Mutated creatures, UFO's, and genre satrire: Oh my!

Rating: 7/10 (11 November 2009)

Monsters vs. Aliens is one of the better animated films of the last couple of years. It's really a genre satire film, and makes the humor fresh because its references to other movies are done so subtly. The sight gag bits support the development of the story's own universe. (Much better than those genre-title movies that just reenact scenes from recent films.) Sci-Fi movies are the target this time, ranging all the way from the way out drive-in alien invaders of the 50's to recent sci-fi encounters. I didn't keep count, but some good stuff from at least 25 movies and probably more were hidden to pop up at opportune moments here. Some are disguised, others are more obvious, but the jokes all work.
A bride-to-be gets conked by a rogue meteorite, turning into a 50-foot giant. Men-in-black seize her, and she becomes a reluctant heroine joining a team of sci-fi mutated good-guys opposing alien nasties. This story line is a nice framework for adapting all the craziness of the numerous sight gags, and there's a good flow in the action. My only criticism might be that the main character, Susan, is written somewhat melancholy and bitter. It really wasn't necessary, and conflicts with other comically written characters. The gooey blob, the mammoth bug, the missing link, and the bug scientist all make for a great team. I especially got a kick out of the nut case villain guy, who wants to conquer the universe. His multi-eyes that look in different directions are classic.
Fun stuff. There's humor in this movie that both adults and kids can appreciate, making for a great family film.