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Monsters vs. Aliens” is just plain fun, a film, I suspect,
adults will enjoy more than children. Yes, it does have
plenty for children to enjoy, not the least of which are
the impressive animation effects and the fact that it’s
presented in 3-D. But consider the fact that numerous satirical
references are made to global warming and the American government,
and one character is given one or two hilarious lines regarding
her thumbs and how one is smaller than the other: Will kids
really understand or even notice these touches? I tend to
doubt it. ***
Regardless, I think everyone will enjoy this film.
If you’re one of those people who think 3-D effects are
distracting, don’t worry--not all theaters playing “Monsters
vs. Aliens” are equipped to show it in 3-D. You therefore
have the option of experiencing it without being subjected
to objects flying off the screen. ***
The story begins on the day Modesto native Susan Murphy
(voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is to be married to local
TV weatherman Derek Dietl (voiced by Paul Rudd). As she
stands outside the church, waiting for the ceremony to begin,
a meteorite suddenly falls from the sky and lands directly
on top of her. She isn’t killed, but the strange radiation
from the meteorite transforms her into a giant; it isn’t
long before she’s tranquilized by government agents and
taken away. ***
When she awakens, she learns that she’s being held
in a secret high tech facility designed to keep monsters
out of the public eye. She then meets four of the residents.
The first, nicknamed B.O.B. (voiced by Seth Rogen), is a
viscous blue blob with one eye and no brain, the result
of a genetic accident involving a tomato and a packet of
ranch dressing. ***
The second, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (voiced by Hugh Laurie)
was once a man until a machine fused his DNA with that of
an insect; now he’s a child-sized bug who likes to laugh
like an evil scientist. ***
The third, The Missing Link (voiced by Will Arnett),
is a fish-human hybrid who isn’t the most physically able
but likes to pretend that he is. The fourth is Insectosaurus,
a monstrous caterpillar that once attacked Tokyo. ***
The facility they’re in is run by the aptly named W.R.
Monger (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland), a tough-talking general
whose Southern accent is second only to his loud voice.
Because of her enormous size, he gives Susan the nickname
Ginormica. ***
(If I may digress for a moment: If you take another
look at the way I described the monsters, you might notice
that they were inspired by five famous monster movies--“Attack
of the 50 Ft. Woman,” “The Blob,” “The Fly,” “Creature from
the Black Lagoon,” and “Mothra.”) ***
When a tentacled alien creature named Gallaxhar (voiced
by Rainn Wilson) sends a giant robot probe to Earth on a
mission of destruction, Monger convinces the President (voiced
by Stephen Colbert) to let the monsters take care of the
problem. At this point, it becomes a journey of self-discovery
for Susan--she essentially begins realizing that she’s actually
achieved something by being transformed into a monster,
and because of that, she starts to rethink her relationship
with Derek. It’s not as if he was all that nice a guy to
begin with. ***
But what am I talking about? Not too many people will
see “Monsters vs. Aliens” looking for a commentary on self-esteem.
Above all else, it’s a light-hearted animated comedy built
around inside jokes, witty dialogue, and sight gags. A good
example of the last is the scene in which Susan finds herself
fighting against Gallaxher’s robot; before trying to save
innocent people driving on the Golden Gate Bridge, she puts
both her feet into cars and uses them to roller skate down
the hilly streets of San Francisco. ***
And then there’s the recurring gag of two identical,
gigantic red buttons in the middle of a secret military
compound. One of them releases nuclear weapons while the
other dispenses lattes. Naturally, the President is often
confused about which one is which. ***
I have no doubt that the one character audiences will
love the most is B.O.B. He seems so delightfully brainless,
and you know this is true when he thinks that Susan is a
boy because only boys have breasts. There’s also his brief
romantic tryst with a plateful of green Jell-O, who he thinks
gave him a fake phone number. You just can’t help but laugh
every time he appears on screen. ***
The long and short of it is that “Monsters vs. Aliens”
is a thoroughly enjoyable animated film, and while the 3-D
process is at times a little too intrusive (as in the beginning,
when a man sits at a desk, playing with a paddleball), it
ultimately serves the story very well. It certainly holds
up better than many recent films presented in 3-D, including
the delightful “Coraline.” ***
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