Kind of fun, but the gags rarely work

Rating: 6/10 (28 December 2009)

Pretty much par for the course for Dreamworks' animated features. It ain't bad, necessarily, but it's little more than a diversion. I'd rank this one relatively low among their films, though. Actually, when it's doing action and sci-fi stuff, it's pretty fun. I especially loved the whole sequence where the giant alien robot chased the giant girl (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) through San Fransisco. The big problem with this movie is that it is almost never funny. It tries really hard - Seth Rogen in particular tries really hard as a semi-sentient blob of goo - but all the jokes land with a thud. I should say I kind of liked Stephen Colbert, as well, as the president. The animation is quite good, though nowhere near as good as anything Pixar has produced. The movie originally played in 3D in most theaters, and it opens with the most clichéd 3D image imaginable: a ball and paddle game. I think it might have been a joke, but it's a good example of how flat all the jokes fall here.