‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ is Always Fun but Not Very Epic
-----I had high hopes for DreamWorks latest animated entry. Coming from the Oscar Nominated ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ the time felt right for ‘Monsters vs. Aliens.’ Throw in an all-star cast and a hilarious commercial and you’ve got what could have potentially been the best animated movie of the year, but instead, ultimately falls a little short.
-----Susan Murphy is about to get married. Then a meteorite falls on her! She starts to glow and then finds herself growing to an outrageous size and being hauled to a secret government facility. She is then stored up with a bunch of other “monsters” where she’ll never be allowed to leave. Luckily for her, aliens attack and the gang of monsters is promised freedom for their help.
-----Reese Witherspoon is great as the lead Susan Murphy. She’s perfectly cast as this woman surprised at her new found power as “Ginormica.” Hugh Laurie is virtually unrecognizable (voice-wise) as the mad but brilliant Dr. Cockroach. Kiefer Sutherland plays the napalm-happy General Monger with a satiric enthusiasm. Rainn Wilson plays the evil alien leader Gallaxhar in a role a bit too similar to every other animated alien you’ve seen, but fortunately still manages to effectively use his voice, leaving the focus on the character and his lines rather than the comedian behind them. Stephen Colbert is hilarious as the outrageous President Hathaway, and Paul Rudd adequately plays Susan’s conflicted boyfriend Derek Dietl.
-----I often like to save the best in the cast for last, and that is the case here with Seth Rogen as a blue blob named Bob. His line delivery and perfect fit with the character make for one of the funnier animated creations in DreamWorks history. Coming off of a strong bit role in last year’s ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ Rogen’s voice acting is quickly surpassing his live-action work. His character brings the film above mediocrity and provides one of the few memorable aspects to this somewhat conventional film.
-----‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ is a satire through and through. Slamming everything from old school horror films to presidential archetypes, the film hits on just about everything. There are a good number of laughs for kids and adults alike. Much of the physical humor will entertain children, while the biting satire on politics and monster movies is sure to give adults plenty to laugh at. While the film does misstep here and there, the clever characters and excellent voice acting are strong enough to make it quality entertainment.
-----However, despite my ultimate enjoyment of the movie, I did feel something was missing. It’s a very simple plot that doesn’t try much, and it comes off as a bit forgettable. While many of the characters were very likable, I would have preferred a little more time developing them. There seems to be a hole left in the movie, as if it’s missing its Shrek character. All of the film’s characters, while funny, are a bit too archetype for me, save Bob. While Susan is an adequate lead character, a certain depth seems to be missing for her and the rest of the cast. The plot too, while always funny, is very straightforward and at times too reminiscent of similar animated movies about alien attacks. I often felt that ‘Jimmy Neutron’ provided the blueprint for the alien Gallaxhar in this movie, and that lack of originality hurt the film’s momentum a little. It also, regardless of the fact that they’re fighting aliens, lacks an epic mood. Landing somewhere above the ‘Madagascar’ films and below ‘Kung Fu Panda’ in the epic department, ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ loses a bit of potential in that area. Despite these miscues, and a quickly resolved story lacking in very much character depth, the film still provides great entertainment during its runtime.
-----The animation is crisp, and though I wasn’t able to see it in 3-D, many scenes were orchestrated well enough to give the effect well in 2-D. Many of the characters look just plain funny, namely Colbert’s President and Rogen’s Bob. It’s this continuous quality that helps the somewhat basic and forgettable plot make for anything worth seeing more than once. The characters chemistry with each other also helps a good deal, and the hundreds of pop culture references make for an entertaining time that should hold up well in later viewings as references you initially missed surface. Add a fun musical score and the positives quickly start to outweigh the negatives.
-----I was initially a bit disappointed in ‘Monsters vs. Aliens.’ Upon the last five minutes, I began to think it would be a forgettable and average movie experience. Thankfully, as I mulled it over, the characters stuck with me despite seeming somewhat shallow at times. My expectations were not met, but were set agreeably too high. So despite its flaws, the movie is overall funny enough to constitute multiple viewings. Don’t make the mistake I originally did and expect another ‘Shrek’ or ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ and you’re sure to find yourself with a very entertaining movie.
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