Excellent FUN For the Whole Family...NO 'CUTESY' Joke!

Sure, most of us ‘animation fans’ associate CGI animation with animation giant Pixar. But don’t forget, Dreamworks animation also had some success with “Shrek” so Pixar isn’t exactly the lone success in CGI animation. “Monsters Vs. Aliens” is an animated comedy with enough tools to keep the young and old entertained. It has enough comedic gags and sci-fi tributes to entertain the mature audience with cool colorful, fluid animation and action to entertain kids of all ages.
 

Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is hit by a meteor on her wedding day. As a result Susan grows to 50 feet tall, her hair becomes silver and gains super strength. Seen as a menace, the government actually has a secret organization led by General Warren R. Monger (Keifer Sutherland) that keeps “monsters” of this kind under lock and key. In this secret installation, Susan is dubbed Ginormica and befriends a fish man called the missing link (Will Arnet), Bob (Seth Rogan), mad scientist Doc Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) and huge bug Insectoaurus (Conrad Vernon). Susan however still wishes to reunite with her fiancé Derek (Paul Rudd). One day, the quintet is sent into battle against an alien force set to invade the earth led by Galaxhar (Rainn Wilson) and the odd group finds that their powers are limited only by a lack of self-confidence.

        

                          
 

The direction and script by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon is quite brisk and easy to get into. The film isn’t trying to overreach with its premise and keeps things simple while giving tribute to certain sci-fi classics such as “The Fly”, “The Blob”, “Creature”, “Attack of the 50 ft. Woman” and “Mothra”; even “Close Encounters of the Third Kind“. The film exudes this cheerful and fun aura as it presents situations that utilize the scenes in a quirky but clever atmosphere as we see certain sci-fi and war situations that please fans of sci-fi movies. The film is also very colorful and full of slapstick comedy that spark the action scenes. The film’s formula is very simple, keep the movie at a brisk pace while avoiding the expected traditional dramatic trappings that plagued animated movies for years. 

   

The film is still a buddy flick at its core but what made “Monsters vs. Aliens” an attention-getter for me is the way that it rounded its characters with dimensions that give it its emotions. The movie is definitely trying to keep the sensibilities of a cartoon, while keeping some shots simple. The animation is very smooth and fluid as it complements each scene and sometimes exaggerate to enhance the angles of the story. I guess what I liked about the film is the fact that it tried to pitch an adult theme as to what makes a monster; these guys are often just misunderstood and sometimes looks don’t make a monster but the way one acts do make one a monster. Maybe not horrible in appearance, but still a monster.
 

The cast is quite pleasing (though I thought the villain wasn’t exactly the best) and you can just feel that they are having a ball voice-acting the film’s characters. Witherspoon took center stage as to be expected and I liked the way that she managed to express her character and is a great persona of empowerment. I thought Seth Rogan was the film’s best source of humor as the one who has no ‘brains’ but is smart in a different way. The five leads just manages to take over the film by livening the script with witless behavior and innocent heroism. I would like to mention the quirky President Hathaway (played Stephen Colbert) who appears to be based on the Stephen Colbert persona in “the Colbert Report”. 

              
 

 I guess if “Monsters Vs. Aliens” had a flaw it would be that it tried a little too hard to be “cutesy” that it almost made me puke (kidding) and its simplicity may well be its strength but it also proves to be its weakness. The film did divert from its tone on some scenes and it almost fell to the trappings of animated movies. But once it gets solid ground, “Monsters Vs. Aliens” is one REAL enjoyable ride that manages to pull off a silly adventure that is simple yet embraced in raw clever and energetic style that just made me smile as much as an animated film ever could.
 

Highly Recommended! [4+ Out of 5 Stars]

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