the jokes often fall flat. Consider the following line from Missing Link: “Hey, has the Earth gotten hotter? That would be something really interesting to know about. That information would be a very convenient truth.” Yeah, I’m dying here.


Closing Statement
Though the film is crafted with the utmost professionalism and rarely approaches any genuine awfulness, Monsters vs. Aliens is strictly lightweight kiddie fare. Young viewers who want to see things go boom for 90 minutes will be satisfied. For most everyone else, Monsters vs. Aliens may well represent the weakest Dreamworks outing since Shark Tale. Too bad.

The Verdict
5/10