Solidly entertaining, epically huge and a romping good time

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2009)

First I will say quite clearly that Monsters vs Aliens is not the greatest work of animation from Dreamworks, or Pixar for that matter. That isn't said to take away from the film at all just simply a statement of fact. Second of all I knew I wanted to see Monsters vs Aliens in IMAX 3D which I don't often get to see. So I'm sure that influences my opinions as well. The film is monstrously entertainment, great characters, fun adventure and just something everyone can enjoy and that is really the goal of animation right now. I think in some ways the film might have been too much for just one animated movie. The characters are all terrific but seem to have so much more they could have done with them where minor characters were perhaps overused. The film is still a load of fun and could truly be fun for anyone who wants to go. The 3D aspect is truly awesome. They do an amazing job and some of the scenes really stand out. It was awesome to watch the kids around me in the theater really be impressed with the 3D graphics and it was just as much fun for me. I really wanted to reach out and try to touch the 3D object like they were all doing.
Reese Witherspoon proves that she has talent beyond acting on the big screen by lending her vocal talents to Susan Murphy and her enormous alter ego Ginormica (love that name.) She has the perfect sweet voice and really makes her character come to life. Seth Rogen is absolutely perfect as less than clever B.O.B. He is one of the characters that I felt got sadly underused which is strange because I would have thought they'd shove Rogen down our throats. Still his character and his silly voice really just made him one of the best characters. Hugh Laurie is just awesome as Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. He is probably my second favorite character in the entire film and could easily carry his own spin off movie I think. The character of The Missing Link was a very important character but not quite as lovable and funny as the rest of them. He had his moments but his character is more serious and flawed adding a touch of the dramatic to the film. In that way I felt like Will Arnett didn't really match his character like the rest of them did. He does well but certainly doesn't get a whole lot of heavy comedy out of the deal. The supporting cast of voices are all perfect for their respective characters including a terrific voice over by Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert (hilarious as the President,) Paul Rudd, and Rainn Wilson who is a much better voice actor than he is an actual actor. Truly my number one favorite character of the entire film...has no voice over at all. He is the single handed creation of the animation artists and that is fuzzy, adorable, mean looking Insectasaurus. One of the greatest scenes in the film and in recent animation is the scene with the giant one eyed robot staring down Insectasaurus across the Golden Gate Bridge...it was a spectacle.
Directors Rob Letterman of Shark Tale fame and Conrad Vernon of Shrek 2 fame as well as numerous animated voices, do an amazing job on this story. Both Shark Tale and Shrek are quite obviously terrifically told stories that revolve around bringing these "cartoon" characters to life and not in a Scooby Doo kind of way but rather making animated features as good, if not better than live action. This story certainly shows some real talent. The characters are brought to life and it's fun and exciting and even touching and manages to pull off a moral message to boot. Not an easy task for a film nowadays. Monsters vs Aliens isn't the best animated feature out there but I think honestly it's mostly due to it's own illusions of grandeur, it just tried way too hard to be perfect but still pulls off excellent. Definitely check this one out for fans of animated movies or watch it with the kids because you will love it as much as they will. 8.5/10