Must see in 3D

Rating: 7/10 (29 March 2009)

Who do you root for when it’s aliens versus monsters, anyway? This isn’t like Aliens versus Predator, where no matter who won, we lost. OK, time’s up - it’s monsters. The monsters - the Missing Link, Dr. Cockroach, Ginormica, B.O.B., and Insectosaurus - are on our side, helping to defend Earth from the dastardly intentions of one Gallaxahar.
Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) is searching for an element called quantonium, which he believes will make him superpowerful or something. Some quantonium has landed on Earth in the form of a meteorite. A meteorite that lands on Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) right before her wedding, causing her to grow to enormous proportions! Soon the military catches her and imprisons her with other caught monsters from over the past fifty years. And then when Gallaxhar sends a massive robot probe to Earth, a probe that is invulnerable to all attacks, only one group of mostly inhumanoids can save the day! In addition to Susan, now known as Ginormica, there’s B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous blob; Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) , a roach-human hybrid; The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a gill-man; and Insectosaurus, a giant - and I mean giant - grub. Bound together by a thirst for justice and fresh air, they “agree” to fight back against the robot probe.
Couple of things to note here. First, although this is a PG-rated film, there’s a notable use of the word “boobies.” As a male adult, I think it’s awesome that such a word has finally made into kiddie fare, although the fact that I have no kids probably plays into that a little bit. Still, I don’t think it bothered the sold-out crowd in the theater; at least there were no audible gasps. Also, the violence, because it’s in 3D - yes!! - is a little more intense than for a 2D movie, since it’s all in your face and such. Again, I don’t think it affected the kidlets negatively.
Another thing to note is that Seth Rogen is a comedic genius. Fans of his live-action stuff have known that for a while, of course, and now the kids will, too, if they know he’s the voice behind B.O.B., who falls for a plate of Jell-O at one point. Rogen’s comic timing is hilariously on key, and he always sounds as if he’s having the time of his life.
Reese Witherspoon (like Rene Zellweger in Bee Movie), as Susan, is a sweet, engaging voice actress as well. Her bemusement as she struggles with her sudden height - she uses cars as roller skates - is entertaining. There are also some slight nods to other movies; the President (played memorably by Stephen Colbert) plays the famous five notes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind before showing the Vulcan hand sign. And when the military attacks the probe, one plane has “ET GO HOME” painted on its side.
This is definitely a movie that makes good use of 3D technology, and it’s one that viewed in 2D would seem pedestrian. It’s not quite a classic, but there are plenty of good jokes - particularly from Rogen - and it’s well cast. The kids will enjoy it, and it’s another in a line of enjoyable DreamWorks animated features.