Gripping action and clever allusions

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2009)

Monsters vs. Aliens works.
It's humor isn't top notch, but the movie is. Any of its flaws tend to gently fade into the background, and if you don't enjoy what's happening on screen, something more entertaining will be around in seconds.
This film is full of delightful B-movie references and some of the most satisfying role reversals and inversions of classic tropes I've ever seen.
The action scenes are fast-paced, coherent, and character driven, and well worth watching in IMAX 3D.
Susan/Ginormica may well be the best female action hero to come out of Hollywood in 30 years. She manages to be stay sympathetic and believable in a way the obnoxious Mary Sue powerhouses failed to be.
For most people, this will be an enjoyable action film. For hardcore fans of B scifi and schlock horror esoterica, it will be a deeply rewarding experience. The ending may seem trite, until you stand back and think about how this film's romantic subplot sets it apart from not just most action movies with a female protagonist, but a good bulk of contemporary cinematic history.
I would have given this ten stars if she had eaten Derek in the last scene.